The Education Department is taking steps to implement Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's call for a cut in the government's workforce by 25 percent over five years.
Acting Commissioner Mario Golden, in a memo to top officials, has asked them to devise plans to reduce hiring, reassign existing personnel and consolidate responsibilities, the Independent reported Thursday.
Golden asked the administrators and division heads to submit to him by Thursday:
— A list of non-school personnel.
— Details of all federal budgets.
— A list of all vacant positions, whether funded or not.
— A list of people in various areas whose employment isn't essential to the department's day-to-day functions.
A report completed in October by the V.I. Education Commission, established by former Gov. Roy L. Schneider, found that nearly 90 percent of Education's $121 million operating budget in 1998 went for personnel, the Independent noted. Less than 1 percent, or $2.3 million, was budgeted for textbooks, supplies and other materials for more than 21,000 students.
Turnbull in his State of the Territory address called for reducing the government's workforce by 25 percent over five years.