The Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) released its 30-day project list for public schools within the St. Croix School District in October. This list was comprised of maintenance repairs and ongoing projects that were actively being managed by the operations, facilities and maintenance divisions of the St. Croix District. As part of the Department of Education’s commitment to transparency, it is sharing updates on the status of these outlined projects with the public.
Each school had its own specific set of projects to be accomplished within the 30-day timeframe. The detailed documents, which include the project type and status for each school, can be accessed online at www.vide.vi or via the Virgin Islands Department of Education’s Facebook page.
Considering the nature of these projects, multiple phases are involved before work can commence for some tasks. Some projects necessitated the solicitation of bids, development of scopes of work, securing of contracts, execution of purchase orders and requests made to the United States Department of Education for the reappropriation of federal funds.
The process from start to finish for certain projects is still ongoing.
Additionally, some scopes of work are currently under contract and will extend beyond the initial 30-day period, potentially taking 60 to 90 days to complete. As previously announced, certain projects began within the 30-day period and will continue to be actively worked on until they are finished.
It is important for the department to inform the public that when contracts are in place for scopes of work, completion time can vary based on the nature of services rendered. In instances of scopes of work requiring purchase orders (POs), that purchase order process can take 7-10 business days once the scope description is submitted.
Lastly, regarding projects that are awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Education, the request to reappropriate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds was made to the USDE, and approval is dependent on several factors including the requirement for contractors to have 100% bonding as collateral.
The work in the St. Croix District is progressing and remains a top priority for the Virgin Islands Department of Education. The VIDE will continue to provide the public with regular updates on the advancement of these projects as they move towards completion.
