A meeting of the Senate Committee on Rules & Judiciary, initially convened to review 28 bills related to the budget, was significantly overshadowed on Wednesday. The main topic of discussion shifted towards a protest by educators across various schools in St. Croix.

Senator Franklin Johnson shared insights from conversations he had with several participating protesters on his way to the legislative session. According to Johnson, the issues brought up by the educators are “highly concerning and significant, especially regarding the state of our schools.” The Senator expressed his solidarity with the teachers, pointing out that their grievances align closely with the well-being of the students. “Our current learning environment is far from ideal,” he remarked. He mentioned that some classrooms are ill-equipped to deal with record-breaking heat, with windows that won’t even open. Johnson also expressed concern over the lack of drinking water in schools like Pearl B. Larsen Elementary, an issue he claims has been overlooked by the Department of Education.

Rosa Soto-Thomas, President of the St. Croix chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), spoke to journalists earlier that day. She highlighted a slew of challenges that educators are grappling with, including an expired collective bargaining agreement and the introduction of digital learning resources that many students can’t access due to lack of computers. “Even those who have computers are affected as the internet speeds are frustratingly slow,” she said, questioning the government’s investment in broadband that isn’t benefiting classrooms.

During the committee meeting, lawmakers also noted multiple issues contributing to the educators’ protest. Senator Johnson highlighted the shortage of specialized staff such as special education workers and an overall lack of teaching personnel, which leads to oversized classes often lacking proper support. He further revealed that some schools suffer from rodent and termite infestations, as well as inadequate equipment. For example, a teacher at one elementary school in St. Croix had to conduct a cooking class without the benefit of a stove or refrigerator.

Senator Novelle Francis emphasized a long list of other issues affecting schools across St. Croix, such as “inadequate supplies, employee shortages, malfunctioning freezers and coolers, subpar air quality, and insufficient school security measures including lack of working cameras and not enough school buses.”

When asked about the next steps, Ms. Soto-Thomas was uncertain but emphasized that the walkout had successfully captured the attention of decision-makers. Senator Francis agreed, stating, “These are issues well within our capability to address, and we will collaboratively tackle them at the right time.”

The protest by educators in St. Croix serves as a vivid example of the urgency needed in addressing the multiple challenges plaguing the island’s educational system. The Senate committee meeting, originally focused on budget-related bills, turned into an urgent call to action to improve the teaching and learning environment across St. Croix schools.

In a meticulously penned letter on September 4, the leadership of the University of the Virgin Islands’ arm of the American Association of University Professors (UVI-AAUP) formally approached the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance. Their primary goal? To echo UVI President David Hall’s request for an augmentation of $1.3 million to the FY2024 budget, specifically for enhancing faculty salaries.

Sources from the Consortium in the previous month highlighted President Hall’s primary grievance: UVI’s incapacity to furnish academic experts with salaries that can compete on the market. Shockingly, this deficit in compensation has cascaded into a daunting 50% faculty turnover in the preceding half-decade. UVI-AAUP’s letter deepens the narrative, revealing how this wage gap hasn’t merely led to empty faculty chairs but has also, in some cases, obligated the institution to settle for less qualified educators. This, naturally, places the UVI’s educational standards in jeopardy.

A pressing issue pinpointed by UVI-AAUP is the perceived inequity in the government’s financial behavior towards UVI’s employees. The letter showcases Governor Bryan’s notable allocation of $18 million, set aside in his FY 2024 budget, to ensure a 3% salary increment for the entire governmental workforce. The striking omission here? UVI wasn’t on the list of beneficiaries. This exclusion feels particularly sharp, considering the 8% wage reduction that UVI faculty weathered in 2011, alongside their governmental peers—though they were rightfully compensated for this deduction in 2021.

Peering further back, the UVI-AAUP underscores a lingering problem: UVI faculty wages have been battling the rising tide of inflation since 2004. That year, the merit-based pay scale, once cherished by educators, was disassembled by UVI’s Board of Trustees. A gleam of hope appeared in 2020 with the negotiation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement. This pact aimed to anchor UVI salaries at a minimum, placing the institution in the 40th percentile of US higher education salary brackets. However, the glow was short-lived, as this agreement reached its end in August 2022. The aftermath? Faculty now operate without the assurance of a union contract, hamstrung by negotiation deadlocks.

To circumnavigate this persistent issue, UVI-AAUP doesn’t merely raise concerns; they propose a solution. Addressed to the Finance Committee, their proposition is straightforward yet potentially revolutionary: annually allocate to UVI a share, proportionate to the institution’s entire salary outlay and fine-tuned for core inflation. This portion would be exclusively reserved for employee wage enhancements. Implementing this, UVI-AAUP argues, could be the panacea for the university’s dwindling faculty wages, challenges in hiring and retaining top-tier talent, and the consequent slide in UVI’s educational standards.

The long-awaited declaration of the champions of the Virgin Islands Bar Association’s 29th annual High School Moot Court Competition had a commendable motive behind the delay: the pursuit of more scholarship opportunities for standout participants.

This revelation was made by the organizing committee, who disseminated the results in a press statement this past Monday.

The preliminary district rounds were orchestrated on April 18, 2023. They were staged at the District Court in Golden Rock, St. Croix, and at the Supreme Court premises in Crown Bay, serving the St. Thomas/St. John district. Notably, The Gifft Hill School on St. John reintroduced itself to the competition after a hiatus of several years. The crowning championship round was convened virtually on April 19. The competition saw an impressive turnout with 21 teams from 9 schools, equating to 42 students and an additional 3 alternates. This was a noteworthy increase from the previous year’s 17 teams.

In the St. Thomas/St. John District championship, the Antilles School stood out, led by the dynamic duo of Angeline Nairns and Aisha Khemani. Nairns and Khemani were not only part of the winning team but also clinched the Best Oralist accolade. Following them was the proficient team from Charlotte Amalie High School, comprised of Shayne`e Cherival and Kemiah Solomon. Sts. Peter & Paul’s pair, Pierre Joseph and Ethan Farrell, rounded off the top three.

Meanwhile, in St. Croix, Good Hope Country Day School showcased excellence. The team, spearheaded by Tsehai Alfred and Wyatt Bracy, won the championship. Bry’Nice Berley and Una Alexander from St. Croix Central secured second place, while the third slot went to Alani Arnold and Keanna Alphonse from the St. Croix Educational Complex. It’s also worth noting that Bry’Nice Berley was celebrated as the Best Oralist for the St. Croix District.

The championship round was a stringent selection, trimming the participating teams from 21 to the stellar 12, which included the top six contenders from both districts. Originally, each district had set aside $5,000 in scholarships, divided among the top-performing oralists and teams. During the championship, Good Hope Country Day School was the crowned victor, followed by St. Croix Seventh-Day Adventist School, and with Antilles School occupying the third slot.

However, an anomaly was observed post the scholarship award distribution. Some students who had showcased exemplary performance in the district-level competitions left the championship without any accolades. Gregory Thorp, St. Thomas Chair, voiced the Moot Court Planning Committee’s collective sentiment. They believed that students achieving medals at the district level merited scholarships. This led the committee to propose an increment of $10,000 to the already allocated $7,500 in awards to the Board of Governors. After months of deliberation, this proposal was approved, thus explaining the postponement in announcing the final standings.

The supplementary scholarship fund was then equitably split between the two districts.