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By Pacific island Times News Staff

Additional rebate for Guam teachers proposed

Sen. Kelly Marsh-Taitano today introduced a bill proposing to increase the current tax rebate for Guam educators from $500 to $750 to help them cover the added cost of e-teaching that requires technological upgrades.

“The impact of Covid-19 on the world cannot be understated. Every one of us has been affected in different ways. 2020 has been a year of tragedy, with many things cancelled or put on pause. It has also been a time where we have seen community resiliency and also our ability to adapt," Marsh Taitano said.

"Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the work of the Guam Department of Education, where thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students and their families have had to adapt to remote instruction and learning," she added.

Marsh Taitano also noted that historically, teachers are often put in the position of having to purchase extra supplies to fill their classrooms and support the learning of their students. With the pandemic and the need to socially distance, some educators have had to take on new expenses, especially related to technological upgrades.

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"We often hear stories of teachers using their own funds to buy pencils, paper, glue, crayons and other items for their students," the senator said. "I am introducing this bill to increase the current tax rebate after hearing so many stories from teachers about their struggles in trying to move from their classrooms to zoom rooms and needing to buy new software programs to edit videos or make pdfs."

“Educators are providing a critical public service right now, working to ensure that even while many things shut down or are put on hold, this does not happen in terms of the education of our children. We have seen so many in our community step up to lend a helping hand, to work together to keep each other strong in these trying times."


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