The strings attached to federal dollars

Yes&Know By Aline Yamashita

As the saying goes, “Be careful of what you ask for.”

President Trump won the election. Apparently, voters want greater control over immigration, crime, the national deficit, international relations, American job investments and development.

So the effects are in play. As desired, federal budgets and bureaucracy are being curtailed, which means government jobs are on the line.

Immigration laws are being enforced, which means that those without proper documents are being sent home or elsewhere.

Resource production is being strengthened throughout the country, which means that global transactions are impacted.

In education, the notion of authority and responsibility being fortified in local and state entities is being watched. Half of the U.S. Department of Education employees have received pink slips. Officials have issued statements assuring that consolidated grants, higher education grants and special education funding will remain intact. We’ll see.

No matter what the case may be, the intended consequence is that the local government will be more responsible for policies and programs.

When the 1983 report titled “A Nation at Risk” proclaimed the state of our country as dismal, programs at the federal level took off.

Goals 2000, No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds were federal mandates that intended to help states and territories improve quality of life through education.

We took the bait. Federal funding is always attractive, particularly when local resources seem insufficient.

We developed committees. We made presentations to schools, the parent congress and communities. We presented to the Guam legislature, the Chamber of Commerce and everyone who needed to be involved. New presidents meant new federal initiatives, perhaps not much different, except for new titles.

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At the time, we were already making progress in our local public school system with curricular standards, programs, assessment and professional development. Scores were climbing. Teacher recruitment and retention were solid. 

But we took the bait. To be fair, there are times when participation is not optional. Being dutiful requires adherence.

Now the downfall. Reliance on the federal dollar became a justification for not investing the local dollar. Depending on the federal dollar also dictated how we would perform, what we would teach and how we would assess.

Again, we were already on that highway. The University of Guam was doing well with graduating teachers and counselors. Teachers and school communities were at the table, developing, formulating and presenting.

At the time, we had a K-3 integrated curriculum, a middle school interdisciplinary curriculum and high school programs. The high school mock trial competition, the Close-Up Youth Program and a wide range of advanced placement courses were installed. We succeeded by making kindergarten an all-day program at each elementary school. We had a vision of each school becoming accredited.

When we accepted the federal initiatives, we sidestepped what we knew worked. We focused on what federal think tanks decided should be done.

Did scores go up? Did teachers leave? Is the market for teachers strong?

This shift is a blessing in disguise. It requires us to determine how to best navigate our resources. It requires us to prioritize what we need for a good quality of life here.

It also gives us the opportunity to be clear about what we expect as we share our limited land, clean air and turquoise water with the military defense, given that our location is strategic for communication and warfare.

We are given back what we gave away. Cultural competency and island wisdom win. Respect and regard for what we know, do, and care about are back for us to propel ahead. Our future is ours to determine.

And with the authority comes responsibility. While Head Start and Vocational Rehab provide funding for needed programs here, it creates uncertainty about the rules. I’ve been trying for eight years to get locally funded job coaches. The Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities pushes back because, for some reason, they believe it jeopardizes their federal funding.

Believe this: the department returned $1.56 million in 2024. And believe me, it’s not because nobody needs vocational rehab services. Ask the hundreds at Guma Mami and Catholic Social Services.

Head Start is in the hands of the federal government. If it were ours, we would be celebrating Early Start in every village and expanding Head Start classrooms so that the waiting list becomes non-existent.

As we leverage our resources, let the local dollar determine our future, not the federal dollar.

Aline Yamashita is a mom, a teacher and former senator. She served in the 31st and 32nd Guam Legislatures. Send feedback to aline4families@gmail.com.