Government of the Virgin Islands of the United States

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Standing Committees

The Virgin Islands Board of Education established four (4) standing committees to oversee the duties of the Board, as well as three (3) Ad Hoc Committees:

  • Policies, Rules and Regulations
  • School Plants and Facilities
  • Public / Private Liaison
  • Professional Staff Certification & Higher Education
  • Finance Ad Hoc – Scholarship & Collections
  • Internal Controls Ad Hoc
  • Executive Committee  Ad Hoc

All standing committees meet at regular intervals. The responsibilities of each standing committee are as follows:

Policies, Rules and Regulations
  • Researches and writes all school policies
  • Drafts policies for committee’s review, public comment, and full Board approval
Committee Members :

Emmanuella Perez-Cassius, Chair (epcassius@myviboe.com); Shawna K. Richards, and Nandi Sekou, Esq.

School Plants and Facilities
  • Oversees all Department of Education buildings inclusive of all schools and administrative office buildings in the Territory
  • Conducts regular site visits to provide recommendations for repairs and improvements
Committee Members :

Winona A. Hendricks, Chair (wahendricks@myviboe.com); Terrance T. Joseph, Dr. Kyza A. Callwood

Public / Private Liaison
  • Identifies strategies to engage the community and education stakeholders in the Board’s programs
  • Forms partnerships with the private sector to promote the goals and visions of the board through activities such as radio appearances and town hall meetings
Committee Members :

Arah C. Lockhart., Chair (aclockhart@myviboe.com); Emmanuella Perez-Cassius and Terrance T. Joseph

Professional Staff Certification & Higher Education
  • Reviews the credentials of professional staff to ensure each candidate is qualified for certification in accordance to the Board’s policies Sponsors courses and workshops that provide materials for professional staff applicants seeking certification.
Committee Members :

Nandi Sekou, Esq., Chair(nsekou@myviboe.com); Winona A. Hendricks, Shawna K. Richards

Finance (Ad Hoc) - Scholarship and Collections
  • Advise the Board on executing awards policies for undergraduate and graduate programs
  • Develop, review, and recommend for consideration by the Board, policies and regulations concerning scholarship awards criteria and application procedures
  • Monitor labor trends and recommend amendments to legislation concerning scholarships
  • Develop, review, and recommend policies, procedures and regulations concerning loan applications, awards, and debt collections
  • Review scholarship applications and recommend candidates to receive scholarships and loans
Committee Members :

Shawna K. Richards., Chair (srichards@myviboe.com); Judy M. Gomez, and Arah C. Lockhart

Internal Control (Ad-Hoc)
  • In conjunction with the Executive Director, serve as the Board’s liaison with the Office of the Inspector General and or all other public or private auditors approved by the Board. However, the Executive Director shall have primary responsibility to interface with the Office of the Inspector General.
  • Conduct investigations and hearings and recommend decisions to the Board pertaining to ethics violations, labor relations, and Human Resources issues. pursuant to VIBE’s By-laws, and policies and in accordance with federal and territorial laws.
  • Develop, review, and recommend for consideration by the Board due process procedures, standards, and guidelines for considering employee and Board member grievances and complaints
  • Develop, review, and recommend for consideration by the Board, VIBE operational guidelines, labor relations and Human Resources policies.
  • Develop, review, and recommend for consideration by the Board all policies related to conducting internal audits and internal controls.
  • Monitor corrective action plans implemented in response to external audits and reviews conducted by any government or private agency.
  • Recommend requests for public and/or private audits.
  • Review audit reports and prepare corrective action plans in response to external audits.
Committee Members :

Judy M. Gomez, Esq., Chair (jmgomez@myviboe.com); Dr. Kyza A. Callwood, and Emmanuella Perez-Cassius

Executive Committee (Ad-Hoc)
  • Provide oversight of the budget development process and conduct budget-based program reviews in conjunction with the Director of Business and Finance
  • Develop, review, and recommend changes to the Virgin Islands Code concerning Board operations and finances.
  • Supervise the Executive Director to assure the acts of the Board are executed, and it keeps the members informed of issues on the local and national level.
Committee Members :

Kyza A. Callwood, Chair (kcallwood@myviboe.com); Emmanuella Perez-Cassius (Vice-Chairman) and Shawna K. Richards (Secretary)