The Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) reported to the Committee on Education and Workforce Development on Aug. 29 that staffing, teacher certification and a backlog of special‑education evaluations remain priorities as the 2025–26 school year begins.

Commissioner Dion Wells Hedrington told senators the department currently employs 2,022 people territorywide and reported recent separations, retirements and vacancies. The department presented a breakdown of hires and vacancies: for the start of the year, the department said it had hired 34 employees territorywide (14 teachers) in one district and 31 hires (10 teachers) in the other district.

VIDE also reported the number of uncertified teachers by district: 208 teachers without full certification in the Saint Thomas–Saint John district and 230 uncertified in the Saint Croix district. Administrator certification gaps were identified as well, with 23 uncertified administrators in Saint Thomas–Saint John and 25 in Saint Croix. The commissioner emphasized ongoing efforts to develop local pipelines in partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands, the Department of Labor and other partners; she said the department had launched a first cohort of 20 paraprofessionals enrolled in teacher‑preparation programs and was planning subsequent cohorts.

Special‑education evaluations were a central concern. Commissioner Hedrington and district superintendents described a summer intensive evaluation initiative: Saint Croix completed 60 evaluations during an extended‑school‑year initiative; the Saint Thomas–Saint John district reported that a contracted psychologist completed about 11 of an attempted 17 evaluations over the summer but that scheduling, "no shows" and screening failures created gaps. Hedrington said the Saint Croix district would assign evaluation teams that each carry a minimum caseload of 60 students and hold weekly check‑ins with the educational diagnostic center team to maintain pace. The department said evaluations will be prioritized for incoming kindergarten students, students transitioning to new schools, and students with urgent behavioral needs.

On compliance and accountability, the department presented ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) report cards for sample campuses and said territorywide ratings will be released publicly in October. Commissioner Hedrington noted chronic absenteeism as a persistent issue affecting school accountability metrics and said the department planned targeted family engagement and early‑grade attendance interventions.

On special‑education staffing, the department acknowledged continued reliance on contracted psychologists and social workers and said it intends to invest in local recruitment, certification and training. The Saint Croix district described reassignment of social‑work staff to temporarily provide counseling so school psychologists can focus on initial and emergency evaluations.

Ending: VIDE told the committee it is pursuing pipeline development, recruitment and training measures and asked for legislative support where statutory or funding changes could speed certification and reduce reliance on contractors.