ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (October 1, 2007)

-- A total of $1.4 million from the Virgin Islands Lottery's Education Fund will soon be distributed to the territory's schools, and more is on the way, according to a statement from Government House Saturday. Each of 34 schools will receive equal amounts of $40,000 for fiscal year 2007, Governor John deJongh Jr. said in the statement.

According to Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Lynn Spampinato, all of the checks have been processed by the Department of Finance and are at the Department of Education for distribution. "Also, I am pleased to say that within a short period of time, the territory's schools public schools will also receive similar funding totaling $2.9 million for Fiscal Year 2008," Spampinato said.

Now in its fourth year of existence, the release of the funds each fiscal year depends on the cash generated by the lottery. "The monies from the V.I. Lottery will go a long way in assisting our schools with taking care of their day to day operations and immediate needs," said Assistant Commissioner Donna Frett-Gregory, who oversees the department's fiscal operations.

SOURCE: St. Thomas Source.