U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The Bryan-Roach Administration on Monday highlighted a stable fiscal outlook, continued progress on school modernization, and ongoing efforts to strengthen the territory’s case for relief from increased postal fees affecting Virgin Islands families and businesses.
During the weekly Government House press briefing, Government House Director of Communications Richard Motta Jr. pointed to a stable economic forecast, visible progress on major recovery projects, and continued advocacy on federal issues with direct consequences for Virgin Islanders.
At Friday’s Spring Revenue Estimating Conference, the Bryan-Roach Administration presented an encouraging outlook for Fiscal Year 2027, with overall revenues projected at approximately $870.7 million, up from $866.4 million in Fiscal Year 2026. Gross estimated revenues are projected at $896.7 million.
“That outlook reflects continued strength in key parts of the economy. Tourism remains strong. Airlift is growing. Employment continues to recover. Major recovery and capital projects are also helping to support economic activity across the territory,” Motta said.
“The conference also made clear that some areas require close attention. Gross receipts tax collections are projected to decline, due in part to shifts among a small number of top taxpayers. Even so, the overall picture remains stable, and the broader trend continues to move in the right direction,” Motta said.
“That is why the Revenue Estimating Conference matters. It gives the government a clear and disciplined view of where revenues are headed so budget decisions are grounded in facts, sound projections, and real economic conditions,” Motta said. “The message from Friday’s conference was straightforward. The Virgin Islands economy remains stable. Recovery work continues to drive activity. The administration is planning ahead with caution, discipline, and confidence.”
The administration also highlighted continued progress in the long term effort to rebuild and modernize the territory’s public schools.
On St. Croix, the Arthur A. Richards PreK through 8 School is nearing completion and is expected to welcome students for the new school year in August. On St. Thomas, the next major milestone will come this Thursday, March 26, at 10 a.m., when the Bryan-Roach Administration will mark the start of construction activities for the renovation and modernization of the Bertha C. Boschulte School.
The Boschulte project is part of the territory’s long term school recovery effort being carried out through the Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery and the Virgin Islands Department of Education. The campus is being modernized as a PreK through 8 school, with upgrades planned across the existing facility, including improvements to classrooms, building systems, and other critical infrastructure needed to support a modern learning environment.
“Thursday’s ceremony is one of several major school milestones on the calendar this spring,” Motta said. “The administration is also preparing for the groundbreaking of the Charlotte Amalie High School rebuild on April 9 and the groundbreaking for the phased demolition and reconstruction of St. Croix Central High School on April 21.”
“Taken together, these projects show that the work to rebuild and modernize the territory’s schools is moving. Arthur A. Richards is nearing the finish line. Boschulte is entering construction. Charlotte Amalie High and Central High are next. That is what progress looks like, and it is what the community deserves to see,” Motta said.
Members of the public are invited to tune in to live coverage of Thursday’s ceremony on Facebook at GovernmentHouseUSVI and on the Government Access Network, Channel 27, for viewers with One Communications cable service.
The briefing also included an update from Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight, who addressed the rotational outages affecting the St. Thomas district and outlined the utility’s ongoing response. WAPA said the outages began after Unit 15 at the Randolph Harley Power Plant suffered an auxiliary equipment failure on Thursday, March 19, taking the unit offline and reducing available generation during peak demand hours. WAPA said repairs remain underway and that rotational outages are expected to continue through Wednesday, when Unit 15 is expected to return to service.
WAPA also said six of the district’s seven Wärtsilä engines are currently operating, while a seventh unit was already out of service for maintenance. During daylight hours, generation from the Donoe solar facility is helping support the system, but the loss of Unit 15 has at times left demand exceeding available generation by about 5 megawatts, making temporary feeder rotations necessary to protect the system and avoid a wider outage. WAPA said crews from St. Croix have been brought to St. Thomas to support repairs and that daily rotation schedules are being shared with the public, with adjustments made as needed based on system conditions and community needs.
Before closing the briefing, Motta reminded the community about the Bryan-Roach Administration’s outreach effort to gather real world information on the increased postal fees many Virgin Islanders have faced since the federal de minimis exemption was suspended for shipments affecting the territories in late August 2025.
“Before we close, I want to remind the community about the Bryan-Roach Administration’s outreach effort to gather real world information on the increased postal fees many Virgin Islanders have faced since the federal de minimis exemption was suspended for shipments affecting the territories in late August 2025,” Motta said. “That policy change has driven unexpected costs for families and businesses across the Virgin Islands, and we are asking people to share their experiences because facts, receipts, and documented examples strengthen the territory’s case as we continue pressing for relief in Washington.”
“Governor Bryan has already raised this issue directly with federal officials, and during recent White House meetings the administration was encouraged to submit case specific examples showing the actual impact on Virgin Islands residents and businesses,” Motta said.
“We have already heard from many members of the community, and we are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share what these added costs have meant for their household or their business,” Motta said. “That feedback matters. It helps build the record we need to keep advancing this fight with urgency and credibility.”
The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 27. Residents and businesses can send their information, receipts, photos, and a brief description of how these fees have affected them to postalfees@go.vi.gov.
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