Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline has opined that wealthy Virgin Islands (VI) residents should be engaged in raising the $100 million for the expansion of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) into a full campus. Photo: HLSCC

Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline has said education in the Virgin Islands should be fully funded, but not through government's annual budget. Photo: Internet Source

Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline during the June 16, 2026, airing of his show Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM. Photo: Facebook

It was recently revealed by Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Hon Sharie B de Castro (AL), that the HLSCC had received official accreditation and will begin offering four-year degree programmes beginning with the Bachelor of Arts in Education. 

Speaking during his show, Honestly Speaking, on June 16, 2026, Skelton-Cline said HLSCC President Dr Richard E. Georges and his team have a comprehensive plan, schematic, and architectural plan for that campus. 

“We have not done much since the late Stoutt has passed, and we need a hundred million dollars…to build out, outfit, complete the H. Lavity Stoutt, moving from a community college to a college and then ultimately to a university where we will offer master's programmes. We need a hundred million dollars.”

Get the wealthy class involved 

Skelton-Cline said that knowing how to talk to the wealthy class, both black and white, of this community is important. They should be engaged in “establishing a foundation, in setting up a programme, a constructive consortium to resource with capital, to leverage their relationship in the raising of funding for the execution, for the commencement of construction and completion [of] the H. Lavity Stoutt College”. 

He added that the government and the minister should engage the wealthy class who have taken up residence in the VI on this matter. 

“You have to ensure and provide them an opportunity and let them take a vested interest and ownership in ensuring" that the expansion of H. Lavity Stoutt Community College "can come on stream, not 10 years from now, not 15 years from now.”

Skelton-Cline suggested a 3, 5, 7, and 10-year plan for the plan to be fully executed. 

Education should be fully funded, not from gov’t budget

“But we’re not engaging the wealthy class of this society well, and I’m calling on them…y’all know who you are across the waters, government, private sector, locals, blacks, whites, education should be fully funded, not from no annual budget of the government.”

Skelton-Cline added that there is too much money flowing through and has flown through this country. “The local population, by and large, is not a part of the eating of the pie.”