September 24 decisions include €2.84 million in European education assistance, a projected €1.49 million court-ordered payment schedule, and measures covering tourism, disability services, sports, and development.

MARIGOT:--- Saint-Martin’s Executive Council approved a series of financial and administrative measures during its September 24, 2026 meeting, including European education funding, an employee meal-card contract and arrangements to pay Computer Technologies while continuing litigation over the final amount owed.

According to a Collectivité press release dated September 28, the Council examined 32 deliberations. The published summary details decisions affecting education, tourism, public employees, youth participation, disability services, sports, planning and employment.

The Computech dispute carries particularly significant financial implications. The Council approved a payment schedule with a projected total of about €1.49 million, while authorizing legal proceedings to challenge aspects of the debt and seek reimbursement.

€2.84 Million Approved for Education Through European Social Fund

The Council approved €2,838,278.37 in European Social Fund Plus assistance for an education application submitted by the Collectivité’s Education Directorate.

The award falls under a call for projects promoting equal access to education and academic success, launched during the first half of 2026 with an envelope of approximately €6.61 million.

Saint-Martin’s overall European Social Fund Plus allocation for the 2021–2027 programming period is €20.85 million, compared with €16.60 million for 2014–2020.

The release states that management of the full 2021–2027 allocation was delegated to the Collectivité through a global grant arrangement. The Collectivité acts as an intermediary body administering assistance under the national program’s employment, inclusion, youth and skills priorities.

The September decision concerns a specific education award within that broader allocation. The published summary does not provide a detailed breakdown of the activities financed by the €2.84 million grant.

Gastronomy Festival Funding Revised Following Audit-Related Review

The Council also approved a revised financing plan and an amendment to the European funding agreement for the 2024 Gastronomy Festival.

The assistance allocated to the Saint-Martin Tourism Office remains €832,455. The Council had previously allocated that amount on May 9, 2025.

The September decision authorizes an amendment reflecting the renewed examination of the funding file following an audit of the European Regional Development Fund program’s management and control system.

The release therefore describes a revision to an existing award and its financing arrangements, rather than an additional €832,455 grant on top of the earlier allocation.

Saint-Martin’s overall 2021–2027 mainstream regional development fund allocation is €58.8 million. Within that program, the Collectivité manages a €17.21 million global grant supporting economic development, entrepreneurship, innovation and related priorities.

Computech Payments Scheduled Through April 2027

The Council approved an agreement organizing payments required under a June 15, 2026 interim court order benefiting Computer Technologies, commonly known as Computech.

The schedule provides for eight payments, due on the last day of each month from September 30, 2026, through April 30, 2027.

After accounting for €128,050 already processed for payment, the remaining principal is €1,146,005.15. The schedule also includes €3,720 in associated amounts and late-payment interest calculated invoice by invoice at the date of each installment.

The projected total is €1,491,750.28.

The Council also approved a jointly acknowledged accounting statement confirming that previously processed invoices totaling €128,050 must be credited against the amount owed and cannot be paid twice.

The release emphasizes that the agreement establishes payment arrangements for a court order. It does not constitute a negotiated settlement involving mutual concessions or abandonment of the parties’ rights.

Collectivité Challenges Final Debt and Seeks €538,476 Reimbursement

In a separate decision, the Council authorized the Territorial Council President to pursue proceedings before the Saint-Martin Administrative Court to establish the final debt owed to Computech.

The June order required an interim payment of €1,274,055.15 relating to 43 invoices issued between 2023 and 2025, together with interest and associated charges.

The release states that the Collectivité did not submit a defense memorandum in either of the two interim proceedings identified in the document.

The Collectivité now argues that €1,146,005.15 relates to services provided outside the contractual procurement framework and that compensation should be limited to useful expenditure, excluding profit margins.

It also seeks corrections to interest calculations and restitution of €538,476, with offsetting against amounts owed.

These are the Collectivité’s claims in the proceedings. The release does not establish that the court has accepted them.

The Council ratified a protective filing made on September 18, 2026, and authorized legal representation.

Crucially, the litigation does not suspend compliance with the interim payment order. Payments will be credited against the debt ultimately determined by the court, and any excess will be subject to repayment.

Employee Meal-Card Contract Has €8 Million Maximum

The Council awarded a framework agreement to issue, load, and manage electronic meal cards for Collectivité employees.

The specifications use an average of 900 beneficiaries, an indicative value of €8.20 per meal voucher and 20 vouchers monthly, representing €164 in monthly face value per beneficiary.

The estimated quantitative amount stated in the award is €1,771,200 excluding tax.

The agreement has no minimum amount and a maximum of €8 million excluding tax over its full duration. It begins with a 12-month term and may be renewed three times, for a maximum of four years.

The €8 million figure is a contractual ceiling, rather than confirmation that the entire amount will be spent.

The procurement evaluation assigned 30 points to price, 60 to management and service quality, and 10 to sustainable-development performance. The published summary does not name the selected operator.

€360 Refund Intended to Resolve Waste-Funding Dispute

The Council authorized reimbursement of € 360 in bailiff fees improperly borne by OCAD3E, the coordinating organization for electrical and electronic equipment waste.

The dispute arose after two revenue claims were issued for the same purpose and amount for the third quarter of 2020.

Although the Collectivité canceled its claim in December 2022, the refund remained outstanding. OCAD3E subsequently suspended financial support payments linked to electrical and electronic waste collected and treated in Saint-Martin.

The release says this suspension deprived the Collectivité of recurring revenue and blocked the funding relationship.

The reimbursement decision is intended to close the longstanding complaint and restore regular relations with the organization. The summary does not quantify the payments withheld.

Youth Council Delegation Approved for French Guiana Congress

The Council approved travel-related expenses for a seven-person delegation attending the 2026 Childhood and Youth Congress in French Guiana.

The congress takes place October 21–25, with the delegation’s travel scheduled for October 21–27.

The delegation comprises four Territorial Youth Council members, one elected representative, and two Collectivité employees.

Approved expenses include air travel, required health measures, a contribution toward accommodation for the seventh participant, and necessary overnight transit and transfers in Martinique.

The published decision does not specify a total cost.

The congress is organized by the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana with the National Association of Children’s and Youth Councils and focuses on youth participation in public decision-making.

Disability and Elderly Services Receive Formal Framework

The Council approved an agreement with the French State governing the Collectivité’s exercise of Territorial Autonomy House functions through its existing autonomy directorate.

The arrangement preserves the current organization while formalizing responsibilities involving disability-related services.

These include reception, information, advice, referral, application processing, needs assessments and assistance planning.

The release notes that the directorate has administered services for elderly people and people with disabilities jointly since 2007.

The decision establishes a legal and administrative framework; it does not announce a newly constructed facility.

Sports Grant Figures Corrected

The Council corrected data-entry errors in an earlier decision allocating 2026 subsidies to sports leagues and committees.

The confirmed total is €183,727.93, distributed as follows:

The Council also approved the objectives-and-resources agreement with the Football League and authorized its signature.

Planning Decisions Include Approvals and Refusals

The release states that 10 planning files were examined, but provides individual summaries for six.

Favorable decisions covered changes to the exterior appearance of a roof in Marigot, dividing land into eight parts for development in La Savane, constructing two villas with associated facilities in Cul-de-Sac, and approving a two-level residential building with three units and five parking spaces in French Quarter.

An Oyster Pond application received an unfavorable decision. The Council cited the applicable planning rule and the absence of a mandatory preliminary study required for the relevant high-hazard area under the natural-risk prevention framework.

An application for an additional level on an existing Grand Case building was recorded as a tacit rejection because the applicant did not supply all missing documents within the prescribed three-month period.

Separately, the Council declined to exercise urban or statutory preemption rights on properties covered by 15 declarations of intended sale.

Work Authorization Renewal Linked to Local Training

The Council approved an eight-month renewal of a foreign worker’s authorization for a versatile event-technician position at Tuned Productions.

The renewal is linked to an arrangement in which a qualified young person from the local labor market participates in workplace immersion through France Travail.

The release states that a local young person had already been identified and was undertaking immersion, with possible recruitment if the placement proved successful. Recruitment efforts were also continuing for a second technician position.

The decision includes a requirement for specific insurance covering medical care, hospitalization, repatriation and civil liability.

The Council’s published decisions combine major funding commitments with administrative corrections and implementation conditions. The next stage will be execution: disbursing approved assistance, meeting court-ordered payments, implementing contracts and reporting the outcomes of the measures adopted.

Public schools will continue assisting children on a needs basis, while a permanent program would require additional funding or shared financial support.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Sint Maarten will enter 2027 without a structured school meal program, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs confirmed during Parliament’s Central Committee budget discussions.

Responding to questions from MP Sjamira Roseburg and Parliament Chair Sarah Wescot-Williams, Gumbs said the Division of Public Education cannot sustain the expense on its own.

Providing breakfast and a mid-morning snack to approximately 400 participants would cost an estimated Cg. 576,000 annually, she told Parliament.

Establishing a structured program would therefore require additional funding or shared financial support. Her responses did not identify a secured funding arrangement or launch date.

Assistance Continues, but Without a Permanent Program

Gumbs said public schools will continue providing breakfast to students their schools identify as needing assistance.

Existing arrangements have received support from Rotary Clubs and private sponsors.

That assistance provides an immediate response to identified needs. However, the Minister’s answers establish that the government has not planned a structured program for 2027 with sustained financing.

Roseburg also asked about a previous Cg. 50,000 allocation involving ECYS and VSA.

Gumbs said those funds were used during the relevant budget year. No subsequent provision continued that allocation.

The issue before Parliament is therefore how to move from assistance dependent on school-level arrangements and sponsorship to a consistently funded service.

Local Farmers Could Participate

Roseburg proposed linking school meals to local producers through TEATT’s Farm to School Market pilot.

Gumbs said the Ministry is open to exploring collaboration with TEATT and farmers to determine whether locally produced items could be incorporated into school meal assistance.

Any arrangement would need to meet practical requirements, including the types of food schools need, availability, suitability, consistent supply, and affordability.

Where those conditions can be met, she said, collaboration could support both students and the local agricultural sector.

Her response expressed willingness to explore the proposal; it did not announce an approved purchasing arrangement.

Healthier Habits Initiative Still Being Developed

Wescot-Williams also sought clarification on whether the healthier habits initiative was an ongoing program or a one-time activity.

Gumbs said it was initially intended as a joint ECYS–VSA initiative, but had not developed into an established, continuing interministerial program.

The public education physical education department is now developing a school-based version intended to operate continuously rather than as a single awareness event.

Schools would engage parents to reinforce healthier practices beyond the classroom.

The distinction matters: promoting healthy habits and ensuring that children have access to meals are related responsibilities, but each requires its own implementation and resources.

No Dedicated ECYS Book or Uniform Assistance Program

The Minister also confirmed that ECYS currently has no specific program or budget allocation for a book-lending scheme or uniform assistance for low-income families. She said that assistance would fall under Social Affairs.

Although proposals and partnerships have been explored, competing priorities and budget constraints have limited implementation.

Her responses place several household pressures before Parliament at once: meals, uniforms, and access to learning resources.

For the breakfast program, the government now has an estimated cost and a defined group of approximately 400 participants. The next question is whether ECYS, VSA and potential partners can establish the financing needed to turn that estimate into a dependable service.

MP challenges the assessment relayed by Minister Gumbs, saying he witnessed concrete fall and children move through an area marked with caution tape.

PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Egbert Doran challenged the government’s response to damaged school walls during the ECYS budget debate, telling Parliament that he had personally witnessed a piece of concrete fall and feared that children remained exposed to danger.

His intervention followed Minister Melissa Gumbs’s responses on school conditions, repair plans and funding constraints.

Doran disputed the assessment he said the Minister had provided—that identified concrete cracks posed no structural risk—and called for an immediate inspection and stronger measures to prevent children from entering the affected area.

The supplied exchange did not identify the school by name. Doran’s account is an allegation based on his stated observations; the exchange does not contain an independent engineering assessment.

MP Says Caution Tape Is Not Protecting Children

Doran said he visited the school that morning to read to students, his second such visit this month.

During the earlier visit, he said he saw a piece of concrete fall.

Although yellow tape marked the affected area, he told Parliament that children ran through and between it.

“There’s yellow tape around it, and in my humble opinion, the yellow tape doesn’t even make a difference,” he said.

Doran argued that the situation required urgent attention rather than waiting for an injury to force a response.

He asked whether Gumbs had personally seen the damage and urged her to meet with VROMI personnel to ensure the area was fully cordoned off.

He also offered to share photographs.

Doran Challenges Repair Timeline

In recounting the Minister’s earlier answer, Doran said repairs were targeted for completion before the end of 2026 and that the Division of Public Education was pursuing an emergency tender for the cracks and other minor repairs.

He questioned whether that response adequately addressed what he had observed.

His remarks distinguish two issues that require clear answers: the building’s structural condition and the immediate risk posed by falling material.

The supplied exchange ends without a further response from Gumbs to Doran’s intervention. It therefore does not establish whether an additional inspection, new safety measure or revised repair timetable was subsequently ordered.

Basic Learning Materials Also Raised

Doran also called for a simpler mechanism that would allow businesses and residents to donate toward public school needs.

He said people were willing to assist but did not know the appropriate channels, and that lengthy procedures could discourage potential donors.

Referring to a school where he had recently read to students, he claimed that more than 60% of the class lacked basic learning materials. He presented that figure as his account, rather than a Ministry-wide finding.

He proposed a straightforward bank-transfer arrangement through an appropriate entity so donors could support public schools.

He argued that financial constraints should prompt the government to facilitate assistance while maintaining the necessary oversight.

Minister Says Prioritization Cannot Eliminate Funding Shortages

Earlier in the responses, Gumbs acknowledged that much of ECYS expenditure is fixed and that careful prioritization alone cannot eliminate identified shortages.

She said public education is prioritizing urgent repairs and pursuing structural assessments to produce a costed maintenance plan.

The Minister also identified delays in releasing vendor payments as an issue that must be addressed to support timely work.

Where available funding cannot meet schools’ needs, she said, the Ministry must identify the shortfalls and seek additional resources through the budget process.

Safety Questions Require a Documented Response

Doran’s intervention raises an immediate accountability question: what inspection findings support the assessment of the damaged area, and what measures will keep children away from any falling material while repairs are pending?

His proposal for easier donations addresses a separate funding problem. Contributions may help schools obtain resources, but the government still needs to establish and communicate the safety measures appropriate to the reported damage.

The next response must clarify the condition of the affected school, the protective action taken, and the timetable for repairs—before the concern becomes an incident.

Simpson Bay:---  Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), in collaboration with the Elektralyets Foundation and the Positive Foundation, is once again bringing the community together for the Princess Walk, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Following last year’s success, 2026 will mark the second time the Princess Walk takes place on the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport, offering participants a unique opportunity to walk together in one of St. Maarten’s most recognizable locations while supporting an important cause.

This year’s Princess Walk will take place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, under the theme:

“Crown Yourself with Courage – Lace Up, Step Up, Check Up!”

More than a community walk, the Princess Walk carries an important message: encouraging women throughout St. Maarten to prioritize their health, undergo regular screenings, and understand the importance of early detection.

Walking for Awareness, Prevention and Early Detection

Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves as an important reminder that early detection can make a significant difference. Through the Princess Walk, PJIA, the Elektralyets Foundation and the Positive Foundation aim to encourage women to take an active role in their health and, most importantly, to get checked.

Participants will gather at the PJIA Terminal Building at 4:00 a.m. to register and sign up. Transportation to the runway will begin at 4:45 a.m., with the last bus departing at 5:15 a.m. The Princess Walk will officially begin at 5:30 a.m. Water and Johnny Cakes will be provided to participants throughout the event.

PJIA Turns Pink Throughout October

PJIA’s support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month will extend beyond the Princess Walk.

Throughout October, the façade of Princess Juliana International Airport will be illuminated in pink, transforming the terminal into a visible symbol of awareness, strength, and solidarity with those affected by breast cancer.

A pink ribbon will also be displayed at the airport in remembrance of the women who have passed away, while honoring survivors, those currently undergoing treatment, and the families and loved ones who continue to support them. These initiatives are part of PJIA’s commitment to using its position in the community to promote awareness and encourage potentially life-saving conversations about screening and early detection.

Supporting Two Important Foundations

Official Princess Walk T-shirts are available for US$20, with proceeds benefiting the Elektralyets Foundation and the Positive Foundation and supporting their continued work in breast cancer awareness, education, and early detection.

T-shirts can be picked up at the Meet & Greet area in the Arrival Hall at PJIA on:

• Thursday, October 8 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 10 – 9:00 am to 12 p.m.
• Thursday, October 15 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

You may pay in cash or by card during T-shirt pick-up. Participants must register in advance, with each individual completing a separate registration. PJIA extends its appreciation to Menzies Aviation and Swiss Canonica for supporting this year’s Princess Walk.

The Princess Walk represents more than the distance walked on the runway. It is a moment for the community to stand together, remember those who have been lost, support those continuing their fight, and remind women that taking the time to get checked matters.

Lace up. Step up. Check up.

Registration information for the Princess Walk is available via www.sxmairport.com. Follow our social media pages for more information.