The process of awarding $38 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to NOLA Education LLC to implement the Star Academy initiative in 25 public schools remains under scrutiny. In his regular "Buenos días Puerto Rico" message posted Friday on social media, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz questioned statements by Family Department Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes and Jenniffer Boffelli, director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), who denied that a contract existed.
Rivera Schatz said the existence of a $38 million contract at Adsef was categorically denied and that the two officials called the allegations absolutely false. He stated that Senator Juan Oscar Morales presented a copy of the contract and an award letter to NOLA Education, documents he said are available on the Senate's official portal.
Senator Wanda Soto Tolentino will continue the Senate investigation into the Family Department, specifically the $38 million contract. Rivera Schatz asked what La Fortaleza will say now, suggesting it might call it a tale, a novel, a vendetta, or a complaint motivated by political aspirations. He also used sarcasm to criticize how La Fortaleza has handled this and other controversies involving Governor Jenniffer González Colón's administration.