DODDS-Pacific squeezed by weak dollar

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DODDS-Pacific squeezed by weak dollar
By Vince Little and Scott Schonauer, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, May 8, 2008

The weak U.S. dollar has put Defense Department schools overseas in a major financial bind, creating a budget shortfall that could require additional help from the Pentagon, DODDS officials said. But the situation appears particularly dire in Europe due to the strong euro.

A spokesman for Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Pacific and Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools-Guam said there has been no reduction in services for their 45 schools.

The Department of Defense Education Activity also is no different than other organizations dealing with the weak dollar worldwide, officials added.

“The impact of the dollar dropping against foreign currencies continues to have a cascading effect worldwide, not only within DODEA, but with numerous Fortune 500 corporations,” Chip Steitz, a DODDS-Pacific spokesman on Okinawa, said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

“Therefore, these past two years have been tough in the Pacific, but we consistently strive to place the interests and safety of our students first, both inside and outside the classroom,” he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54606