A proposed land swap could bring Whistling Cay to Virgin Islands National Park and provide land for a K-12 school on St. John.

A window has been cracked open to allow officials an opportunity to engineer a land swap for a public school on St. John near Virgin Islands National Park.

Under the agreement signed Thursday, Interior officials and those from the U.S. Virgin Islands will have a year to work out a land swap acceptable to both parties.

The agreement opens the door for St. John officials to finally achieve their long-standing effort to construct the first K-12 public school on the island. Public education on St. John is currently only available through the eighth grade. In order to complete a high school education, students must commute by boat to St. Thomas each day during the school year.

“Today’s historic progress is long overdue,” said Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Rob Wallace. “It marks the first time the two governments have made a commitment to initiate the official process towards a final agreement. The Trump administration and the U.S. Department of the Interior are determined to get this done for the people of St. John.”

“This preliminary agreement is a promissory note to the students of St. John,” said U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. “We need this land exchange to finally guarantee an excellent, safe education for all USVI students.”

In September, Interior's Office of Insular Affairs provided $300,000 to the National Park Service to help fund the pre-requisite environmental compliance process to assess the impacts from actions associated with the exchange of lands on both people and resources. The environmental compliance process will evaluate the impacts of the intended use on cultural and natural resources as well as give the public ample opportunities to make their voice heard.

The proposed exchange involves an 11-acre parcel within Virgin Islands National Park and an 18-acre island, Whistling Cay, currently owned by the territorial government that is surrounded by park waters.

There will be multiple opportunities for the public to participate in the process and share their thoughts while the Park Service and Virgin Islands government work together on appraisals for the two parcels and complete environmental and historic preservation compliance requirements. The Park Service will keep the public updated about public comment opportunities through the park’s website and social media.  

For nearly three decades, the USVI and the U.S. government have discussed approaches to expanding education on St. John. Steps taken between 2012-2014 identified the 11-acre park parcel within the Catherineberg Estate as a possible location to support the island’s education needs. In November 2019, Governor Bryan offered the small island of Whistling Cay for consideration in an exchange, reenergizing negotiations.