The Department of Education in American Samoa hopes a salary boost will overcome a teacher shortage in the Territory.
Teachers are urgently needed in english, mathematics and science, in elementary and secondary schools.
Additional staff are also needed for preschools.
The Education Department's Deputy Director for Administration, Manupo Turituri, says hiring staff has been difficult, because salaries have been significantly below mainland levels.
The teachers shortage has prompted the administration to make an exception to the hiring freeze in the public sector announced two months ago.
Mr Turituri says they hope to recruit an additional 40 teachers before the new school year starts on August 18th.
They are being offered a starting salary of 16 to 18-thousand US dollars.
