By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

BOARD of Education Chairman Roman C. Benavente says they will have to consider the termination of the Public School System’s support staff due to lack of funding.
He said if they terminate the contracts of 333 teacher aides and support staff members, PSS would save $2.094 million.
However, he added, the education, health and safety of students will be compromised without teacher aides, bus drivers and maintenance staff.
“This is the reality and we need to take this step of issuing a 90-day notice to all support staff as a result of lack of assurance from the Legislature and the administration that PSS will be getting additional funds for operations and ‘all others,’ ” Benavente told Variety yesterday.
He said “there’s no assurance that those who will be laid off will be hired again by the system.”
Last month, BOE informed the Legislature that 957 PSS employees would be laid off effective June 10 if the school system’s budget problem was not resolved.
PSS was allocated a $38.6 million budget for this fiscal year, but Benavente said this is $2 million short because the school system has to pay its own utilities which are projected to reach $4 million this year.
The administration has proposed a new round of budget cuts, but has promised PSS that it will restore the $6 million the school system will lose.
Benavente said he’s afraid PSS may soon face a “total shutdown” if education is not prioritized by the CNMI’s elected officials.
PSS has 20 public schools, over 11,600 students and 505 teachers.
“Our problem is not only the impending cut in our budget…but the need for a supplemental budget for operations because current appropriations (of $38.6 million) do not provide funding for operations and the ‘all others’ expenses,” Benavente said.
“Because this is very critical, we will ask our PTAs to lobby legislators to support PSS because we badly need funding for operational costs,” he added,
During Monday’s special board meeting, BOE approved the reduction of the Head Start program’s enrollment slots from 579 to 420 students due to lack of local matching funds.