By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE exemption of Public School System administrators from the government austerity measure violates the law itself, according to Vice Speaker Justo S. Quitugua.
He wants the exemption of vice principals and principals recalled to realize savings that can benefit PSS students and personnel.
Quitugua, D-Saipan, said Education Commissioner David M. Borja did not provide the required transmittal letter to the Legislature when it exempted school administrators.
He described the exemption as “unauthorized under the law” as there was clear specification on who are the personnel that can be included in the exemption.
Under the austerity holiday law, P.L. 15-27, only PSS employees under the 190-day contract are exempted, but it also gives the education commissioner the authority to exempt others in critical positions.
However, the law states that “All exemptions granted by the commissioner of education shall be transmitted to the Legislature.”
“We instituted austerity measures to help (PSS) save money,” Quitugua said. “This is the only help we can provide to PSS on its budgetary problem because the Legislature will not give them supplemental budget for operation.”
But, he said, “it seems PSS is not serious in saving money because they exempted vice principals and principals who are highly paid.”
This, he added, “is in violation of the law, which states that the only personnel that commissioner may exempt are those critical personnel in extended year programs…and these are the special education staffers.”
He said the exemptions “were never transmitted to the Legislature — I haven’t seen that yet.”
In a separate interview, Borja said he believes he did not violate any provision of the law.
He said what he did is based on the law, P.L. 15-27.
He added that the Legislature and the governor’s office were informed about the exemptions.
“The Board of Education chairman and I signed three separate memos addressed to the governor, the Senate president, and the House speaker dated Nov. 20, 2006 titled ‘Austerity Holidays and PSS exemption.’ The memos listed the austerity days to be taken by PSS…and that PSS exempts all principals and vice principals as critical personnel,” Borja said in an e-mail to Variety yesterday.