By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

A BUDGET submission of over $40 million for the Public School System that will include funding for renovation of schools and facilities is “meaningless” as this will not allow PSS to hire badly needed classroom teachers for its 20 public schools.
Which is why Education Commissioner David M. Borja expects PSS to continue to struggle in the next fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
Borja said PSS early this year submitted to the governor a $43 million budget request for fiscal year 2008.
The proposed figure was based on the needs of the system prior to the implementation of Public Law 15-71, or the revised CNMI budget that cut 5 percent of its budget; and prior to the reprogramming of the $2 million Compact-Impact fund that was supposed to fund for the renovations of PSS facilities.
PSS has asked the governor to reprogram $4.8 million in federal capital improvement project money for the renovation of dilapidated schools.
A positive response has yet to be received by PSS, and the Fitial administration earlier indicated that the federal assistance is intended for specific purposes that will jumpstart the economy.
Last week, Finance Secretary Eloy Inos said the administration will accommodate the funding request of PSS by providing it with a $40 million budget.
“If that’s the case,” Borja said, “PSS will continue to struggle next fiscal year because there is no room for us (in that proposed over $40 million budget) to hire additional classroom teachers because $4.8 million alone will go to renovations.”
The commissioner said under the current budget of $36.7 million, $31.7 million goes to personnel; $1.5 million for operations and textbooks; and $4.5 million for utilities.
PSS, moreover, has a budget shortfall of $1.3 million, Borja said.
“Our personnel costs will stay at the same figure which means we cannot afford to add more…and this means we will continue to face this shortage of teachers in the classrooms,” he said, adding that PSS will abide by the language of the law with respect to how its appropriation will be expended.
Based on the budget request submitted by PSS for FY 2008, $35 million will be for personnel; $4 million for power and water; $1.2 million for textbooks; and $1.8 million for school operations.
Individual budgets of schools will be based on their student populations.