By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

EDUCATION Commissioner David M. Borja yesterday said the Public School System will need 39 additional employees for the 17 new classrooms now being built on Saipan, Rota and Tinian.
The positions are for classroom teachers and reading resource specialists.
Borja said because of the necessity to allocate future funding for these 39 employees, PSS has increased its original fiscal year 2008 budget proposal of $42 million to $43.5 million which the Board of Education committee on fiscal and personnel affairs has recently approved.
“We will be needing teachers, reading and resource specialists and equipment to get these 17 new classrooms operational,” Borja said, adding that the new budget submission may be approved by the board in its next regular meeting.
In FY 2007 PSS was appropriated $38.6 million for its 20 public schools and over 11,600 students.
Borja said PSS will continue to face challenges if the CNM government does not return or “restore” the $2 million it earlier cut from the system’s FY 2006 budget.
He also expressed concerned about the planned 15.5 percent across-the-board cut on the budgets of all agencies.