By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

A letter from the Board of Education sent to the governor regarding the restoration of the Public School System’s budget does not reflect the position of BOE and its fiscal personnel affairs committee, according to its acting chairman, Herman T. Guerrero.
He said the letter was “tampered with.”
“It is my understanding that the (BOE) chairman showed the letter to the governor’s staff and he was informed that he should not sign it but they recommended that changes be made to reflect the administration’s position without consultation with the committee and the board,” Guerrero said. “Therefore the letter signed and submitted to the governor does not reflect the position of the board and the committee. This letter is a betrayal of students and PSS personnel and most of all the board by submitting something contrary to the board’s position,” Guerrero said.
He said the letter was not discussed by the committee or the board.
Guerrero said when the committee met with Finance Secretary Eloy Inos on April 19, he specifically asked him which of the two PSS bills would be acceptable to the administration.
He said Inos told him that they prefer the measure that would give greater authority to the governor and it was this bill that the committee endorsed.
However, the Legislature passed both bills.
Guerrero said the draft BOE letter that was not signed “urged the governor to sign one of those bills. However the signed letter does not do that and this is what I find troubling and disturbing because these two gentlemen (BOE Chairman Roman C. Benavente and Education Commissioner David Borja) decided on their own to ignore the board and the committee.”
He said that by signing the letter, Borja is putting himself above the board and its members.
“This is unacceptable behavior,” Guerrero said. “Since when does the commissioner have veto power over the board? He was not elected by the people and he should know his place.”
BOE hires the education commissioner.
The Legislature passed House Bill 15-242 to reduce the budget of certain autonomous agencies by 5 percent and earmark the savings for PSS and Northern Marianas College.
Lawmakers also passed House Bill 15-255 which permits the governor to reprogram up to $6 million for PSS by reducing the budgets of all branches of the government and public corporations.