YOUR editorial published on May 4, 2007 in the Marianas Variety is factually incorrect and shows how a good writer can get a story wrong by not doing a fact check. The federally funded budget to promote reading is $40,000 not $400,000 as stated in your editorial.
You are correct that the focus of the PSS should be on supporting our classroom teachers, school administrators and school support staff that perform functions vital to the education of our children. We both agree on this. This is exactly what we are doing with our federal grant funds. We have provided our 20 public schools this year with $3,000,000 allocated on a per student basis for instructional supplies and materials, $1,500,000 for 28 class size reduction teachers, $600,000 for computer-printers that are electronically linked through an intranet to every classroom, $573,000 for our Troops-to-Teachers Program with 25 troopers making the transition to serving their country and island in a different but equally vital capacity, $360,000 for after school programs and $500,000 for laptops and LCDs for our teachers. In addition we provide federal funds in the amount of $1,200,000 to support educational activities in our private schools. Lastly, it is the school principal and teachers who decide what educational supplies, materials and equipment that will be purchased (from their school’s allocation of federal funds) based on the specific educational needs of the children in every classroom at their school.
We both agree that teachers, school administrators and school support staff must not be cut. I hope we can both agree that our 20 public schools must re-open as planned this Aug. 3. The issue is not $40,000 of federal funding. Instead, the real issue is restoration of the $6,000,000 mid-year budget cut from the PSS local funding.
Lastly, mistakes like the one cited above are easily avoidable by simply doing a fact check. All you have to do is call me at PSS. You can call me at 237-3065.

TIM THORNBURGH
Federal Programs Officer
Public School System

Variety replies:
The “mistake” you’re referring to was a typo, which, although inexcusable, doesn’t change the fact that was pointed out by the editorial: PSS has to find more ways to reduce its expenses because nating money this government already. — zd