By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Benigno R. Fitial’s recent veto of two bills that would have restored the Public School System’s $6 million budget cut sends the wrong signal to CNMI’s children, according to Board of Education member Herman T. Guerrero.
He was referring to Senate Bill 15-255, which would have authorized the emergency reprogramming of $6 million for PSS; and Senate Bill 15-242, which proposed a 5 percent reduction in autonomous agencies’ budgets that would go to PSS.
“It is sad that the governor vetoed both bills,” Guerrero said in an e-mail. “Perhaps he does not understand the urgency and critical financial problems of PSS or perhaps he is only saying publicly that he supports education but privately he is not. Whatever his story, it is sad because we are sending the wrong signal to the children of the commonwealth that their education is not important.”
He added, “We are shortchanging those who our politicians would call the ‘future leaders’ of the commonwealth.”
Guerrero said low-income bracket children will suffer the most because those are the ones whose parents cannot afford to send them to private schools.
“Perhaps the Legislature should amend the education tax credit law and remove the private schools from participating in it or require private schools that for so many ETC dollars that they get they must have a percentage of low-income students by giving lower tuition or scholarships,” he said.
Guerrero said he commends House Minority Leader Arnold I. Palacios for introducing H.B. 15-265 to provide the governor with programming authority to supplement the budgets of critical agencies like PSS.
The House passed the bill on Wednesday.
“I urge the Senate to follow suit and pass this measure,” Guerrero said. “The funding issues for PSS need to be looked at seriously and the Board of Education needs to work with our leadership to ensure that we can continue our constitutional mandate.”
In the meantime, he said, PSS needs to look internally to streamline and cut unnecessary expenses and redirect its funds to the schools where they are most needed.
Regarding the issue of teachers, Guerrero said he is hoping that students who graduate from Northern Marianas College will join PSS and those that are already with the school system will continue to work for CNMI children.
PSS needs 60 to 80 teachers before the opening of classes in the next school year.
According to Guerrero, it is important to provide better job security for teachers.
“I urge the Legislature to seriously look at this and allow the board to continue and enhance student learning in the schools and reduce the annual migration of teachers,” he said, adding that scholarship program should be redirected based on the manpower needs of the commonwealth.