THE central government has been paying the Public School System its constitutionally mandated 25% share of local funding in a timely manner, Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita said.
In her letter to Board of Education Chairman Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong on Wednesday, Norita addressed a statement by board member Andrew Orsini suggesting that cash transfers of funds due to PSS have been delayed.
Orsini expressed concern last week about delayed transfers of PSS’s local funds, calling for contingency plans to protect students from the impact of what he described as an “inevitable fiscal cliff” when American Rescue Plan Act funding expires on Sept. 30, 2025.
But Norita said the Department of Finance has been transferring the funds on time. She provided Ogumoro-Uludong with an up-to-date schedule of payments indicating that cash transfers have been made in a timely manner. In fact, she said, Finance recently transferred $1.2 million as the first payment for July and anticipates transferring another $1.2 million by the end of the month.
Norita also told Variety on Monday that, to date, the CNMI government has transferred approximately $26.5 million to PSS.
She said Finance “has consistently prioritized the prompt disbursement of funds to PSS, subject to availability, and remains fully committed to fulfilling that responsibility.”
She added that the department’s efforts to support PSS through timely financial transfers remain “diligent and strong.”
