AS a cost-saving initiative, Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho has suspended all travel by Public School System employees “until further notice.”
In a memorandum issued Thursday afternoon, he said “procedures and implementation guidelines” will be forthcoming.
The travel suspension takes effect on Aug. 19 — the first day of school year 2025–2026 — and applies to all teaching and non-teaching personnel.
PSS employs nearly 1,500 personnel across 20 elementary, middle, and high school campuses on Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.
In his memorandum to PSS employees, Camacho stated that his office remains committed to fiscal responsibility and austerity.
“This suspension, issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Education under the constitutional authority vested by the CNMI Board of Education, is part of a broader effort to optimize resources and ensure efficient use of funds within PSS,” the memorandum stated.
It added: “The Office of the Commissioner of Education remains committed to practicing fiscal responsibility and austerity. With the continued support and guidance of the CNMI Board of Education, this directive further strengthens and reaffirms PSS’s dedication to ensuring that public funds are used prudently and that no unnecessary, excessive, or unconscionable expenses are incurred.”
All PSS personnel, departments, programs, and schools are expected to comply with the directive.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that the commissioner’s office has taken a significant step to help PSS conserve resources.
More than 25 years ago, as part of a cost-saving measure, the Board of Education supported PSS’s move to suspend training and educational leave privileges until the local financial condition improved.
At the time, PSS faced criticism after reports surfaced of “excessive” spending on off-island travel, which reportedly cost PSS over $400,000 in a single year. Even though most trips were for training and workshops, the BOE responded by suspending all off-island travel.
“PSS is now faced with a situation whereby the effect of our financial crisis is impacting the training and educational leave benefit,” then-Commissioner of Education Dr. Rita H. Inos stated in a 1999 memorandum.
In early 2020, PSS suspended all travel for staff and students during the Covid-19 outbreak, reinstating it in 2021.
Economic strain
Camacho’s memorandum comes amid growing concerns over the local economy, marked by declining tourism arrivals and hotel occupancy rates.
Last April, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios submitted a $179.7 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 — more than $20 million above the current FY 2025 budget. Of that total, $40 million was allotted for the Public School System.
However, Article XV, Section 1(e) of the CNMI Constitution requires the government to allocate 25% of its general revenues to public education — which, based on the projected revenue, would amount to $44.925 million.
