THE Board of Education will soon choose who among four Public School System officials will be appointed as acting commissioner of education.
The BOE said there “will be a seamless continuity of services for all PSS stakeholders.”
On Friday, the BOE met to discuss the resignation of Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred B. Ada for health reasons, and the appointment of an acting commissioner.
The BOE, which is the policymaking and governing body of PSS, praised Ada for taking care of “what matters to all of us most: health and well-being.”
According to BOE Chairman Antonio L. Borja, Ada “steered our school district especially during its most difficult times, and by his thoughtful leadership and earnest work, addressed many of the challenges by ensuring that PSS remained focused on student learning….”
Ada was appointed commissioner by the BOE in December 2019. His resignation takes effect on Sept. 1.
BOE legal counsel Tiberius Mocanu explained the process of appointing an acting commissioner of education:
“For the appointment of [an acting] commissioner, the BOE came up with four names. They won’t be mentioned… because they have to be contacted first if they are willing to take on the role…. Once we have confirmation that particular person is willing to take on the role, that person will be announced.”
The BOE will then convene to ratify the appointment of the acting education commissioner, Mocanu said.
Borja said an acting commissioner of education must be appointed “for us to continue providing uninterrupted services, including programs and initiatives, to our public school students and to all our stakeholders on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.”
The BOE’s four other elected members are Vice Chairman Herman Atalig, Secretary/Treasurer Gregory Pat Borja, Andrew L. Orsini and Maisie B. Tenorio.
The board’s non-voting members are Teacher Representative Dr. Dora Borja Miura and Non-Public School Representative Dr. Ron Snyder. A student representative, who is also a non-voting member, has yet to be appointed by the governor.
Deep commitment
In related news, Northern Marianas College President Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero commended Ada for his compassion and deep commitment to others.
“I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Ada for a couple of decades in different arenas, including the historic ‘Ed Heads’ collaboration between Northern Marianas College, the CNMI Public School System, and the Northern Marianas Technical Institute,” Deleon Guerrero said.
“I have always respected his deep commitment to take care of other people. I am heartened to know that he will now take care of himself. If anyone deserves to do so, it’s him. I wish him the best and look forward to working with him in other capacities,” Deleon Guerrero said.
Ada, Deleon Guerrero and NMTech Chief Executive Officer Jodina Attao formed the “Ed Heads” partnership in September 2022 to identify programs and initiatives that would expand the local workforce industry.
“As a former member of the CNMI Board of Education, I also wish PSS the best as everyone goes through the forthcoming leadership transition,” Deleon Guerrero said.
“The fiscal challenges we all face as a community will hit our public schools especially hard. I trust that, despite those challenges, all of us, as educational leaders, will never lose sight of our shared mission to serve our students and our community. As we have done here at the college, we have all endured typhoons, a pandemic, and economic turbulence by sailing ahead with a focus on learning, lifting the tide for everyone. I have faith that our proa will not sink and that we will stay safe, stay calm, and sail on,” he added.
The Board of Education holds a meeting at its office Friday on Capital Hill. In photo are Non-Public School Representative Dr. Ron Snyder, Member Maisie B. Tenorio, Chairman Antonio L. Borja, Secretary/Treasurer Gregory Pat Borja and Member Andrew L. Orsini. Vice Chairman Herman Atalig attended virtually. Also in photo are PSS legal counsel Michael Ernest and BOE officer manager Valerie Malwelbug.
