MORE than two months after its members were sworn in, the Board of Education finally organized and elected its new officers on Thursday at the BOE office on Capital Hill.
All five voting members were present and unanimously elected their youngest colleague, 34-year-old Antonio L. Borja of Tinian, as the new chair.
Elected vice chair was Rota’s retired Sgt. Major Herman M. Atalig while the new secretary/treasurer is the former chair, Gregory P. Borja.
Board member Andrew L. Orsini nominated Maisie B. Tenorio to be the new chair, but she declined, saying that although she appreciated the nomination, she had her own nominee, Antonio L. Borja.
For vice chair, Orsini nominated Atalig who was unanimously elected.
Tenorio, for her part, nominated Gregory Borja for secretary/treasurer. He, too, was elected unanimously.
Also present in the meeting were student representative Ryan Michael Ruena, teacher representative Dora Borja Miura and non-public school representative Ronald Snyder.
BOE Chair Antonio L. Borja thanked his fellow board members for their confidence and hoped that they will work together as a board, and “move forward.”
Atalig also thanked his colleagues, saying he is already 75 years old, but he is still serving on the board to ensure that the students’ best interests are pushed forward.
After the election of officers, the board members got down to business. They listened to the reports of Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred B. Ada and other Public School System officials, and discussed several items listed in the “new business” part of the meeting agenda.
During the public comment section, retired educator Ambrose Bennett, who is also a former teacher representative, asked the board members to “please respect each other when they ask to go into executive session so that you can discuss things freely and even passionately like adults to reach a consensus and remember that no one always gets what they want as ‘compromise’ is the key to resolving conflicts in deciding what and who is best for PSS.”
Rep. Manny Castro, chairman of the House Committee on Education, explained that House Bill 23-20, which he introduced and was passed by the House, would allow board members to look at the issues at-hand so that whenever the board is still organizing itself, the BOE’s business can continue. He also said that his bill would not “remove” the “voice” of any member.
His bill would allow a simple majority or three members to constitute a quorum on the BOE — “provided that members from at least two senatorial districts shall be present to constitute a quorum.”
The current quorum is four.
Castro said his bill is already in the Senate so he urged those who believe that it needs improvements to attend the public hearing that the Senate Committee on Education will conduct.
“Coming from a business management aspect, we really cannot continue to have a situation like this when everything is taking some time,” Castro said, referring to the delay in organizing the board because of a lack of quorum.
Rep. Roman Benavente, the House Education Committee’s vice chair and a former BOE chair, told the board members: “Search your soul and ask yourself, ‘why did I run for board member in the first place?’”
He said there was a reason why previous lawmakers required four BOE members to constitute a quorum. One is to keep the BOE away from political interference as much as possible, he added.
Last time
The last time a BOE member from Tinian was elected chair was in 2008 when attorney Lucia Blanco-Maratita became the head of the policy and governing body of PSS until 2015.
During the BOE meeting on Thursday, the former chair, Gregory Borja, said: “I’d like to offer my sincere apologies…for the actions that I have taken and the conduct of the board as of recent times.”
Under the law, the BOE was supposed to organize on Jan. 9, 2023.
On Feb. 1, 2023, the board held a meeting but before it could organize, Orsini and Atalig walked out after the three other elected members voted against a motion to go into executive or closed door session.
On Feb. 14, 2023, the BOE failed to convene because Orsini and Atalig were absent.
In his remarks, the new chair, Antonio L. Borja, expressed his appreciation to Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada for “holding the fort” for the last three months when the BOE had yet to organize.
“I know it’s a long time coming and this meeting has been long overdue but we’re past that,” the new chair said.
He likewise thanked the members of the public for their patience and the media “for making sure” information is disseminated to “the people who are not here.”
The commissioner praised the board for successfully organizing. “I would like to give you a round of applause,” he added.
The BOE acted on several items that had been pending since Jan. 9. The meeting which started at 10 a.m. ended at past 2 p.m.
Newly elected Board of Education Chair Antonio L. Borja, left, presides over a meeting Thursday as non-public school representative Ronald Snyder, center, and board member Maisie B. Tenorio, right, listen.
From left, Board of Education member Maisie B. Tenorio, secretary/treasurer Gregory Borja, and vice chair Herman M. Atalig.
Board of Education member Andrew L. Orsini speaks during a meeting on Thursday.
