THE Board of Education failed to organize for the third time Friday because of the absence of two of its five elected members.
Under the law, four voting members constitute a BOE quorum.
The two BOE members who were absent again were Herman M. Atalig of Rota and Andrew L. Orsini of Saipan.
Present were Gregory Pat Borja of Saipan, Antonio L. Borja of Tinian and Maisie B. Tenorio of Saipan.
The meeting on Friday started at 10:01 a.m. and members could have attended via Zoom.
But BOE administrative specialist Nikita Robert said Atalig “would not be able to attend today’s meeting due to medical reasons.”
Orsini, for his part, “called on Tuesday [Feb. 21] and reminded the board staff that…he would be off-island,” Robert said.
The board held an organizational meeting on Feb. 1, 2023, but was not able to elect new officers because Atalig and Orsini walked out.
BOE’s failure to hold an organizational meeting has prevented action on critical items, including the certification of teachers and the submission of grants vital to the operation of the Public School System.
Antonio L. Borja said on Friday: “We cannot function if members cannot conduct their jobs in clear view of the public. We currently do not have officers for the board, we cannot certify teachers who have done their part to earn a certification or advance their certification and are only waiting for the board to act, and we cannot approve and submit grant applications that our students and teachers rely on.”
He added, “Much has been said about accommodating members and showing respect. I want to make clear that this meeting, which we have now tried three times to have, should have taken place on January 9th by law and it was because we accommodated members, we moved it to February 1st. However, as you all know, that meeting did not take place because two members walked out. I do not believe any further accommodation is warranted. If anyone is owed an accommodation it is our students, teachers and staff that require a fully functioning board. We do not need to accommodate board members in order for them to do their jobs. If board members now need accommodation because they have previous engagements for February or March they should have taken that into consideration during our February 1st meeting.”
He said he and the two other present members “will continue to serve the students and the entire PSS stakeholders until we are able to accomplish what is expected of us.”
Former BOE Chairman Herman T. Guerrero told Variety that “the lack of quorum is endangering PSS and its stakeholders.”
He said the BOE legal counsel should work with the Legislature to amend the statute that requires four voting members to constitute a quorum. They should reduce it to three voting members, he added.
The second option is for Atalig and Orsini to resign and allow Gov. Arnold I. Palacios to appoint members who can perform their duties.
Guerrero, who served as an elected BOE member for 17 years, said Atalig and Orsini “cannot continue ignoring their fiduciary responsibilities.”
“What’s the point of swearing to ‘uphold the laws, the Constitution, and bylaws of the CNMI’?” he asked.
Former Commissioner of Education Dr. Rita A. Sablan, for her part, posted on Facebook: “Today is the 3rd time that the BOE has failed to meet…to conduct the business of the school district, including to organize their officers. It is beginning to sound like a dysfunctional board and something must be done ASAP.”
She added, “Let it be known that BOE members have taken the oath of office and it is unfortunate that some members have elected not to perform their obligations accordingly. This matter needs to be resolved….”
Andrew L. Orsini, left, and Herman M. Atalig
