Under the bill, PSS will receive only $36.4 million, which is $2 million less than what education officials requested.
According to the House-Senate conference committee report, the FY 2009 PSS budget is based on the new calculation of its employer contribution rate to the Retirement Fund — 11 instead of 18 percent.
The report had indicated this adjustment will bring PSS savings of $1.7 million.
The report also pointed out that the original PSS proposal included the reimbursement for the salaries of JROTC instructors — $196,000.
It added that besides the $36.4 million appropriation for PSS, it will get $42.8 million from the federal government.
The budget bill also exempts PSS, Northern Marianas College, the Departments of Public Health and Public Safety from the 10.7-percent cut that will be imposed on all branches, departments and agencies.
Teachers are likewise exempted from the government-wide salary and hiring freeze proposed by the bill.
Guerrero said the lawmakers’ “bad mathematics” will affect the education of the islands’ school children.
“Where did they get the figure of $42.8 million in federal grants?” he asked.
He said lawmakers should make sure that the figures they are using in drafting legislation are accurate.
PSS federal programs officer Tim Thornburgh yesterday said PSS has received, so far, $25.5 million in federal grants for fiscal year 2009 which started in October.
This figure included the following items: Head Start, $1.768 million; hazard mitigation grant, $60,000; nutrition assistant grant for school breakfast and lunch meals, $7.748 million; special education, $4.785 million; special education part C, $4.465 million; after-school program, $253,686; library program, $10,000; reading mastery program, $981,605; E-Rate program, $1.1 million; and consolidated grant, $9.177 million.
“These are the federal grants that PSS received for FY 2009 … and we still have some more that are forthcoming,” Thornburgh told Variety yesterday.
Based on the PSS Facts & Figures for 2008-2009, the school system’s budget allocation for the current school year included $35.487 million from the local budget — $33.1 million for personnel and $2.3 million for all others; and $33.719 million from federal grants — $9.6 million for personnel and $24 million for “all others.”
