(PSS) — Acting Commissioner of Education Jacqueline P. Che met with Commonwealth Utilities Corporation Executive Director Kevin Watson on Monday afternoon, June 15, to make a direct appeal for the utility to prioritize power restoration at typhoon-affected public schools ahead of the federally funded summer program set to begin June 22.
Ten public schools on Saipan and Tinian remain without electricity more than six weeks after Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck both islands in April, causing widespread structural and infrastructure damage across the Public School System. Only Rota’s two public schools — Sinapalo Elementary School and Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr.-Sr. High School — were spared, as the typhoon did not make landfall on the island.
The meeting, which also included CUC legal counsel Michael Ernest and Associate Commissioner for Administration Eric Magofna, was held amid an urgent deadline: PSS must determine by Friday which campuses can accommodate the summer program and notify parents accordingly.
“We met with our school leadership,” Che told Watson. “Our schools are very resilient. They will do everything they can to ensure that our children continue to receive education, however difficult or challenging the conditions are. We are really hoping — and pleading with you — if you can prioritize our eight schools,” she added.
Che underscored the stakes for students and families already burdened by the typhoon’s aftermath. PSS serves one of the most economically vulnerable student populations in the nation and operates under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students without individual applications — a federal designation reserved for high-poverty districts.
“A lot of them have lost homes. What we are doing, PSS and CUC as partners in providing power to our schools, is to ensure that our children find a safe place during these especially difficult times — a place where they can reconnect with classmates and continue learning,” Che said.
Watson acknowledged CUC’s competing restoration priorities across Saipan and Tinian but expressed commitment to supporting PSS. He initially asked Che to identify four priority schools among the eight affected campuses before affirming a broader effort to assist all of them.
“I understand everyone’s priorities; CUC’s priorities are also to restore power generation and water. We will do our very best to help PSS. Give us the most critical schools among the eight — we will prioritize as much as possible all of the eight schools,” Watson said.
The challenge is compounded by extensive damage to PSS’s renewable energy infrastructure. According to Magofna, an estimated 50% of solar panel systems across PSS campuses were completely destroyed by Sinlaku, the most severe infrastructure loss to the school system since Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018. PSS will require at least 15 large-capacity generators to power Saipan schools should grid restoration fall short before June 22.
Tinian faces particular urgency: Tinian Elementary School and Tinian Junior-Senior High School remain without power and are scheduled to begin the summer program on Monday. PSS is prepared to consolidate operations — merging the eight affected schools into four combined campuses — if CUC is able to restore power to only a portion of the schools in time.
More than 1,000 public elementary, middle, and high school students have already enrolled in the summer program, and enrollment continues to rise. The program serves as a federally supported bridge for learning recovery and remediation before the start of the new school year and can only be conducted during the summer term, making this year’s timeline especially critical.
The public schools without power are Marianas High School, Hopwood Middle School, Oleai Elementary School, Tanapag Middle School, Garapan Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Tinian Junior-Senior High School, Tinian Elementary School and San Antonio Head Start.
PSS confirmed it will follow up with CUC on Thursday, June 19, for an updated status and will inform parents by Friday which campuses are cleared for the summer program launch.
“Thank you on behalf of PSS. Please know that we are very grateful. Thank you for putting students first. When you help a school, you uplift the entire community,” Che told Watson.
