Ed Tenorio, PSS consultant for financial and budgeting management, at the same time expressed concern about the status of their non-U.S. citizen employees, once the federalization law is implemented on Nov. 28.
PSS human resources director Charley Kenty said they will hire applicants who meet the requirements as long as they have an immigration status that allow them to work in the U.S.
As of 11 a.m. about 13 schools opened their booths at the multi-purpose center to accommodate applicants:
Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Garapan Elementary School, Oleia Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, Kagman Elementary School, Dandan Elementary School, William S. Reyes Elementary School, San Antonio Elementary School, Koblerville Elementary School, Marianas High School, Kagman High School, Hopwood Junior High School, Chacha Oceanview High School, Saipan Southern High School and the Head Start centers.
Stimulus
WSR principal Lynette Villagomez said most of their job openings are for new positions — counselor, special education contract teacher, special teacher aide, and reading resource teacher.
The school may also need fourth to sixth grade classroom teachers, WSR vice principal Naomi Nishimura said.
The funds for these positions will come from the federal stimulus law, according to Dandan principal Jonas Barcinas.
For his school, Barcinas said they need to hire for 10 teaching and non-teaching positions, including a nurse and a counselor.
He said their school will use local funds and stimulus funds for hiring new personnel and school improvement projects.
Population
Because of its growing population, Marianas High School needs an additional counselor, MHS principal Karen Borja said.
Aside from a counselor, MHS also needs to hire a reading resource teacher, a construction instructor, am auto mechanic and body and fender instructor and a ninth grade language and arts teacher, Borja said.
The current ratio for MHS, she added, is one counselor for 300 students.
MHS has four counselors.
Anticipation
Tenorio is hoping that the federal government, when drafting the federalization regulations, will look into the concerns of the CNMI, which has public school personnel who are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens or nonresidents.
Tenorio said they have no idea what will happen to the nonresident school teachers once local immigration is federalized.
Some principals said they are already anticipating possible teaching staff vacancies in the next school year.
Kenty said after the job fair, PSS will continue posting its job opening advertisements on its Web site.
The last time PSS held a job fair was three years ago, he said.
All applications submitted during the job fair will be evaluated at the HR office, Kenty said.
“If they meet the requirement we will recommend hiring them.”
San Antonio principal Katrina S. Lizama and Oleia principal Glenn Muna said they can make recommendations based on their initial interview with the applicants, to the HR for possible hiring.
As of press time yesterday afternoon, about 20 applicants had already registered for different job openings.
