Education Commissioner Rita Sablan together with U.S. Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan met with U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Gabriella Gomez on Friday to announce the release of $28,359,191 in State Fiscal Stabilization Funding to the Northern Marianas.
The money is Phase One of a total of $44,433,595 in State Fiscal Stabilization Funding the Northern Marianas is scheduled to receive.
Most of the money, over $36 million, will go to education.
“This is the largest, single grant of federal funds the Northern Mariana Islands has ever received,” said Congressman Sablan. “And the largest formula grant, distributed automatically, to the Northern Marianas as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”
Participating in passage of the Recovery Act in February of this year was one of Sablan’s very first jobs upon being sworn in as the first Northern Marianas representative in Congress.
The Northern Marianas is receiving over $100 million in automatic formula grants from the Act and is eligible for tens of millions of additional competitive funds.
“The $44 million that is the Northern Marianas’ share of stabilization funding will do all of the things Recovery Act money is supposed to do: pump new money into the local economy to get things going again, protect existing jobs and create new ones, and help us build our future economy by investing in educating our people,” the congressman said.
The majority of this funding will go to the Public School System, which plans to use the money for much-needed repairs to school facilities and classrooms, rehiring teachers that were let go as a result of budget cuts, and improving educational programs and technology.
“These funds will bring a much-needed sense of relief to the Northern Mariana Islands,” said Congressman Sablan.
“Not only has PSS been able to preserve over 100 teaching jobs, but PSS is also helping us all look forward by investing in our future. They are doing this in practical terms, making school buildings more comfortable for learning and more energy efficient so they are less expensive to operate. And they are doing this in terms of quality of educational experience, which will have a positive effect on our children for many, many years to come.”
Four million dollars of this Phase One money — and $8 million of the total funding — will be used to support CNMI government operations, particularly medical referrals.
Northern Marianas College will also receive support for its educational programs.
“I know many people — both within our local government and Public School System and at the United States Department of Education — have worked very hard to bring this grant to fruition,” Congressman Sablan said.
“First, of course, I offer my thanks to Chairmen George Miller and Dale Kildee, under whom I serve on the Education and Labor Committee. These are the leaders who made sure that the Recovery Act would include an ample investment in education.
“I want to acknowledge the efforts of Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and his ARRA expert, Secretary Michael Ada. The requirements that had to be met before the Department of Education would begin releasing the stabilization funds were extensive, but CNMI government officials fulfilled all those requirements.
“I say thank you to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and his team: Assistant Secretary of Education Gabriella Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary Lloyd Horwich, as well as Will Ragland, Phil Maestri, Jeanette Lim, Jenelle Leonard, Lauren Scott and everyone at the Department of Education who have helped get this money out the door while making sure that it would be well-accounted for and would be put to the best possible use in the commonwealth.
“Last, but not least, I would like to say ‘job well done’ to the Board of Education, Commissioner Rita Sablan and her staff at PSS, especially federal grants officer Tim Thornburg. They submitted their grant application to the Department of Education even before the Department had fully decided how stabilization funds to the U.S. territories would be handled. Commissioner Sablan and her PSS team were always ahead of the curve. And I know they will put this money to good use helping teachers teach and students learn.”
Public School System officials said the funding will help them meet their goals of bringing more students’ reading skills up to grade level, improve standardized test scores, and help teachers seek professional development opportunities and “highly qualified teacher” status.
If achieved, all of these goals will help the Northern Marianas receive even more merit-based federal funding.
