Ed Tenorio was hired as an independent contractor by PSS in December. His annual contract amounts to $60,000.
PSS, since the retirement of Richard Waldo in 2006, has been looking for a finance director.
Guerrero said PSS is now considering reclassifying the post’s “job description.”
PSS requires that its finance director must be a certified public accountant.
Tenorio will oversee the finances of public schools, Guerrero said.
He justified the hiring of Tenorio, saying “it’s not something from the blue that we just dreamed about.”
Guerrero added, “We’ve been requesting for the financial master plan for the last four years…. Since we don’t have a finance director on board and there’s a great need to do the plan, we supported the decision of [Education Commissioner Rita Sablan] to enter into a contract with Mr. Tenorio.”
Tenorio is capable of dealing with financial matters, Guerrero said.
Tenorio served as then-Gov. Juan N. Babauta’s special assistant for management and budget. He is also a consultant of the House Ways and Means Committee.
“He knows how the government operates and that’s beneficial to PSS,” Guerrero said.
Tenorio, he added, also has a “strong relationship with the Legislature,” which will help PSS.
Since the departure of Waldo, acting finance director Lori Grizzard has been saddled with “additional” work.
Her work is appreciated by the PSS management and BOE, Guerrero said, but “we need someone who could give us what we need. Because of the situation, we’ve been provided very little or limited information about the school system’s finances. The information we get is not enough to make sound decisions.”
BOE Chairwoman Lucy Blanco-Maratita yesterday said “the primary focus of [Tenorio’s] contract is the PSS financial master plan. The plan is something that I have been after since coming on board as I feel that we need to have a plan ready, especially in light of our dwindling funds.”
She said the board needs to “explore avenues to make, grow, and manage money.”
“The focus will be on solutions to the current situation and for future planning purposes. The plan is also required by the board’s policies,” she added.
Tenorio’s role is not that of a finance director as he will be focused on specific deliverables, she said.
