THE Public School System’s administration of federal grants is “highly monitored,” according to Jacqueline Che, interim PSS federal programs officer.
“We are mandated to undergo an external audit on an annual basis,” Che said. “All federally funded programs are highly regulated. Controls and compliance are in place to effectively manage funding and ensure allowable use.”
She added, “Quarterly meetings are conducted to monitor our progress and ensure federal funds are used for their intended purposes and that projects and activities supported by federal funds are meeting the established goals and objectives.”
Board of Education Chairman Gregory Pat Borja said exit audit report findings or recommendations are addressed by PSS.
“As a board member I have had the opportunity to sit in on the exit audit report conducted annually to ensure the accountability of local and federal funds received by PSS,” he said. “Audit findings are addressed by the [education] commissioner and his staff, including the director of finance and director of federal programs. The board and the PSS administration pay particular attention to audit findings as they may affect our ability to continue to receive funding.”
He said there are “performance indicators in place to ensure that the federal funds are being spent properly. There are also additional reporting requirements for various federal programs.”
As for the American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funds, Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada and his management team developed a comprehensive spending plan for the duration of the funding cycle, Borja said.
The spending plan was approved by the Board of Education and is monitored by the BOE through biweekly expenditure reports and quarterly reports presented during regular board meetings, Borja added.
“The board is ensuring that PSS follows the spending plan to prevent excessive spending during a given school year,” he said.
In addition, federal grantors are also “looking at PSS expenditures to ensure that the costs are allowable and that they are going toward the projects they are intended for,” he added.
“The board monitors the expenses through reporting from the commissioner and his staff. It is my personal belief that PSS is properly budgeting and spending our federal funds as intended in order to provide the appropriate education for our students and safeguard their education success.”
The non-partisan BOE, which has five elected members, is the policy and governing body of PSS. It is the BOE that proposes, reviews and approves spending plans for public education in the CNMI.
After-action review
From Jan. 11 to 13 at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, PSS directors, managers, coordinators, project leads, team members, and other stakeholders conducted a federally required after-action review of the school system’s ARPA implementation plan.
Facilitated by Dr. Allison Layland of the Academic Development Institute and Lynette L. Villagomez, co-director and senior research specialist of the Region 18 Comprehensive Center of the Pacific Region Education Laboratory, the review was designed to further enhance performance accountability and sound financial management in the administration of federal grants.
Among the presenters were Jacqueline Che, interim PSS federal programs officer; Dr. Rizalina Liwag, senior director for accountability, research and evaluation; Vinnie Orsini, social studies program director; Asap Ogumuro, science curriculum coordinator; Gus Loste, mathematics curriculum coordinator; Joaquina Salas, Title 1 program coordinator; and Annette Pladevega Sablan and Jeaniffer Cubangbang, both of the State Longitudinal Data System.
The Region 18 Comprehensive Center received a supplementary grant for the after-action review.
“These three days allowed us to engage in very candid discussions on whether the projects were impactful and what practices should be improved,” Che said.
In March last year, during the annual Council of Chief State School Officers, the U.S. Department of Education praised PSS’s ARPA spending plan, which was one of the first to be received and approved by the USDOE.
Of the $850 million in 2021 ARPA funds for Outlying Areas State Educational Agencies, PSS received about $160 million.
Academic Development Institute’s Dr. Allison Layland, standing, foreground, facilitates an after-action review of the Public School System’s ARPA implementation plan with PSS officials. Also in photo: Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada.
GTC Elementary School’s Raena Camacho and Melisa Mendez, San Vicente Elementary School’s Paulette Tomokane and Ana Guerrero, Garapan Elementary School’s Derwin Johnson and Jacklyn Quitugua, and William S. Reyes Elementary School’s Dr. Lyn Mendiola. On Thursday, they attended virtually a meeting with the PSS Federal Program’s Office facilitated by interim Director Jacqueline Che and Marian Tudela.
Science Curriculum Program Director Asapmar Ogumoro stresses a point as Region 18 Comprehensive Center Senior Research Specialist for PREL Lynette Villagomez listens.
Federal Programs Office Interim Director Jacqueline Che, right, and Career Technical Education Program Director Dr. Jessica Taylor participate in an after-action review of the Public School System’s ARPA implementation plan.
Mathematics Curriculum Program Coordinator Gus Loste speaks while Saipan Southern High School Principal Vince Dela Cruz and Chamorro Carolinian and Heritage Studies Program Director Jonas Barcinas listen.