PHYLLIS Ain of William S. Reyes Elementary School and Frank Lee Borja of Saipan Southern High School are the candidates in the teacher representative runoff election, Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada said.
The runoff is the third and final leg in this year’s selection of the public school teacher representative to the Board of Education.
The Public School System held a general election on Dec. 2-8, 2020, and Ain and Borja were the top two candidates who received the most votes, Ada said.
Voter turnout was 57%, he added.
The runoff election started on Dec. 11 and will end on Dec. 17, 2020 at 11:59 a.m. It is being held electronically and teachers can cast their votes through a link provided by PSS.
In an email interview, Ain said she wants to meet and speak with her fellow teachers to share her thoughts about the reasons why she wants to be the next teacher representative.
But the threat of Covid-19 infection posed a difficult situation on her part, she added.
She said she believes teachers should have a voice in the policies and decisions governing their working situation.
“These are challenging times. Ultimately, I would hope that teachers receive ample notice of any proposed board action, and that the board will maintain and increase the incentives and benefits that attract and retain quality teachers,” Ain said.
She noted that a teacher representative is a non-voting member of the BOE.
Variety was unable to get a comment from Borja.
