THE Public School System’s federal programs officer, Tim Thornburgh, has retired.
On June 29, 2022, Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada led PSS in honoring Thornburgh who also received the Public School System’s Distinguished Service Recognition Award for his “exemplary contributions.”
The special ceremony was held at the PSS Central Office on Capital Hill and was attended by Thornburgh’s co-workers.
“On behalf of your Public School System family, we express our most profound appreciation to your immeasurable contributions and commitment to support the children of the CNMI in their desire to learn and be successful,” Commissioner of Education Ada said.
PSS Federal Programs Director of Internal Controls and Evaluation Jacqueline “Jackie” Che was appointed by Commissioner Ada as interim PSS federal programs officer.
Thornburgh served six commissioners of education: the late Dr. Rita H. Inos, Dr. David Borja, Dr. Rita A. Sablan, Cynthia I. Deleon Guerrero, Glenn Muna and Dr. Ada.
The PSS Federal Programs Office, among other major tasks, administers over 30 federal grants for the school system.
Over the years, Thornburgh has been instrumental in securing major federal financial grant awards to support public schools and private schools in the CNMI.
These included the American Recovery and Reinvest Act of 2009 which provided PSS with $42 million. This grant was used, among other things, to fund the PSS technology program and the One-Laptop Initiative. Today, laptops, iPads and computers continue to support the PSS students’ learning, especially during the pandemic.
PSS said it was the first in the Pacific region to have piloted the initiative.
“Technology is a big piece in our public education in the CNMI today, so we make sure that our students have laptops, iPads and connectivity at home,” Thornburgh said in an interview with Variety.
In 2021, under Commissioner Ada’s leadership and with Thornburgh’s guidance, PSS was awarded a $16 million Career and Technical Education Center grant. This will be used for the construction of the first-ever CTE training center for all career technical and education program students in the CNMI, and it will be located at Marianas High School.
For the past two years, Thornburgh also worked with Commissioner Ada, the Board of Education, and other officials, including U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, in securing the biggest one-time grant PSS has ever received since its establishment in 1988. This was the $162 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds which is being used to support student learning.
“I am just looking forward to doing some traveling and seeing my family back in the states,” Thornburgh said.
He noted that he is leaving PSS behind in a better financial posture, “Twenty-seven years ago we had a certainly better and diverse local economy (with various local sources of revenue available compared to this pandemic-driven economic state for the past two years). [But] with the federal government supporting public school students’ learning, PSS is certainly better now than 27 years ago.”
He said PSS has received multiple clean audit reports and was particularly commended by external auditors for its “strong financial management on federal grants”
“The federal government has helped us in many, many ways,” he added. “We always need to try our very best to work amicably and prudently with our federal funds,” Thornburgh said.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada and Associate Commissioner Eric Magofna present PSS Federal Programs Officer Tim Thornburgh the “Distinguished Service Recognition Award” on June 29, 2022 the eve of his retirement.
Tim Thornburgh smiles as he shows the plaque honoring him for his 27 years of public service.
Tim Thornburgh, seated, center, poses for a photo with his PSS Federal Programs Office family: Jacqueline Che, Liz Romolor, Bernie Calvo, Maria Quitugua, Armie Catalla and Richelle Castro in this photo taken a day before his retirement. Also in photo is former FPO employee Dencio Manglona. Not in photo: Melisha San Nicolas.
