Serious explanations needed

It seems that the Mariana High School is undergoing some unusual organizational development that may be caused by systemic problems in human resource policies, processes, and procedures. It is also possible that because MHS is an independent responsibility center of the PSS organizational structure, it is experiencing some normal changes of transformation just like any other public sector entity going about its usual business. If disgruntled teachers complain about what they see as an anomaly in the management style of the principal, then this matter is a human resource management issue and should be best handled by a human resource manager of PSS. So far, from what we learned of the employee-management relation at the school, the administrator has complete autonomy over personnel or human resource management issues of the school. Aside from the issue that this arrangement may have taken away the basic responsibility of the PSS personnel officer, the Legislature should expand its probe and examine what is exactly the processes and procedures in PSS’ policies and sanctioned legal authority that prompted it to leave unchecked the principal and employee and management relations.

The next step, and just as important as the first premise, it is also imperative that the Legislature require the PSS personnel officer to demonstrate how the “grievance procedure” of the PSS Personnel Rules and Regulations or sanctioned policies dealing with employee grievances applies to the MHS situation. It is important for the Legislature to determine for itself whether or not present PSS policies governing employee grievances are effective and efficient in resolving the problem at MHS. If and only if the personnel officer makes a case that PSS personnel policies would resolve the issues at MHS, then the Legislature can dissolve its jurisdiction over the matter. Because PSS Personnel Rules and Regulations must adjust to the latent and changing dynamics of local human resources management at the school level, it is necessary for the Legislature to determine when and what was the last attempt by PSS to update and revise its Personnel Rules and Regulation and how it is keeping up with changing educational environment both at the local and national levels.

What the Legislature is facing as it secures the useful evidence it gathered from the MHS hearing should level only on objective and factual information. It should guard itself from cockamamie explanations by those whose responsibility it was to assure all PSS stakeholders that all is well and securely controlled under the umbrella of PSS. It would be interesting if the legislators who are probing the issues at MHS would agree that PSS’ Personnel Rules and Regulations is the panacea to the MHS issues, notwithstanding that PSS has not changed its human resource management practices and processes since the regulations were promulgated more than 20 years ago. Nonetheless, some serious explanation would be required to get to the bottom of all human resource management issues at PSS. We will wait for the legislators to report back to their constituents, or PSS management and the Board of Education should take the first step to clarify and satisfy the curiosity of all interested stakeholders of the public education system in the CNMI about its human resources management processes and policies dealing with its certified and non-certified employees.