BOE expresses disappointment over mock poll

The Public School System has expressed disappointment over the involvement of some its teachers in a mock poll for the Commonwealth’s 2005 general elections and has intimated that it would take action once it determines that the survey was done during a professional development training or paid workshop.

BOE chair Roman C. Benavente said yesterday that he was very disappointed with the pre-election survey conducted Saturday, which claims that the gubernatorial tandem of Heinz Hofschneider and David Apatang is leading in the polls.

Benavente said he doesn’t agree with PSS teachers involving themselves in a political survey. He said the survey was not fair for everyone; he even questioned the media for sensationalizing the survey at the PSS’ expense.

To begin with, Benavente said, he was not aware of the PSS survey conducted by the teachers. He said the teachers should have informed the office of the Commissioner of Education first.

Benavente said such mock polls should not influence the minds of the teachers and students in terms of making their own choices and decisions.

“We should not be using education in our political agenda,” he said.

Education associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said he was surprised about the survey. “PSS is supposed to be apolitical,” he said.

Benavente said the board and the PSS would get to the bottom of the pre-poll survey. He said if the survey was done during professional development training or paid workshop for teachers, the PSS must take action to correct the matter.

Benavente said whoever is behind the project is using the PSS as a vehicle to justify his or her support for a political party.

Federal programs advisor Tim Thornburgh provided the media the result of the project last Wednesday. Thornburgh denied speculations that the survey was done during paid trainings for the teachers. He told Saipan Tribune that the survey was done through the initiatives of eight PSS teachers.

“It’s not a BOE activity,” Thornburgh said.

He said the survey was a voluntary effort on the part of the teachers to give the community an idea of what to expect in the upcoming November elections.

Thornburgh said the PSS has nothing to do with the survey and, tomorrow they will hold another survey, this time enlisting the help of students.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta said he is not affected by the mock poll. He said there would be more surveys to come, especially as Election Day nears. Babauta said the only survey that he would truly believe in is the actual results of the Nov. 5 general elections.

The survey in question garnered 225 respondents and 26 percent of them said they would vote for independent candidates Hofschneider and Apatang for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.