Make educated decisions

In a political environment all too often cluttered with false promises, double-dealing, backroom deals, and subterfuge, it is refreshing to be able to point out lucid, intelligent, and far-sighted decisions. I am referring to the recent article announcing that the new budget has been passed by the Senate. It is now in the House and included in it is the direly needed (and nearly decade-long awaited) increase in the Public School System budget. It is common knowledge that $50 million (the proposed new budget) is still far below any mainland school district of our size (even those in poverty-ridden areas), but it is a good start. The Senate deserves to be applauded, and I will take a moment to stand on my chair to do so. Please be patient; my chair swivels, and there are safety issues involved with this accolade, but I think it is worth the risk.

All this being said, the House must still pass it and the governor must still sign the bill for it to make any difference. I am now calling on our honored House lawmakers and Gov. Juan N. Babauta to immediately approve the new budget. In all fairness, the current governor cannot be held solely responsible for the sorry state of PSS funding. As I have stated, this is a nearly decade-long problem. However, as a governor who has stated time and time again his pro-education beliefs, he must sign the budget in all haste. If the increase of the PSS budget is not forthcoming, the increase of the retirement employer contribution for PSS is not exempted, and PSS is now to pay its own electrical bills (the two increased amount to about $8 million yearly), there is a good chance there will be no schools open to send students to. This is just plain reality!

Now, as it is very closely connected to this topic, let me speak (again) on the increased employee contribution to the Retirement Fund. As many know, PSS is one of the very few government agencies that is current in the employer payments to the Fund. Now, PSS is being mandated to pay a greatly increased amount to offset the multiple agencies that pay little or nothing into the Fund. In other words, PSS is expected to pay the way for those agencies that will not pay! Recently it has been stated that PSS is not making full payments into the Fund. This is not entirely true. The school system continues to pay on time the pre-increase employer contribution. It is only the unfairly levied increase that PSS is not (and because of the above-mentioned realities, cannot be) paying. This also rests on the broad shoulders of our cherished governor. I again call on Governor Babauta (and all education-minded voters should also) to exempt PSS from the increased employer contribution to the Retirement Fund. I also call on all lawmakers in the CNMI to enact legislation mandating that the government departments that are not in compliance with the employer contribution schedule and/or amount to the Retirement Fund be forced to get into compliance or have the projected contributions taken directly out of their budgets and remitted to the Retirement Fund directly.

All of these issues have grave consequences on the educations of the youth of the CNMI and the future of these young people. This is an opportunity for all politicians to stand up and be counted; do you really support solid educations for the youth of the CNMI or not? There is no middle ground!

Thomas D. Wilkins
Saipan