90-day notice in PSS contract

The Board of Education Thursday night approved the 90-day notice addendum to the employment contracts for both certified and non-certified personnel amid threats of mass exodus of teachers in June.

The addendum serves as a termination notice to employees once the PSS has consulted with the CNMI Finance and its fiscal budget officer has reasonably concluded that funding cannot be assured 90 days in the future.

However, Commissioner of Education Rita H. Inos told the dozen of teachers present during the meeting that this will enable PSS to enter into an agreement with renewing employees.

“This is to offer a contract. I want to offer a contract to teachers who want to be here,” she said.

The addendum will appear in the contracts which PSS will offer for non-certified employees who will be renewing in May and for some teachers who are scheduled to renew in June.

Both members of the Board and Inos reiterated to employees that the added provision is temporary and can be repealed when the CNMI will have sufficient funding.

Acting fiscal and budget officer William Matson said if the government will deliver the $38.7 million as promised to PSS, teachers can forget about the 90-day notice.

However, if a budget cut will again take effect next year, the addendum will serve as an advance notice so appropriate planning can be taken by concerned parties.

Teacher representative David Borja asked board members to identify the alternative actions which will be considered next school year aside from the 90-day notice.

Board member Anthony Pellegrino said other options to be explored will once again tackle the personnel cost since it eats 92.3 percent of the total budget even if on the side PSS is considering to privatize bus service and other cost cutting measures.

Before the addendum was introduced, the PSS administration invoked the 90 day notice regulation since contracts are due to expire. This regulation requires PSS to notify its personnel 90 days before their contracts expire. However, employees were reportedly upset, alarmed and became suspicious of the PSS administration despite a written assurance that it was a technical requirement.

Board member Thomas Pangelinan tried to delay the introduction of the 90-day addendum by abstaining. But he was the lone member who abstained and was easily outnumbered by the four other members who voted in favor of the addendum.