OFFICIALS KEEP THEIR FINGERS CROSSED PSS bats for $48 million

Asking for a budget level that is more than what the administration said it can afford may be a struggle against defeat, but education officials are keeping their fingers crossed.

At yesterday’s Board of Education meeting, officials agreed to try to convince the Legislature that the Public School System needs to get $48 million for fiscal year 2000.

Education officials will appear at today’s budget hearing to present their proposal to members of the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Karl T. Reyes.

PSS submitted to the Governor’s Office the $48 million budget package earlier this year, but Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio responded by saying the agency could only expect $38.7 million.

Tenorio said on Monday that the government could not afford to grant every department’s and agency’s request for a higher budget, unless the administration could find additional sources of revenues.

The administration has pegged its proposed budget for fiscal year 2000 at $206.98 million.

“The selling starts when the customer says ‘no’. The administration already said ‘no’ [to a higher budget], and that’s where we should begin,” board member Anthony Pellegrino said.

Pellegrino said PSS should be able to present to the legislators proofs that the education agency really needs the budget level it has requested to be able to function efficiently.

Board Chairman Esther Fleming, however, said PSS should not rely on its hopes.

“In case we don’t get the $48 million we’re requesting, we should at least prepare by setting our priorities,” Fleming said, suggesting that the payment of retirement bonus be included in the priority list.

PSS needs $680,000 to settle its retirement obligations to teachers and support staff who retired last December.

“These retirees will come to us again and again. They are ready to sue us,” Fleming added.

Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos indicated that funding the teacher positions would be in her priority list.

She said she wants to restore the student-teacher ratio to 25 -1 from the current 30-1 ratio.

PSS fiscal officer Bill Matson, meanwhile, said the governor earlier notified PSS that the administration would raise the education agency’s budget by $1 million to address the staffing needs of the new school in Kagman.

At least 28 percent of PSS’ authorized full-time employee positions is unfunded in the current fiscal year’s budget.

“This reduction from a fully funded FTE support level is why PSS has failed to fill non-teaching and even some teacher FTEs,” Matson said. (MCM)