New class schedule sparks dispute • Tinian teachers say PSS violated education board’s site-based management policy

The new class schedule for public schools on Tinian has sparked a dispute between the Public School System and Tinian teachers.

PSS implemented this school year the Board of Education’s decision to stretch the daily school hours at Tinian Junior High and Tinian High School from 7:30 am to 3:20 pm.

The new class schedule is one-and-half hours longer than the previous schedule, and Tinian teachers are complaining.

“We were not consulted on this. Why do Tinian teachers and students have to be in the classroom for longer hours than those at Marianas High School and Rota High School?” asked one of the teachers who requested anonymity.

“That means, we spend time inside the classroom seven-and-half hours more a week, or 30 hours more in a month,” the teacher said, adding that teachers don’t get corresponding increase in pay for extra hours of classroom work.

MHS and RHS have retained their daily schedule which starts at 8:25 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. Tinian schools used to follow the same schedule.

The teacher said the new schedule has deprived Tinian students of the opportunity to engage in extra curricular activities.

“The teachers don’t mind the hard work. We are more concerned about the children’s social development which they could get from extracurricular activities. By the time they get out of their classrooms, the students have already exhausted their energies and are too tired to get involved in activities outside the classroom,” the teacher said.

In explaining the board’s decision to stretch the school hours, Education Commissioner Rita Inos said “the new schedule for Tinian schools is intended for the students.”

“This new class schedule is creating tensions, but they should understand that the board decides on a case-by-case basis, that’s why there are discrepancies in policies among public schools,” Inos said, suggesting that Tinian schools actually need longer school hours to allow students to rev up academic performance.

Inos said the board saw the need for Tinian schools to concentrate on instructional and learning aspects of education rather than non-academic activities.

Teachers and students, the commissioner added, are expected to spend 180 days a year on instruction and learning.

“Days spent on non-instructional activities are not counted,” Inos said. “We’re aiming at creating a program that will allow us to meet our expectations. We should aspire for something beyond minimum expectations; if we aspire for the minimum, that’s all we would get.”

Another teacher from Tinian, however, said that PSS should not ignore the need for students to find time for creativity.

“Students just come to school and open their books, and that’s it. They may learn something from Algebra, but after school, they may not use that anymore. They need something more than that,” the teacher said.

Inos said the new schedule was proposed by the Tinian school administrators themselves.

The teacher, however, said the failure of PSS and school officials to consult teachers and parents on the new schedule violated the education board’s site-based management policy.

“Site-based management empowers parents and teachers to decide on polices affecting the school, but in this case, this policy was ignored,” the teacher said. (MCM)