Lump sum budget eyed for NMC

Rep. Dino Jones is proposing that the Northern Marianas College be accorded the same lump sum budgeting scheme currently being considered for the Public School System and the Department of Public Health in the next fiscal year.

During a meeting with education leaders this week, Mr. Jones said that in order for CNMI’s lone college to improve its vocational programs, NMC would need to have control over all of its funding resources.

“I think lump sum budget just comes in the right time so that we can produce more skilled members of the labor force,” said Mr. Jones.

He further told education leaders that he will be lobbying for this initiative in the House, similar to efforts he has put in for PSS in improving the level of education in the CNMI.

“I will be encouraging members of the Ways and Means and also the leadership of the House to do the same thing for NMC and to appropriate the lump sum budget for this institution,” he added.

In return, Mr. Jones said the NMC administration must evidently show a positive approach and well-coordinated planning with regard to the implementation of its vocational programs.

“We need to establish a positive working relationship in order for us to be able to encourage and support the efforts in our budgeting process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Board of Regents member Vince Seman also commented that the college already has too much legislation focused on its own improvement.

“We already have so many policies than we know what to do with,” Mr. Seman said.

He added that the problem now rests on enforcing the set of enacted policies, citing the college’s five-year master plan which until now has not been fully realized.

“We are trying to follow its mandate but it’s difficult. And these are issues we need to adjust,” he added.

The BOR member challenged members of PSS, the Board of Education, and the Legislature to return to its original plans.

“This is a problem we have at NMC. I think we lack the power to follow through,” Mr. Seman admitted.

But education leaders have recently created alternative means to accomplish such loopholes in the system by establishing a special task force which would address important and pressing education concerns.

This ad hoc committee will be comprised of members from BOE, BOR, NMC, PSS, the private sector, and the Governor’s special assistant for education.

The group will meet in the next few months and get started on what’s first on its agenda which is to uplift the quality of vocational and occupational courses offered at NMC and PSS. (MM)