PSS clears errors on report card
The Public School System yesterday corrected its total Fiscal Year 2000 budget cited in its newly released report card after being swamped with phone calls particularly from the Department of Finance questioning the accuracy of the figures.
Instead of a $300,327.00 local appropriation in operational funds for FY 1999-2000, PSS clarified the figure is actually missing a digit which should be $3,026,213.00.
“It’s merely a typographical error,” said PSS officials.
The eight-page statistical report also stated that PSS’ personnel local appropriation funds during the past fiscal year amounted to some $33,015,900.00.
Ninety-two percent of PSS’ locally-sourced appropriation funds are disbursed for personnel while the remaining 8 percent is reserved for operations.
No changes were made to the federal budget appropriations as PSS maintained the total to $16,775,506.00, 47 percent ($7,885,872.00) of which went to personnel while 53 percent ($8,889,634.00) has been allocated for operations.
Over the last year, PSS has lost federally-funded resources to supplement its personnel needs.
PSS earlier reported that the amount of funds spent on personnel during the newly-concluded fiscal year actually increased some five percent.
This translates to some $300,000 on an annual basis from last year. PSS spent $2.58 million in federal funds on personnel during FY 1998-1999 as compared to $2.72 million last fiscal year.
Much of the 5 percent increase in PSS’ dependence on federal funds is due to the additional class-size reduction teachers and increased Special Education personnel.
Despite this, PSS claimed that although local funds are limited, it is doing all it can to squeeze funds from federal grants to offset deficiency on personnel costs.
The school system’s instructional staff, classified as classroom teachers and teacher assistants last year totaled approximately 783 while non-instructional was recorded at 277, revealed the report card.
According to acting Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, this means that 73 percent of PSS staff are classroom teachers and teacher assistants providing direct instruction to all students.
“Fiscal constraints that began in School Year 1998-1999 and up to now have certainly presented a daring expedition within each school. However . . . I would like to emphasize that I am very pleased that the biggest portion of the pie is certainly in the classroom, that 73 percent of our personnel are teachers and are in the schools providing direct services to making sure our students are learning,” said Ms. Sablan.
The annual report card which also contains data on latest student population size, student achievement through SAT9 results and accreditation of schools, was released to the public last Monday in efforts to increase community awareness on the state of CNMI’s public education.
