ABE wants slice of Compact-Impact funds

The Northern Marianas College Adult Basic Education Program is seeking a fair share to the $1 million Compact-Impact appropriation delivered last week by Office of Insular Affairs Director Danny Aranza, noting that the public institution hosts approximately 27 percent of Micronesian students.

ABE Director Fe Y. Calixterio expressed yesterday hopes the local government will not overlook NMC’s adult literacy program as it also provides valuable services to students from the Freely Associated States.

FAS students comprise about one-fourth of the overall NMC student population, according to Ms. Calixterio.

State-run agencies that were heavily impacted by the influx of FAS citizens to the Northern Marianas include the Dept. of Public Health, Division of Youth Services, Northern Marianas Housing Corporation, Dept. of Public Safety, and the Public School System.

“The reason why they did not include the college, I believe, is because most of the students pay their own fees. But ABE is a free program that also accepts and serves Micronesians. I am just sounding off what I think should happen since we also offer services that are affected by the influx of Micronesians into the islands,” said the ABE director.

The college offers literacy development programs for non-high school graduates at no financial cost on the part of students.

Local officials yesterday assured the NMC official that when the administration finally disburses the Compact-Impact funds, all agencies affected will be fairly considered.

“They have assured me they will look into it,” said Ms. Calixterio.

The federal government through the OIA director last week turned over $1 million in Compact-Impact reimbursement to the Commonwealth.

Until Mr. Aranza’s recent visit, the Northern Marianas has received no reimbursement from the U.S. government since 1996 while it consistently allocated Compact-Impact funds to Guam.

Since the 1980s, the CNMI has been billing the U.S. government for reimbursements which has now only grown bigger, but nothing has been finalized so far.

The U.S. Congress openly recognizes that the federal government should reimburse the money spent by the CNMI in accommodating migrants from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.

Under the Compact of the Free Association, residents from Pohnpei, Yap, Chuuk, Palau, and Marshall Islands can migrate to US island territories like Guam and the CNMI as well as to the state of Hawaii without restrictions.

The agreement guarantees the provision of education, medical, and other state benefits to the migrating Micronesians which will be shouldered by the local governments and will, in turn, be reimbursed by the U.S. through congressional appropriations.