PSS administrators seek 20% differential

Marianas High School administrators are pressing the State Board of Education to provide principals and vice principals 20 percent salary differentials that they believe they are entitled to as school officials tasked with administering over 1,800 students.

MHS Principal James Denight, in a letter addressed to the BOE Fiscal and Personnel Committee, has proposed that the Public School System consider giving out one-time differentials each year for administrators specifically in campuses handling over a thousand students such as MHS and Hopwood Junior High School.

But acting fiscal officer Bill Matson explained that although administrators in the two schools handle more responsibilities based on the large number of students, additional administrative staff such as vice principals have been installed to help the principals cope.

BOE members early this week listened to concerns raised by administrators over a fiscal and personnel committee meeting and promised to take the matter under advisement.

Fiscal and personnel committee chair Marja Lee Taitano again assigned the Human Resources Office to coordinate with the fiscal and budget office in efforts to assess the cost impact should BOE decide to grant the administrators’ wish.

HRO has been given more than a week to complete the impact study to be presented to the whole board before the year ends.

Aside from administrators, public school counselors have also pled BOE to re-adjust their salaries to a pay scale level equitable with that of classroom teachers.

This move came amid concerns raised by PSS counselors that the pending initiative to reclassify them to teacher status should likewise reflect on the salary they are entitled to get.

Ms. Taitano has also asked the PSS team to come up with a financial study that would detail the impact of re-adjusting counselors’ salary make it comparable to that of teachers.

The financial assessment report is also due within 10 days from Tuesday’s fiscal and personnel meeting.

The board, however, reminded PSS faculty that the school system is still under tight austerity measures in lieu of adequate funds to run all 16 CNMI public schools.