PSS revives privatization of busing operations
The Public School System has revisited plans to turn over the management of its school-busing operations to a private transportation company, in efforts to address the public education sector’s limited resources in running the transportation fleet.
The campaign to privatize PSS’ busing services was revived last week amid discussions among PSS officials to begin preparing the Fiscal Year 2002 budget proposal.
After conducting consultations with an undisclosed transportation agency, PSS Deputy Commissioner for Administration Louise Concepcion reported that the company has raised concerns on the maintenance of the transportation vehicles should it agree to lease the buses from PSS.
“One of the main issues that arose was whether the maintenance of buses is inclusive of the lease,” said Ms. Concepcion.
According to Ms. Concepcion, the current proposal to privatize the entire Pupil Transportation Services involves plans to lease PSS’ existing buses as well as rent additional transportation vehicles from private companies.
“We have not really finalized our plans yet because there are a lot of issues which has to be fine-tuned,” said the deputy commissioner.
Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos, in earlier interviews, said PSS has started looking at the privatization of its transportation fleet in hopes of further improving the quality of its busing services.
“We continue to eye privatization, as well as other resources within our community to offset the deficit of what we have in terms of pupil transportation,” Dr. Inos had said.
“So we don’t just leave ourselves to saying we don’t have enough buses…we also recognize that there are so many resources within our community,” she added.
Last year, PSS acquired three new buses to add to the growing number of students transported to and from public schools five days a week.
The PSS 2002 budget package is set to include a request for additional funding for the procurement of four regular buses as well as two special education vehicles.
Moreover, the 2002 budget proposal also covers requests for additional funding appropriations to operate Dandan, Sinapalo, and Kagman elementary schools, personnel funds for the actual number of staff positions in schools, and operations allotment to support the opening of new schools targeted on August.
PSS is also eyeing funding augmentations for student activities such as JROTC and non academic general student functions, for math and writing standards and for the CNMI-wide Stanford Achievement Tests.
