Senate urged to act on PSS budget hike

A lawmaker has put pressure anew on members of the Senate to expedite action on a pending education initiative that seeks to increase by 10 percent the Public School System’s annual budget allotment.

Rep. Thomas B. Pangelinan, proponent of House Legislative Initiative 12-001, has prodded the Senate to render swift action on the proposal which the House passed in August 2000.

The upper house has less than 30 days to act on the initiative that would give Commonwealth citizens an opportunity to increase the constitutionally mandated minimum funding for public education or keep it at the 15 percent level.

According to the legislator, it is high time steps were taken to elevate the quality of educational services for CNMI’s children, adding that if ongoing efforts prove futile, education leaders in the community would be forced to secure the required signatures for a popular initiative.

The pending proposal is seeking Senate approval to include the 15 to 25 percent education allotment increase as an item in the upcoming November elections.

Mr. Pangelinan, a former Board of Education official is intent on convincing local officials to support the measure that he believes is the solution to the public education sector’s myriad of problems.

According to Mr. Pangelinan, the number of students enrolled in public schools has more than tripled in the last 25 years, yet the amount of funds devoted for public education has remained at the 15 percent level since 1976.

“As a lifetime educator who has spent 30 years as a classroom teacher, vice principal, principal, and Board of Education member, I know all too well just how difficult it can be when teachers don’t have the textbooks, the materials their students need and when classes are overloaded with 30 or more students per teacher. That’s not fair to our dedicated teachers and overcrowded classrooms are an injustice to our students,” he said, in a letter addressed to Senate President Paul A. Manglona.

He reiterated that the solution now rests on the Commonwealth’s increased investment on education which will be useful in the anticipated opening of new public schools, as well as the maintenance and operations of existing campuses.

Another reason to amend the constitution to accommodate the 25 percent increase is that local leaders are often caught in the never-ending debates over the approval of annual budgets, Mr. Pangelinan pointed out.

“When this happens, the public schools are supposed to get the same amount of funds as the previous year under what is called a continuing resolution. That means that each school must spend less per student because of rising student enrollment,” he added.

The resolution, the legislator suggested, is to raise the annual guaranteed amount of funding and provide a lump sum budget for public schools, allocated with an equal amount per student.

Mr. Pangelinan is convinced that the initiative’s inclusion in the elections will provide every registered voter a unique opportunity to express their true sentiments about the education of their children.

BOE officials earlier said that PSS will greatly benefit from the funding increase, citing that the school system does need extra financial assistance with the rapid student population growth anticipated in the years to come.

Additional funds would make possible more educational programs and improved school facilities, according to BOE members.

The proposed 10 percent increase in the Public School System’s yearly budget appropriation could mean an extra $20 million for public education.