Torres to speak to teachers’ group

Former congressman and education commissioner William S. Torres will serve as guest speaker in tomorrow’s meeting of teacher representatives at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Susupe.

Public school teacher representative Ambrose Bennett said yesterday that Torres will give his account on the history of the CNMI Constitution and teacher groups.

“He is an authority on this subject. He knows it very well,” said Bennett.

Meantime, he said that a teachers’ manifesto that lists 27 priority goals for teachers will be presented tomorrow.

Among others, the manifesto lists the promotion of a stronger working relationship among teachers, administration, State Board of Education, and the CNMI government “driven by collective bargaining agreement.”

Among its priorities are the need to address basic supply needs, communication and information links; copiers in schools; to modify teachers’ contracts to include the phrase “termination based on cause”; extension of contract terms; inclusion of all librarians and teacher aides in the bargaining agreement; review of teachers’ incentives; to purse legislation allowing U.S. recruited teachers to own house and lot; and to pursue legislative action authorizing teachers to have control over some funds for classroom purposes.

Bennett said the goals stated in the manifesto were generated through a survey of 273 teachers from 12 of the 19 schools in the CNMI.

Bennett is also pushing for the signing of a recognition agreement with the BOE on teachers’ collective bargaining power.

He said such agreement aims to recognize a bargaining agent for teachers within PSS and to empower the recognized agent to negotiate with the board on related issues.

Under the proposed agreement, the BOE teacher representative and the panel—composed of teacher representatives from various schools—shall be the permanent bargaining agent for teachers in the CNMI PSS.

Bennett said the BOE is only required to recognize a bargaining agent for teachers and is not required to agree or concede to any proposed agreement.

Bennett, who won a teacher representative seat in an election last January, has been pushing for collective bargaining for teachers within the system, which he said is enshrined in the CNMI constitution.

But, although the Constitution carries such provision, he said that an agreement with the BOE and a supporting law shall be required for its full implementation.

The board has created an ad-hoc committee to look into this matter.