Full circle for new Education commissioner

Dr. Lawrence Camacho, the new Education commissioner of the CNMI Public School System, has come full circle, returning to the CNMI to fulfill his passion of serving his people.

Camacho began his four-year tenure as Education commissioner last Monday, taking over the office that was held by interim Education commissioner Donna M. Flores for the past five months. Flores returns to her post as

Camacho, in a press conference with local media yesterday afternoon at the Commissioner’s Office on Capital Hill, said that he is “committed to this calling as a Commissioner of Education. I don’t consider this as just another job that we apply for and come get paid to do. I consider it a calling.”

“I believe that the CNMI invested in me to be at this point in my life. I am a retiree of the United States Army, I have gone through my education… with three master’s degrees and a doctoral degree, so I believe that’s enough for me to come home finally and eventually give back to our community,” said Camacho on why he chose to work for PSS.

Also during the conference, he described his goals that he will set forth in his tenure. He said his main goal is to have students graduate. “My No. 1 priority is to have students come here and enjoy their time in our school district. I want students to be able to say, ‘I am in the CNMI Public School System because I’m learning, I’m enjoying my time, I’m growing, I’m developing,’ and then for us to guide those students and then eventually graduate.”

He also said that it’s not just to let students graduate and that’s the end of it. “The other thing is that we have to guide them through this process and as we guide them through this process, we’re hoping that when they graduate eventually, they know where they’re going—whether it’s straight into the workforce, whether it’s in higher education, or they go into the trades,” said Camacho.

With that, he wants to establish a “triboard” between the PSS Board of Education, Northern Marianas College Board of Regents, and the Northern Marianas Technical Institute Board of Trustees.

He said that triboard is a dream of his where “we are the executive officers. We’re going to make sure that they’re executing the policies, but at the policy making level, those three boards can collaborate and drive us to ensure that we have policies that are aligned with them.”

He added, “I’m hoping that that board also is understanding the directions of our economy—our Commonwealth’s direction for economic advancement. As they advance and they understand that, they can then provide those good policies for us. We at the bottom here in the system, could provide them feedback with, ‘based on the expertise on learning and teaching, here’s what we’re trying to do to make sure that we’re aligned with your policies, that is aligned with the economy, and where the direction of the Commonwealth is going’. We’re developing problem solvers. We’re developing leaders, and they’re going to be the ones who are going to be out there in the future. But, we need to understand where that future is and what that future looks like.”

As for Flores’ time in office, Camacho said, “there’s a lot of credit that needs to happen. The hardest thing as an interim, is to bridge that—to make sure there’s no distraction from the current operation that’s happening and she’s done a tremendous job. In fact, she elevated from where she took on, to the next level. She kept the team intact and the team that’s intact, I’m very happy with dealing with them and operating with them because of her leadership.”

Flores, who is assisting in the transition, said, “It’s been a great experience for me… It just kind of quadrupled my responsibility… I enjoy challenge—I enjoy making people feel comfortable working, so they can do their job. And so our stakeholders, our beneficiaries are of course going to benefit from that and that’s our students.”

She said she’s had great support overall and appreciates what everyone did. “I couldn’t have done it by myself. It’s not perfect, but it happened and the kids continue to learn and enjoy learning. I think for the most part, everybody enjoyed coming to work and doing what they’re supposed to do.”

She then expressed her appreciation to Camacho who came on board when he did. “It’s a new year, so it’s a new start for everybody. It’s a new perspective maybe as well for the school system, so we’re excited to see what he has to bring to the table. We’ve heard of his plans and we’re excited to see it put into action. Of course, it’s a win-win for everybody and we’re just here to continue to support.”

Prior to accepting the PSS job, Camacho was both the dean of the Enrollment Management and Student Success and Student/Classroom Experience at the University of Guam.