‘Rise in student vaping pervasive problem at most public schools’

A pervasive issue confronting most public schools in the CNMI is the rise in student vaping, according to the Public School System Citizen Centric Report for fiscal year 2024 released yesterday.

The PSS CCR, which was submitted to the CNMI Office of the Public Auditor, also discloses that despite an annual personnel cost of $40 million, PSS has only received $19 million, $24 million, and $25 million in local funding over the past three years—far short of the required $45 million annually for personnel and other operational needs.

The CCR says the Education Stabilization Fund & American Rescue Plan Act, however, has been instrumental in bridging this local budget gap for personnel costs of $32 million and $24 million for the fiscal years 2023 and 2024, respectively.

On the rise of student vaping, CCR says despite numerous warnings and the organization of student-parent conferences, the problem persists. CCR notes that the challenge lies in the difficulty of detecting students in the act, compounded by the increasingly discreet design of vaping devices.

CCR says the vaping devices often resemble ordinary items such as ink pens, making identification even more complex.

CCR says the ARPA, with a substantial grant of $160 million and a four-year timeline ending on Sept. 30, 2024, represents a pivotal investment in the CNMI’s education system. The report notes that the ARPA has, among other things, enabled the PSS to make transformative hires, such as additional teachers, English Language Learner instructors, and for the first time in three decades, school nurses and health monitors.

These efforts, the report says, have been complemented by innovative measures to mitigate the learning loss experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the introduction of High Dosage Tutors—college students offering targeted academic support in subjects like reading and math.

CCR says the ARPA grant has also provided students with essential tools, including laptops and internet connectivity, and addressed long-standing infrastructural needs. The infrastructural needs include the replacement of classroom furniture for the first time in 44 years and the acquisition of a fleet of new school buses and vans to facilitate after-school sports and extracurricular activities.

CCR says mental health programs, focusing on counseling and coping skills, have been expanded to support students’ well-being.

On many challenges faced by school counselors over the 2023-2024 school year, CCR notes a few student deaths, suicides, school shooter/bomb threat alerts, and the death of a teacher.

CCR says incarcerated students needed more basic school materials like notebooks and other school utensils. The report says truancy is still one of the biggest challenges students transitioning back to school face.

CCR says this year, the PSS High Dosage Tutors grant cycle has ended and this represents a significant setback for the system, as the tutors provided indispensable support to schools.

During school year 2023-2024, PSS employed a total of 1,211 employees. Of the total, 600 are instructional staff (teachers, counselors, librarians), and 611 are non-instructional staff (teacher aids, administrators, support staff). PSS ended the year with 174 High Dosage Tutor Support.

On outlook for the future, CCR says construction of the new modular classrooms at Admiral H. G. Hopwood Middle School is now underway. These state-of-the-art facilities, the report says, will offer students and staff an enhanced and more comfortable learning environment, fostering improved educational experiences for all. Among the highlights of the report is that the Marianas High School has graduated the largest graduating class in CNMI history this school year, with 375.