Reyes scores veto of teacher education bill

Senate minority leader Pete P. Reyes criticized the governor yesterday for disapproving a bill that aims to extend the postsecondary teacher education program.

In a session yesterday, Reyes said the governor’s action only prevents the students from getting assistance through the program.

“It means that we don’t like the teacher academy anymore. This veto is preventing these kids from receiving financial assistance,” said Reyes.

Fellow Saipan senator Thomas “Kiyu” Villagomez disagreed, saying that the governor was clear in his message that he supports the intent of the bill but the measure lacks the appropriate terminology.

House Bill 14-205, which the governor vetoed on Thursday, aims “to extend” rather than “to re-enact” the postsecondary teacher education program, which expired on Sept. 3, 2004.

“The fact is there is no more postsecondary education program. And what the governor wants is for the Legislature to work with the author of the bill and related agencies to re-enact the program,” said Villagomez.

Babauta, in his transmittal letter to the Legislature Thursday, said bill, authored by Rep. Justo Quitugua, would have been effective if enacted prior to the September 2004 expiration of the program.

Quitugua introduced the bill in July 2004.

Sen. Paul M. Manglona, for his part, said everybody supports the education program. The issue, he said, is about introducing a new piece of legislation for immediate approval.

Manglona recommended that the Senate legal counsel work with the governor’s legal counsel to draft a new measure.

The governor had also said that the bill does not appropriate funds for additional costs that would be imposed to implement the program.

If signed into law, he said it would jeopardize the ongoing scholarship programs for current recipients as the Scholarship Board would have to take at least $750,000 from the present program to finance the additional cost of the postsecondary education scholarship program.

Babauta also cited that the bill lowers the students’ cumulative grade point average requirement from 3.0 to 2.75.

At the same time, the bill aims to increase the scholarship money from $15,000 to a level not exceeding $30,000 per student per school year.

Further, the bill eliminates scholarship program for graduates of off-island high schools.

Babauta said his administration wants to promote educational excellence “by ensuring the availability of financial assistance to all students who do extremely well in their academic performance.”