PSS looking into privatization of school buses

To rid itself of the problems caused by school buses that are vandalized by the same students that use them, the Public School System is looking at the possibility of privatizing the operation.

Board of Education vice chair Dino Jones raised the suggestion during the regular board meeting held at the PSS office last July 8.

Jones said in order to protect school buses from unruly school children the PSS should considered privatization of the service.

“Children should be stopped,” he said referring to the students who have continuously vandalized the school buses.

The board had a lengthy discussion regarding the school buses last Friday. Secretary and treasurer Marja Lee Taitano said the board has been considering the subject matter for seven years now.

Board member Herman T. Guerrero said the idea is not far-fetched for the CNMI since public schools in Hawaii have already privatized their school bus operations.

Taitano added the privatization of the school buses only aims for the children to take responsibility. This way, she said, they would protect what they have invested and put money into.

Federal advisor Tim Thornburgh said he is not rejecting the privatization of the buses but would still have to consider some aspects of the regulations as far as federal grants are concerned since most of the new buses acquired by the school system came from federal grants.

BOE chair Roman C. Benavente said the board is leaving the issue to Commissioner of Education Rita H. Inos for the action plan on the bus protection especially that new school buses are set to arrive on Saipan this August.

Inos said she has been working with the school administration in this regard. They are looking at imposing some policies like penalizing the children who are committing such misconduct. She said she is closely working with principals for a stricter policy.

She said privatization might have advantages too. She said the school system has been in touch with a clinical psychologist who also suggested some steps that could help alleviate the vandalism inside the buses.

A psychologist agreed that whenever a student is caught damaging or vandalizing the buses, he would not be put in detention; instead he would be assigned to be the monitoring officer inside the buses.

“The buses belong to the children but damaging it is not benefiting other children,” she said. Inos said she would get back to the board as to the progress and for the status of the more stringent policies for the buses.

Associate commissioner David M. Borja reported during the board meeting last Friday that all of the eight school buses that were found vandalized last April are again in tip-top shape.

The ripped seats have been reupholstered but unfortunately some have been found ripped again and vandalized. Borja said there really is a need to monitor the children inside the buses. He added that it was reported to him that high school students do more of the damage inside the buses.

Taitano suggested to the board that PSS should designate certain areas inside the school buses where students could write their thoughts because, she said, this would divert the children’s attention to damaging and writing on the seats of the buses.

Borja said the idea is good but might create rivalry among students from different schools since the buses cater to all schools not just one school.

The federally funded acquisition of three 66-passenger capacity buses and 14 10-passenger capacity passenger vans are on its way before the new school year begins. For this school year, PSS would have a total of 13 buses to operate in the CNMI.