3-percent increase seen in population of students

The Public School System is set to welcome 11,300 students this school year—a 3 percent increase from last year, according to associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja.

Despite the lack of facilities and continued budget shortfall, Borja said that schools around Saipan are now preparing to welcome both old and new students, with the 2005-2006 school year set to start on Aug. 3.

The education official said PSS is still awaiting word on its request for an additional $700,000 in operational funds, which Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos submitted to the Office of the Governor last April.

He said, though, that PSS is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, as the local government is expected to give the school system $400,000, which would bump up the total amount of additional funds at its disposal to $1.1 million.

Borja said the amount would provide PSS enough funds to cover operational expenses until September this year.

As for the PSS’ budget proposal of $50 million for the next fiscal year, he said it is still not clear whether the local government would grant them the revised budget request.

ON SCHOOL ZONING

Borja also reported that PSS has finalized a solution to the overcrowding problem in schools ahead of the Aug. 3 opening by having students from eastern and northern schools on Saipan stay or move to other campuses.

He said incoming 9th grade students at Chacha Oceanview Junior High School would remain at Chacha instead of moving to Kagman High School.

Borja said this would include students who live north of Sadog Tasi. Chacha will also keep incoming 8th grade students who live on Capitol Hill, in Papago, and the Kagman area.

Chacha would also keep incoming 7th graders who reside in the Kagman area. Chacha’s junior high school would also receive incoming 6th grade students from Kagman Elementary School.

The plan would also have Hopwood Junior High School taking in incoming 8th grade students who reside north of Sadog Tasi, while KHS would keep incoming 10th to 12th grade students only. KHS will not have 9th grade students this coming school year.

Gregorio T. Camacho and Tanapag Elementary Schools will keep its incoming 7th grade—only if they live north of Sadog Tasi.

Borja said this plan was prompted by the limited capacity in schools around the island, especially at KHS. He said the school was initially built to house a maximum of 600 students but the previous student population at KHS reached at least 809 students. He said the school is expecting its enrollment number to increase to 912 students by the next school year.

Borja said the arrangement is only for next school year, as PSS is planning to open a new junior high and high school, possibly at the La Fiesta Mall.

He added that school bus drivers have already been briefed about the new arrangement and have arranged the new schedule of the children.

Borja said they would have to request for additional chairs and other materials needed for the new arrangements to accommodate the transfer of the students.

NEW SCHOOL BUSES ON THE WAY

Borja also said the federally funded school buses are also ready for the coming school year. He said eight additional 66-passenger buses are on their way. The CNMI would have a total of 18 regular school buses this coming school year.

The new school buses will be turned over to the school this August. He said Rota and Tinian would also receive a vehicle each. A total of five new regular school buses will be given to Saipan. Borja said the vendors who will provide the school buses are Triple J Motors and MidPac Micronesia.

Based on last week’s board meeting, Inos said she has been working with the school administration in protecting the school buses from vandalism.

PSS is also looking at imposing new regulations that include penalizing children who are caught committing the vandalism. She said she is closely working with school principals for a stricter policy.

She said privatization of the service might have some advantages, too. She said the school system has been in touch with a clinical psychologist who suggested some steps that could help alleviate the problem.

One suggestion is whenever a student is caught vandalizing a school bus, he or she would not be put in detention; instead he would be assigned to be the monitoring officer inside the school bus.