Burned KHS room remains unrepaired

Kagman High School’s Environmental Science and Oceanography Room, which was burglarized and burned down in May, remains unrepaired despite the government’s remittance of some $150,000 to the Public School System before the new school year started.

Education associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja on Saturday clarified, though, that what the Finance Department remitted on Aug. 1 was part of the fourth quarter allocation to PSS from the old budget of $37.2 million.

He said the $150,000 was not part of the additional $1.1 million request that PSS made since April, which included the $610,000 that PSS needs to repair and maintain schools until September.

Borja said the Education Office thought that Finance would provide them $150,000 as a separate remittance for the repair of the damaged rooms in KHS.

KHS principal Doreen Tudela stressed that, contrary to some media reports, the high school never received money for the repair of the classroom.

She expressed frustration over the government’s lack of attention to the school system, saying it only makes empty promises. Currently, the students hold classes in the library and the cafeteria.

“They need to put actions to it [promise],” she said.

Board of Education chair Roman Benavente admitted that the money was never forwarded to KHS for repair, despite the fact that the reason used for asking the additional money was to repair the burnt down room.

“But I have no control about it,” he said, adding that he learned that the money was used for the “all others” operation expense of the school system.

Benavente said he is very disappointed that he was put on the spot regarding the issue as the government might think that he lied about the reason for his request. He said he would meet with the Finance secretary, together with PSS officials, to clarify the issue and he would also confer with Waldo and Borja for clarifications.

Before the new school year started, when the school system received the initial $150,000 for the repair and maintenance of schools, Benavente had said that he would follow up on the rest of the amount, $460,000, that was due PSS.

He said the governor assured the board that, as soon as collections come in, the amount requested would be forwarded to PSS.

When the money was remitted to PSS, Benavente told the media that the money would be used to repair the classroom in KHS and whatever is going to be left from the expected money would be used for the repair of other schools in the CNMI.