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$372K Textbook Relief Act fund passes House
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Posted on Aug 31 2005
The Public School System is looking forward to having additional textbooks for the schools in the CNMI—if the Senate passes House Bill 14-370.
The bill has already been passed during a House of Representatives session last week and was forwarded to the Senate for similar passage. Once the upper chamber gives the bill the thumbs-up, it will then go to the governor for similar approval.
Federal programs adviser Tim Thornburgh said the bill would eventually provide $372,000 for the purchase of textbooks for schoolchildren.
Teachers and PSS officials went to last week’s session en masse to witness the house approval, said Thornburgh.
“Overall we are quite pleased with the session,” said Thornburgh.
He said three bills were passed during last week’s session in favor of the school system. He said the entire PSS is hoping that the Senate will also approve the bills soon.
Rep. Justo S. Quitugua introduced the House Bill No. 14-370 also known as the PSS Textbook Relief Act. He said that parents and students are complaining about the lack of textbooks available to their children, with the shortage of textbooks affecting the quality of education a student is receiving and hampering a student’s ability to effectively study at home or to complete homework assignments.
The lawmaker said the shortage would also have an impact on the individual school and the school district. “If a school district is not performing, the district will be subject to scrutiny by the federal government and this may affect federal funding to the Commonwealth.”
The other bills passed during the House session were House Bill 14-369 exempting the Public School System from a rate increase in the employer contributions to the Retirement Fund and House Bill 14-363 on expenditure authority over all Capital Improvement Program Fund.
