PSS: Old budget equals lay off of at least 100 personnel

The Public School System stands to lose at least 100 teachers and support staff if the Senate thumbs down its $50 million budget proposal for the new fiscal year.

PSS associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said that, as it stands, personnel compensation alone would eat up 94 percent of the old $37.2 million budget. PSS is expected to pay $34.9 million for payroll this school year.

Borja told Saipan Tribune yesterday that the focus of PSS has always been about giving students the best education. He said if the Legislature continues to give PSS the old budget, it would have dire consequences on student learning.

“Losing teachers and support staff would result in overcrowded classrooms,” said Borja, “which will degrade learning and affect the behavior and attitude of the students.”

He said PSS is lobbying for a budget of $50 million this year because of a myriad of rising costs: $34.9 million for personnel compensation, $3.2 million for maintenance and repair, $3.1 million for utilities, $250,000 for accrued leaves, $4.5 million for retirement contribution funding, and $900,000 for the 30 percent early retirement bonus contribution.

Borja said that, if no new budget is approved, then PSS should not be asked to pay utilities, do maintenance and repairs of schools, and other costly endeavors.

He said a compromise would be for the government to help PSS remit regular retirement funding contributions and to appropriate money for accrued leaves and early retirement bonus contributions.

Last week, the board invited Sen. Pete Reyes to its regular monthly meeting. Reyes had suggested that the board put more pressure on his colleagues at the Legislature.

“It’s a crisis government,” he said. “They wait until there’s a crisis before they act. I’ll bet that if PSS starts terminating [employees], the Legislature and government are going to sit down and address that.” Reyes also suggested that the board come out in numbers to the Legislature and protest the continuing failure.

Borja said it was also brought up during the board meeting that students should also attend the next Senate session. Borja, however, said that, in his opinion, parents should be the ones attending the next Senate session so as not to interfere with student learning, which despite all its financial woes, continues to be the priority of PSS.