Right on, dude!
Like wow, man, Jaime Vergara tells it like it is when he writes about the “PSS payroll glitch.” What a bummer. Bad karma when teachers don’t get the bread to score their munchies and pay for their pads. Heavy trip.
If I can translate from Berkeleyspeak to something approximating Standard English when discussing Mr. Jaime Vergara’s article (Saipan Tribune of Jan. 22, 2006): PSS teachers and staff should be given better treatment than this when there is a sudden, unexpected shortfall in their paychecks. Fortunately, I do not face any immediate emergency due to this situation. However, there must be others who will have serious problems. Worst of all, teachers are often individuals who use their own funds to provide items such as paper towels and supplementary teaching materials because these are not provided to classrooms for student use. It seems that teachers are asked to do more with less, and it seems that teachers are now expected to quietly accept short payment with no clear explanation concerning when the situation will be rectified. Teachers must pay tuition for required courses and for Praxis tests. I fear that continued problems might affect the quality of public school education in the CNMI.
My own opinion is that teachers should join together to form an effective organization that will speak and act on their behalf. While I would hate for the situation to become so bad that a teachers’ strike occurs, there is a real need for a strong, independent voice to speak and to work effectively on the behalf of teachers in the CNMI.
Roger L. Church
Chalan Piao
P.S. Right on. PSS did the righteous thing and issued a reimbursement on Monday, Jan. 23, 2006. Groovy.