‘CNMI has highest student-to-teacher ratio’

The CNMI has the highest student-to-teacher ratio in the United States and its territories, averaging 23.7 students for every teacher from kindergarten to grade 6 in school year ending June 2004.

This was according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, which surveyed public schools in all 50 states and five island territories for school year 2003-2004.

Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos said the student-to-teacher ratio in CNMI public schools continues to rise because the Public School System’s budget has not been increased in the last seven years.

She added that the PSS budget is $5 million lower than it was in 1997 and 1998, yet PSS opened six new schools and added over 2,500 more students since 1997. The PSS now has a student enrollment of over 11,500 students.

As an example of the deteriorating state of the islands’ student-to-teacher ratio, Inos said that San Vicente Elementary School, for instance, currently has a student-to-teacher ratio of 26:1; WSR, 25:1; Kagman Elementary School, 26:1; Koblerville Elementary School, 25:1; Dandan Elementary School, 24:1; and both Garapan and Oleai elementary schools have student-to-teacher ratios of 22:1.

The commissioner explained that the Board of Education’s desired student-to-teacher ratio for elementary schools should be 20:1 but, in reality, almost all Saipan elementary schools have exceeded this because the new schools and additional classrooms needed have not been constructed.

She said she is hopeful that the Legislature will act on the PSS’ seven-year CIP funding request as PSS has made arrangements for a federally guaranteed low interest loan to build new schools and additional classrooms needed on all three islands.

After the CNMI, the state with the next highest student-to-teacher ration is California, with 20.1 students per teacher.

The NCES study also revealed that the islands’ public high schools is second only to California, which has 21.8 students per teacher.

In related news, the commissioner is inviting all parents and community leaders to watch the one-hour televised program on the PSS’ seven-year Capital Improvement Plan 2005-2012 airing on KMCV Channel 7 every Monday and Thursday night from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

The program features each school principal or vice-principal talking about their schools’ current enrollment, student-to-teacher ratio and the challenges, problems or concerns that they want to share with the parents and the community.

“We at PSS encourage our parents and the leaders of the CNMI to watch this program. Parents and community leaders need to know about the current condition of our school facilities as the classroom environment does affect student learning,” Inos said.