Demapan is named acting COE

The Board of Education has selected Kagman Elementary School principal Ignacia T. Demapan as the Public School System’s acting education commissioner for at least the month of June 2008.

The BOE has decided that the role of acting education commissioner will be on a rotation basis until the board finds a new education commissioner.

According to BOE chair Lucy Blanco-Maratita, it is the board’s goal to have a new commissioner in place before the school year opens in September.

The acting commissioner position has left several PSS employees wondering how long it would take for the board to find a new replacement, citing that the system cannot afford to have its employees in acting capacities for a long time when they have their original positions to attend to.

David Lone of the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Services advised that the board should not take forever to find the new education commissioner.

In Demapan’s case, “I’m sure her school is having a hard time with her not being over there because she’s busy over here as the acting commissioner. All I’m saying is, don’t let it take forever to find a new commissioner, let people do their jobs,” Lone said.

Demapan shared that she has taken on the role as the acting COE because she wanted to explore the duties of the commissioner.

“I know I am very busy myself but it’s a test. And of course, if you ask me ‘Do you want to be a commissioner?’ No I do not. Not at this time. I have too much on my plate. But I am really here to make sure that the flow of things continue,” Demapan said.

Since taking on the mantle of acting commissioner, Demapan said she’s already encountered a couple of employees coming in angry because they have not gotten various documents signed. “And that’s one of the issues that is happening right now.”

During yesterday’s special board meeting, several people were still wondering what the big secret was behind the BOE’s request for Borja’s resignation.

“Under the Open Government Act, personnel matters relating to discussions about personnel’s performance, etc., are exempt from public discussion; thus, I cannot disclose these deliberations which took place in executive session so as to protect the privacy of the former employee,” Blanco-Maratita said.