With the budget law signed yesterday, the Public School System receives\u2014with its $33.44 million\u2014about 25 percent of the $134.33 million budget passed by the Legislature.<\/p>\n
However, Board of Education chair Herman Guerrero and PSS financial management consultant Ed Tenorio said the number can be \u201cmisleading,\u201d noting that they felt that the method taken to determine PSS\u2019 budget looked at the net budget available for appropriation rather than the total revenue sources of about $170 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the real picture because that\u2019s not the way you should read the Constitution,\u201d Guerrero said.<\/p>\n
Essentially, he said, the 25 percent may look like a significant amount for PSS, but when based on the CNMI Constitution\u2019s mandate to give PSS 15 percent of total revenue sources, this means PSS will only got 19 percent of that amount, a 4-percent increase from minimum.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Constitution says 15 percent of that $170 million [should be for PSS],\u201d Tenorio said.<\/p>\n
PSS and the BOE originally proposed a budget of $40 million; yesterday\u2019s official budget of $33.44 million for PSS is short of that amount by $6 million.<\/p>\n
Historically, PSS allocates about 80 to 85 percent of its local budget to wages and salaries for teachers, staff, and personnel, with the rest going to utilities and other cost. <\/p>\n
In fiscal year 2014, out of its $32 million local budget, $28.8 million went to wages and salaries, $2 million to utilities, and the remaining to maintenance of facilities and operations.<\/p>\n
But the remaining amount was not able to cover their costs as, according to PSS, they average about $3 million to 4 million in water, sewer, and power costs.<\/p>\n
In an interview before the budget bill was signed yesterday, Tenorio said the tentative numbers for allocations for their local budget is around $29.3 million for personnel and $3.5 million for utilities.<\/p>\n
He also stressed that PSS saves $1 million a year with cost-cutting measures it took to address utility costs.<\/p>\n
Grateful<\/p>\n
With Public Law 18-66 passed, PSS will be able to restore 35 of the 66 PSS full-time teachers that were cut in prior years, according to Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Sablan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank Sen. Pete Reyes and members of the Senate for securing an additional $1.1 million for PSS,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The $1.1 million came as an increase to the proposed budget by the House of about $32 million.<\/p>\n
The commissioner said she is also grateful that 1 percent of the funds from the Office of Public Auditor fees have been authorized for PSS use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will allow us to purchase at least some of the primary instructional materials aligned to our English Language Arts, Math and Science standards,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also said Compact Impact and Contract Worker funds given to PSS would continue to support programs in their middle and high schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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