The Public School System is asking for an additional allotment of $3 million from the central government following the Supreme Court\u2019s response to the question of what constitutes general revenue.<\/p>\n
Moving forward after the Supreme Court ruling last Tuesday, Marylou Ada, former Board of Education chairwoman and current board member, said they are working on requesting the 25% that PSS is owed, starting off with an additional $3 million monthly allotment to reopen schools and to get back on track since the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yutu back in 2018. <\/p>\n
\u201c[The government] owes us for all the 25% but we want to really move forward and just get what we immediately need to open up the schools, repair, get the books, get the gas, and everything to get the schools running safely and in an environmentally-friendly environment. That\u2019s our main concern,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Ada elaborated that the monthly allotment of $3 million would go to gas for student transportation, personnel salary, classroom repairs, and other operational costs. This would also allow PSS to retract the 50% salary cut that was implemented back in July 2019. <\/p>\n
However, just because PSS is only asking for an additional $3 million now doesn\u2019t mean that that\u2019s it. Ada said they would revisit negotiations once the government is back on its feet and that PSS is owed more than just $3 million. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnce everything is done, and everything has died down, then we can go back to the negotiating table and look at the figures and what they owe us because to immediately give them a bill saying, \u2018You owe us this much,\u2019 it\u2019s going to collapse the government,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Ada said the BOE wants to work with the government by working out a way for PSS to get what it is owed without the government having to reduce the budget for other government entities.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be greedy. We know that the case is on our side, but our main concern now\u2026is to really get back to the schools and give the teachers the needed raise, give back what\u2019s due to them, and to really become functional [again] like we were four years ago,\u201d she said.
\nAda said PSS is in dire need of the additional $3 million because they are operating at a bare minimum and PSS is barely staying afloat. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe cost of running the schools have increased, but our allotments have not increased; it has decreased, so we\u2019re really running on bare minimum. That was the whole essence of trying to get the rightful budget and that\u2019s why we went and got a constitutional amendment to guarantee 25% to PSS because we cannot continue to go there and continue to beg for money,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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