Despite last week\u2019s CNMI Supreme Court opinion of a guaranteed 25% allotment for the Public School System, Rep. Roman Benavente (R-Saipan) says this is no blank check and wants PSS to be cautious with its expenses.<\/p>\n
Benavente, who chairs the House Committee on Education, said he supports PSS and is happy that its leaders asserted themselves in insisting that PSS should get 25% of the general revenues of the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n
In terms of salaries, though, PSS should be cautious with regards to spending, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to\u2026caution PSS with regards to expenditures and even the salaries of employees,\u201d he said. \u201cI have nothing against raising salaries for employees but make it\u2026where it\u2019s within the scope of the law, and not\u2026supersede the authority of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed out that there were issues in the past relating to salary increases, triggering emotions that led to complaints. \u201cI feel [that PSS should be]more mindful as far as expenditures [are concerned] and how they manage their funding,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Benavente is also very conservative as to what 25% could do for public schools. \u201cIt is very hard to tell right now. Because right now, the situation is where we\u2019re challenged, with the broken schools and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benavente said that renovations cost a lot of money. On top of that, PSS would still have to get all the inventories that have to be in place to accommodate the students. <\/p>\n
According to the high court opinion, PSS \u201cshall be guaranteed an annual budget of not less than [25%] of the general revenues of the Commonwealth through an annual appropriation.\u201d <\/p>\n
With PSS\u2019 priority set on the restoration of schools, particularly toward ensuring that schools, when they open, are safe and environment-friendly, Benavente assures that the Legislature will always support the CNMI youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll in all, collectively, I\u2019m happy with the decision of the court,\u201d Benavente said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to working together as a community\u2014the school community and us in the Legislature. We will always be supportive of our future generation. It is everybody\u2019s responsibility. \u2026All of us parents are, more or less, responsible for their well-being, setting the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, legislators pre-filed a bipartisan bill, with support from both the majority and the minority, that would require and set a schedule in the law for when the Department of Finance would transfer funds to PSS. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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