Asking for a budget level that is more than what the administration said it can afford may be a struggle against defeat, but education officials are keeping their fingers crossed.<\/p>\n
At yesterday’s Board of Education meeting, officials agreed to try to convince the Legislature that the Public School System needs to get $48 million for fiscal year 2000.<\/p>\n
Education officials will appear at today’s budget hearing to present their proposal to members of the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Karl T. Reyes.<\/p>\n
PSS submitted to the Governor’s Office the $48 million budget package earlier this year, but Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio responded by saying the agency could only expect $38.7 million.<\/p>\n
Tenorio said on Monday that the government could not afford to grant every department’s and agency’s request for a higher budget, unless the administration could find additional sources of revenues.<\/p>\n
The administration has pegged its proposed budget for fiscal year 2000 at $206.98 million.<\/p>\n
“The selling starts when the customer says ‘no’. The administration already said ‘no’ [to a higher budget], and that’s where we should begin,” board member Anthony Pellegrino said.<\/p>\n
Pellegrino said PSS should be able to present to the legislators proofs that the education agency really needs the budget level it has requested to be able to function efficiently.<\/p>\n
Board Chairman Esther Fleming, however, said PSS should not rely on its hopes.<\/p>\n
“In case we don’t get the $48 million we’re requesting, we should at least prepare by setting our priorities,” Fleming said, suggesting that the payment of retirement bonus be included in the priority list.<\/p>\n
PSS needs $680,000 to settle its retirement obligations to teachers and support staff who retired last December.<\/p>\n
“These retirees will come to us again and again. They are ready to sue us,” Fleming added.<\/p>\n
Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos indicated that funding the teacher positions would be in her priority list.<\/p>\n
She said she wants to restore the student-teacher ratio to 25 -1 from the current 30-1 ratio.<\/p>\n
PSS fiscal officer Bill Matson, meanwhile, said the governor earlier notified PSS that the administration would raise the education agency’s budget by $1 million to address the staffing needs of the new school in Kagman.<\/p>\n
At least 28 percent of PSS’ authorized full-time employee positions is unfunded in the current fiscal year’s budget.<\/p>\n
“This reduction from a fully funded FTE support level is why PSS has failed to fill non-teaching and even some teacher FTEs,” Matson said. (MCM)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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