Number of children on PSS’ kindergarten waitlist dips

Only 32 of over 100 children remain on the Public School System’s kindergarten waitlist, according to the latest data from PSS.

Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan confirmed yesterday the significant decline in the number of children on the kindergarten waitlist but said she has yet to officially receive the data from schools.

Sablan also declined to comment on the factors behind the drop but pointed out that it is PSS’ goal to see all 5-year-olds in school.

“I know that the data shows we have a decline on the wait list.and I want to know how many kids are there so we can help them. Maybe not right now because we lack some facilities, but as soon as I find something, maybe we can accommodate them,” she told Saipan Tribune.

As of last week, enrollment data show that 548 students are enrolled in PSS’ kindergarten program.

The kindergarten program, which accommodates 5-year-old children, is not required by law but the Board of Education implemented it so PSS could serve a greater number of children in the CNMI.

Of the 12 elementary schools on three islands, only three offer full-day sessions for kindergarten this school year-Tanapag, San Vicente, and Rota’s Sinapalo elementary schools.

The full-day session is usually from 8am through 3pm each day.

Tanapag Elementary School principal Jessica Barcinas-Taylor said they have 20 kindergarten students in all, using one designated classroom and handled by one teacher. This year, Tanapag has zero children on its waitlist.

San Vicente Elementary School principal Yvonne Pangelinan said they have 48 to 49 kindergarteners. This school year, only three children are on their waitlist.

A staffer at Sinapalo Elementary School told Saipan Tribune that they have 25 kindergarteners being handled by two classroom teachers each day from 8am to 2:45pm.

Based on individual checks with public schools, William S. Reyes Elementary has the highest number of children on its waitlist this school year with 10, according to principal Naomi M. Nishimura. WSR has 30 students in the program’s two sessions in the morning and afternoon.

Nishimura said they limit the number of kindergarten students each year in order to be able to provide quality instruction. She said WSR has three kindergarten teachers.

Dandan Elementary School has the second highest number on its wait list with nine. It has 43 kindergarteners equally divided for morning and afternoon classes, both handled by one teacher and using one classroom.

San Antonio Elementary School has eight on its waitlist this school year. It has 32 students for half-day sessions in the morning and afternoon. Only one teacher and a classroom are being used for the program.

San Vicente Elementary School principal Yvonne Pangelinan disclosed yesterday that her school has three on their waitlist and that they have 48 to 49 enrollees in the program for a full-day session. Sinapalo Elementary School has two on its waitlist.

Besides Tanapag, other schools with no waitlisted kindergarten students include Oleai, Koblerville, Kagman, Garapan, Gregorio T. Camacho, and Tinian elementary schools.

Lack of resources

The PSS’ kindergarten program is currently being offered as half-day sessions in many schools due to the lack of teachers and facilities.

The Board of Education approved last year the full-day kindergarten sessions after noting the increasing number of children on the waitlist every year. However, just to build the additional classrooms for this purpose would require some $3 million.

Koblerville Elementary School principal Rizalina Purugganan expressed hope that the full-day classes will happen at her school next year when more classroom teachers are hired.

Although the school has nobody on its waitlist, Purugganan said the 72 that are currently enrolled in the program at their school is “big” and need more teachers and classrooms.

KES conduct four kindergarten sessions each day, with two teachers and two classrooms. She said this year’s enrollment is a big jump from last year when they had only two sessions and 40 enrollees. Increasing the number of students and sessions helped KES zero out their wait list.

Garapan Elementary School principal Paulette Sablan told Saipan Tribune that they have three kindergarten classes for 94 students.

The students receive instruction in half-day sessions handled by two teachers in three classrooms-two of them conducted at the MIHA housing outside the school campus due to the lack of additional space.

GES has zero students on its waitlist but Sablan concedes that their enrollment number is still big. She said that once five more classrooms are built this year, all kindergarten classes will be moved inside the campus.

At Oleai Elementary School, 61 kindergarteners are being accommodated in two classrooms for half-day instruction. To zero out its wait list, the school increased the number of kindergarten sessions it offers.

The following are the each school’s kindergarten enrollment: Tanapag, 20; WSR, 30; SAES, 32; Oleai, 61; KES, 72; KagES 54; GES, 94; GTC, 33; DES, 43; TES, 35; SVES, 49; and Sinapalo, 25.