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BOE’s King pushes for more meetings on instructional and student services
A CNMI State Board of Education member would like more focus from the board on instructional and student services.
Denise Tanya King, the board member from Rota, expressed her “dismay and utter frustration” at a canceled instructional services and assessment committee meeting due to a lack of quorum last week. King is chairperson of ISA.
“I scheduled a meeting two weeks ago, only to come yesterday morning to find out that there would not be a quorum and therefore the meeting was cancelled,” she told the board.
“This was not the first time, and whenever I ask questions or require documents, I am always questioned about my requests and this makes my job increasingly difficult.”
She cited another board committee that seems to hold regular meetings.
“If we are truly about ‘Students First,’ I don’t understand why there is a preoccupation with FPA [Fiscal and Personnel Affairs]. We have FPA over and over and over again when the heart and soul of the school system is instruction services and curriculum.”
“I ask that the next time, perhaps I will not be the chair of the ISA [committee], that perhaps we take it more seriously because if we cannot provide the services for our kids that they need, then we should our change our motto,” she said.
In an interview, King was largely reticent about the comments she made to the board that day. She indicated that what she wanted to express was spoken to the board.
She did not clarify what documents she had requested. If there was an item she wanted expedited or discussed at an ISA meeting, it was the current “correlation between high school graduation requirements and common core students,” she said.
King would not elaborate if the cancelled meetings had anything to do with her being from Rota. When asked, she said, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
The board is expected to elect a new lineup next year. Right now, Herman Guerrero is chairperson, Lucy Blanco-Maratita is vice chair, and Janice Tenorio is secretary/treasurer. The other board members are King and Mary Lou S. Ada.
