PSS orders early dismissal of students, cuts in AC use

The Public School System will implement a unified energy conservation policy in all public schools to reduce its increasing power consumption this school year.

Saipan Tribune confirmed Friday that the new energy conservation policy includes early dismissal of students and limited use of air-conditioning units effective today, Feb. 6.

School employees, managers, administrators, and some parents interviewed by Saipan Tribune disclosed that the new policy came in the memorandum from Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan, after a thorough consultation and review with school principals and leadership team last week.

Saipan Tribune was told that for elementary schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, students will be dismissed at 2pm each day which is 45 minutes earlier from what has been practiced. Classes in the elementary schools start at 8am, Mondays through Fridays.

Sources disclosed that the reduction in the students’ instructional hours will not affect the Board of Education policy that mandates 320-minute instruction daily for elementary schoolchildren. It was learned that for many years, PSS has been providing elementary level students more than the required daily instruction.

If schools start turning on their air-conditioning units, or ACs, as early as 7:30am every day and shut down the units every 2:30pm each day before, the new policy mandates a new schedule.

PSS, through the commissioner’s letter to each school administrators, ordered that all aircon units must be switched on starting at 10am every day and must be shut down at exactly 2pm each day. All ACs must also be adjusted at 78 (temperature) and recommended the opening of windows and doors in the beginning of classes in the morning.

For secondary schools, including junior high schools, start of classes will be maintained at 8:30am through 3pm every day because of the required daily instructional minutes under the board’s policy. However, their AC units will also start functioning at 10am through 3pm and must also be adjusted at 78 (temperature).

During weekends and holidays, a complete power and water shutdown is ordered across all school levels.

The after-school programs, weekend school activities, and even PSS-related events are not spared from the measure as the PSS mandates no usage of power and recommended conducting them in outdoor settings and venues.

School officials and employees interviewed by Saipan Tribune disclosed that the new energy conservation measure was shared with their respective PTSAs, which they said had expressed understanding and support to the action. Letters to parents were issued last week from individual schools, it was learned.

Saipan Tribune last week tried to get comments from commissioner Sablan but she refused to make a statement regarding the conservation measure pending the education board’s approval of the “plan.”

During the January meeting of the board, it was disclosed by PSS officials that despite some energy conservation efforts implemented in all public schools, monthly billing for each school’s consumption continued to yield a higher charge. PSS’ finance director Richard Waldo reported to the board that for October and November 2011 billings alone, it shows that schools incurred about $400,000 monthly charge-an amount significantly higher than what was expected and recorded in previous months.

He said if this will continue, PSS will incur $4.8 million in power cost until the end of fiscal year.

PSS, under the budget allocation for fiscal year 2012, was provided only $30 million of which $28 million will be utilized in paying for personnel salary while $2 million for operation and all others and this include utilities.

It was learned that PSS is making a monthly payment to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. of approximately $100,000.