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After nearly 9 years, teacher rep finally appointed
Acting governor Victor Hocog finally acted to fill the long-vacant position of a teacher representative on the Board of Education, appointing yesterday Paul Miura as a non-voting member representing public school teachers.
The government is just waiting for Miura to file a Statement of Financial Interest with the Office of the Public Auditor to finalize the appointment.
Miura, a teacher at Saipan Southern High School, is the CNMI Teacher of the Year for 2014. He met President Barack Obama in September this year as part of his prize.
Saipan Tribune tried but failed to contact Miura for this story.
The CNMI Constitution mandates an elected non-voting teacher representative on the Board of Education. Yet the position remained unfilled for eight years straight.
The position has been open since the term of former governor Benigno Fitial.
The last teacher representative on the board was Ambrose Bennett, who was also a candidate for Public School System commissioner back in 2008. Bennett went up against Dr. Rita Sablan, who later was appointed to the post.
In 2014, the late governor Eloy Inos was asked by the BOE to appoint a teacher representative via an executive order. Inos opted not to do so.
A new law, Public Law 19-7, required teachers to elect a teacher representative who will then be appointed by the governor. This law was authored by then-senator Justo Quitugua (Ind-Saipan) and signed into law by Inos on Sept. 23, 2015.
