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Gov’t urged to provide local funds for anti-drug programs
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Posted on Sep 30 1999
Saying the CNMI should not remain dependent on federal grants, a member of the Board of Education yesterday urged the government to provide local funding for drug-free and violence-free programs in local schools.
“It is our own backyard that we’re protecting, therefore, we should provide our money for that,” Tom Pangelinan said at yesterday’s meeting of the BOE fiscal committee.
The federal government grants the Public School System over $300,000 per year for anti-drug programs. This amount is distributed among the CNMI’s private and public schools which have complied with the program planning requirement.
“Schools that apply for this grant have to come up with a plan in compliance with the federal requirement,” said Bill Matson, federal programs coordinator for PSS.
A recipient school has to wait for the money because it takes a while to process a grant application.
Pangelinan said if the government provides local funding for school safety programs, the CNMI would not have to deal with federal regulations and the money would be quickly made available to schools.
While saying that “it is okay to receive federal assistance,” Pangelinan said the CNMI should learn to stand on its own feet.
“When can we depend on local capability? We can’t continue begging for money. If we localize those funding through our Legislature, then we can minimize the rigorous federal requirements,” Pangelinan said in a interview. (MCM)
