BOE and BOR tie up to strengthen public education

In a move to further enhance public education in the CNMI, two of the Commonwealth’s board of policy makers are eyeing closer collaboration through joint board meetings meant to maximize local education resources.

The Public School System Board of Education and the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents have reached an agreement to begin formal joint board meetings aimed at improving existing educational programs in the CNMI.

Joint discussions are eyed to pool resources and ideas to tackle some of the current challenges facing the education community, including personnel shortage, changes proposed by legislation, and the need for capital improvement.

The frequent dialogues may also provide a venue for the joint use of faculty, staff, facilities and programs by both education institutions.

Preliminary talks between college president Jack Sablan and his predecessor Agnes McPhetres, NMC Board Chair Ramon Villagomez and Manny Villagomez, Board of Education Chair Frances Diaz and Esther Fleming and PSS Commissioner Rita H. Inos have made this initiative possible.

“These meetings are just the beginning of a long-term development process to ensure consistency in education programs year after year,” the Governor’s Special Advisor for Education Dan Neilsen said. “With board-to-board meetings, educational plans will continue even if board members change. We need that consistency.”

According to Mr. Neilsen, a comprehensive CNMI education development plan is expected sometime next year.

“One of the long-range plans of the group will be to examine the “K-16″ concept where student education from kindergarten through college is made as seamless as possible,” Mr. Neilsen added. “This involves viewing PSS as a “feeder” system for NMC programs that meet the specific needs of the students and the community, especially the private sector.”

Leaders have expressed satisfaction over recent advances in CNMI’s public education sector particularly on this year’s SAT9 national norm tests which have shown across-the-board improvement in student scores when compared with US mainland students.

Mr. Neilsen said these improvements, coupled with other changes, bode well for education in the CNMI.

“NMC’s four-year Elementary Education BA degree program and revision of CIP priorities to include multi-use academic classrooms and a new library are major steps,” the special advisor said.

Mr. Neilsen said the administration also supports a long-term evaluation and monitoring system for both PSS and NMC, which will help determine strengths and weaknesses, allow comparison with other school districts, and identify employment, education and technology trends.

The first BOE-BOR formal meeting is expected to take place this month.