BOE wants education initiative vetoed

The State Board of Education is bent on blocking a legislative initiative that dictates the hiring of kindergarten to third grade teachers who write, speak, and understand Chamorro/English and/or Carolinian/English to reinforce the Public School System mandatory language requirement.

BOE members have appealed to Governor Pedro P. Tenorio for assistance, prodding the Commonwealth chief to veto the measure.

PSS officials agree that mandating teachers to be fluent in Chamorro/English and/or Carolinian/English will inflict a great hardship on the ability of the PSS to find qualified instructors in the kindergarten through grade three levels.

The bilingual requirement also violates policies and could threaten the delivery of federally-funded projects within the school system, not to mention put PSS under a compromising position versus the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the board added.

BOE officials believe that the Legislature need not further mandate the implementation of bilingual programs as the current PSS curriculum already includes the required language instruction to the lower grade levels.

The education act or House Bill 12-158 was transmitted for the governor’s approval last week.

PSS officials expressed concern that both lower and upper houses cleared the initiative without accepting several important points recommended by the public education sector.

This, as the education committee earlier solicited the public education sector’s comments to the proposed changes under the education act.

Authored by Reps. Malua Peter and Brigida Ichihara, the bill seeking to amend Public Law 6-10 is aimed at improving the delivery of quality of education in the Commonwealth and refining the duties and responsibilities of the PSS and BOE.

According to legislators, the House Committee on Education sought amendments to the public law to make the state board accountable in light of the increase in Capital Improvement Projects that are currently being undertaken by PSS.

Other amendments being addressed in the initiative include stretching the maximum age for free public education from 5 to 18 versus the current 6 to 16, making BOE responsible for the construction and renovations of public school facilities, clarifying PSS’ role in transporting public and nonpublic school students to and from school, and others.