Previous Story
Ada: I am not laying off any teachers
|
Posted on Mar 24 2020
Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada has debunked rumors that the Public School System will be laying off employees beginning April 3.
“There’s no laying off that’s going to happen at this time. I wrote the letter to [Delegate Gregorio C. Sablan (Ind-MP)], but I didn’t sign it because that was a draft. I don’t know how it leaked, it was a mistake,” he said.
He did admit that PSS is looking at reducing more hours on top of the soon-to-be-implemented 64-hour work schedule.
“There won’t be any layoff. I will be writing a letter to all the teachers to clarify that, but we are looking at reducing more hours,” he said.
Ada said there might even be another salary reduction for teachers to combat layoffs. He considers layoffs as the worst-case scenario for PSS.
“I’m going to plead with the faculty and staff—better something than nothing. If we have to reduce our salaries halfway, then we will have to do that because it’s better than nothing. It’s a very difficult time. People’s lives are at stake. I’m trying to save everybody; maybe furlough but not layoff. By furlough I mean you work depending on the availability of funds but you still get to keep your job. Layoff means you are dismissed and if you want to come back you need to reapply. We don’t want to layoff or terminate anybody,” he said.
Ada explained that this has to happen since PSS is looking at a budget reduction from $1.3 million bi-weekly to $750,000.
“Out of the 1,000 employees, only 200 are federally funded so the remaining 800 are locally funded,” he said.
According to a circulating draft of a letter from Ada to the office of Sablan, Ada wrote that PSS was informed that their budget would soon be reduced to zero, which would lead to the termination of thousands of employees.
Ada reportedly wrote the letter to appeal to Camacho to help identify funding for PSS’ locally funded staff.
