Sablan says PSS does not owe CUC money

Public School System Education Commissioner Rita Sablan is disputing claims the school system owes the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. more than $1 million in past debt.

“We’re going to dispute their records,” she said, adding that, according to their records, they do not owe any money.

On Tuesday, CUC executive director Antonio Muña said PSS has a past due debt of $1.8 million. This is on top of the $1.6 million PSS paid CUC in July after Finance Secretary Eloy Inos became involved in the situation.

Sablan said PSS is reviewing the CUC bills to make sure they’re correct.

“We’re going to work with them to make sure the discrepancies are resolved,” she added.

She said school administrators have indicated there are discrepancies between what CUC’s meter readers are calculating and what school meter readers are calculating.

PSS paid an average of $400,000 each month during fiscal year 2007 and paid $4 million to CUC for the entire fiscal 2007 year, she said.

“To our records, we don’t owe anything,” Sablan said.

For the month of August, PSS paid CUC $173,000. Sablan said the number was lower because school was not in session.

The PSS Finance Department would not release their utility records yesterday, but a public records request was going to be submitted.

A CUC representative was compiling their PSS billing records.

When asked if PSS would be able to pay the $1.8 million, Sablan said it is not realistic for the school system to pay that amount with their current budget constraints.

“It’s just like any other family or business,” she said. “The payment of CUC bills is a challenge.”

The PSS operating cost for fiscal year 2008, from which the CUC money would come out of, is $2 million, she added.

Also, Sablan said she disagrees with the $1.6 million that was transferred to CUC in July. Inos transferred the money after speaking with then-Education Commissioner Craig Garrison.

“There was nothing official saying we authorized the transfer of money,” Sablan said. “We need to talk to Eloy Inos.”

An e-mail exchange between Inos and Garrison did take place.

Muña said CUC is expecting to collect the $1.8 million from PSS and $1.6 million from the central government to help pay for the emergency Aggreko generators that were turned on last week. CUC is expected to pay Aggreko $504,000 in three weeks.