Blanco-Maratita is reelected to BOE post

By acclamation, members voted to give Lucy Blanco-Maratita another term in the chairmanship of the State Board of Education during last week’s selection of officers.

Blanco-Maratita, who is serving the fourth year of her first term as education board member from Tinian, said she is elated by her colleagues’ trust and vote of confidence.

“I am grateful for the confidence that my fellow board members have given me. It is a responsibility that I take to heart because I truly believe that education must be the priority for everyone if we are to pull ourselves by our bootstraps,” she told Saipan Tribune.

She cited local and federal funds, student performances, technology infrastructure, and career technical education as the biggest challenges for the board and PSS leadership.

“We will need to keep tabs on spending to ensure that we have the funds to maintain our programs and continue to maintain student achievement,” she said, citing the important role of the financial master plan being developed for school operations.

Blanco-Maratita said there’s a need to know where to begin the lobbying efforts to get the support needed by the schools.

She disclosed that changes in the U.S. administration and key players in the U.S. Department of Education had affected the consolidated grants being received by CNMI-PSS.

She vowed to work closely with the CNMI’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, Gregorio Sablan, to improve the Commonwealth’s access to different grants and its inclusion in the President’s stimulus package.

She said the board will also be reviewing the priorities it set for Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Sablan when she first came on board in August.

“There are initiatives that the commissioner has set in motion, including improving our human resources capacity [through recruitment, retention, and renewal], and involvement of students and parents. We will look for ways to support these initiatives to put Students First,” she said, adding they will also keep tab on the progress of achieving the PSS strategic priorities.

“By knowing where our shortcomings are, we’ll have a better idea of what further support needs to be extended to our schools to improve student achievement, be it in funding or human resources allocation,” she said.

Technology infrastructure is also among the board’s primary focus this year.

Smaller schools may not have the same access to courses being offered at larger high schools.

She said there is also a need to find funds to replace previous vocational education grants, and improve collaboration with Northern Marianas College and employment/job skills training related agencies, and the private sectors.

“There is an urgent need to prepare our students for career and college, especially in light of the effect that federalization of immigration will have on our ability to ensure that our business have the workforce they need,” she concluded.

Also re-installed to their positions were vice chair Herman T. Guerrero and board secretary/treasurer Marylou S. Ada.

Guerrero, a former BOE chair, is serving his second term on board while Ada is in the second year of her first term.

The following members were designated chairpersons of various committees: Guerrero, fiscal and personnel affairs committee; Tanya King, curriculum instruction and assessment; Marylou Ada, capital improvement project; Galvin Deleon Guerrero, school reforms committee and special education and early childhood; and Blanco-Maratita, who remains chairwoman of the legislative initiative committee of the board.