House panel disappointed that Garrison barred from testifying

The House Committee on Education was able to question Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan for more than two hours yesterday on issues besetting Marianas High School but failed to hear the testimony of its principal, Craig Garrison.

This came about after Sablan instructed the embattled MHS administrator not to testify during the panel’s hearing yesterday at the House chamber.

Committee chair Rep. Raymond Palacios (Cov.-Saipan) said he is dissatisfied and was disappointed when the commissioner barred Garrison from testifying.

“We were disappointed because the intent of all these hearings is to find out the truth, but the commissioner decided to testify alone. How can we get to the bottom of this if the MHS principal who is the subject of all these allegations and complaints will not be allowed to speak?” asked Palacios.

Garrison, the subject of allegations raised to the committee, was in the gallery and provided written testimony to the panel. Palacios and Garrison separately said that the written testimony essentially denies all accusations against Garrison’s person and his leadership at MHS.

Palacios said that Sablan was accompanied by PSS legal counsel George Hassellback, who also provided some legal opinion on matters pertaining to the system’s policies and regulation.

At the meeting, Palacios said the commissioner claimed that PSS did not intervene with MHS issues because no formal grievance complaint was filed against Garrison.

MHS teacher James Yangetmai and his group held a four-day protest against Garrison in April. The group raised their concerns to House members after Sablan’s office allegedly failed to initiate any action on the matter.

“What we’re recommending now to the group of [James] Yangetmai is to file a formal grievance so we will see if the commissioner will act on it,” Palacios said, adding that the panel will also ask House members to issue a subpoena for Garrison so he can freely testify.

“There are still many unanswered questions and honestly, we didn’t get anything clear in today’s meeting. The commissioner said she can only provide response or action within her authority while the legal counsel only provided some opinion on the regulation and policies of PSS,” said Palacios

He maintained that Garrison would have shed light on the matter if only he was permitted to testify.

Some panel members, Palacios said, had even reserved some questions for Garrison before they learned, at the last minute, that he would not be allowed to speak.

The more than two-hour meeting also saw the attendance of associate commissioner Pete Le’au and about 10 other persons in the gallery.