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A mountain of problems
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Posted on Jul 17 2011
The fate of the Mariana High School principal as first reported by your paper was a voluntary resignation by the incumbent. Today, we learned somewhat a different situation in that the PSS commissioner now placed the former MHS principal on administrative leave. If this is the case, then the resignation has turned itself into an “involuntary resignation.” From a layman’s perspective, a PSS employee vacates his/her property rights in a position upon resignation and made official by the acceptance of the appointing authority, in this case the PSS commissioner. It follows from mere simple logic that when an employee officially resigns his position, that person is no longer an employee. If a person is no longer an employee, then no benefit under promulgated regulation would apply to the person. Hence, granting the former Mariana High School principal administrative leave is illegal. Somehow, my thoughts along this line is that the PSS commissioner may have been receiving ill advice from her trusted lieutenants in PSS who are supposedly the subject expert of this matter that she defers to for proper and legitimate administrative action.
On the other hand, granting administrative leave for a situation like the case of the former Mariana High School principal may fall outside the cause authorized under the administrative leave policy. Only certain factors and parameters could fit the purpose of use of administrative leave. In this particular case, the basis of the administrative may be outside the intended purpose of the administrative leave policy under PSS’ promulgated regulation.
Mr. Garrison is right. The PSS commissioner has created an employment condition that is retaliatory in nature. The stream of this situation will continue to incite interest among the stakeholders of PSS as it reveals many subsurface workings that we would never know without the media reporting them as they unfold. A simple resignation now turns to a mountain of problems that could have been just a personnel action that terminates the employment of the incumbent of this position.
[B]Francisco R. Agulto[/B] [I]Chalan Kanoa, Saipan[/I]
