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Kilili: ‘Edujobs’ law kept 798 working at PSS
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Posted on Aug 04 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Some $8.3 million from the edujobs law passed by the Democratic Congress in 2010 has kept 798 teachers and support staff working at the Public School System, according to the latest quarterly reports. About $2 million of the federal money remains to be spent as of June 30, 2011.
The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act was approved in a special session of Congress last August and immediately signed into law by the President. The measure began its legislative life as the Local Jobs for America Act, of which CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan was one of 21 original co-sponsors.
“In Congress, we approved this emergency help for our schools at the same time that CNMI education funding was being cut by $7 million,” Sablan said. “So the federal dollars came at just the right moment.
“A year later it’s good to see that the money did what is was supposed to do—kept teachers and other PSS personnel working, and kept students learning.”
The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, P.L. 111-226, was one of the important jobs protection measures passed by Democrats in the last Congress. The money could only be used for the salaries of teachers, nurses, librarians, cafeteria workers, counselors, bus drivers, maintenance people, and principals in kindergarten through 12th grade. 2% was allowed for administration of the grant.
PSS was quick to put the funds to use. The law was signed on Aug. 10. PSS submitted its grant application on Sept. 2. And the grant was awarded on Sept. 9.
“This is typical of the way PSS Commissioner Rita Sablan and all of her administrative support staff operate,” said Sablan. “They move quickly, because they know that every day is important to the intellectual growth of a child. If we shortchange our children now, we hurt them for life.”
In addition to the $8.3 million for PSS, the edujobs bill provided $768,000 to keep the CNMI Medicaid program at its Recovery Act funding level until the increase from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, “Obamacare,” kicked in. CNMI Medicaid received the first of the Obamacare money, $3.12 million, on July 13.
