NMC: NMTI bill would create confusion and inefficiency

A Senate bill that would establish the Northern Marianas Technical Institute as a public charter school conflicts with the CNMI Constitution, duplicates the Northern Marianas College’s responsibilities, and refers to “postsecondary degrees” that should be reserved for the college, according to NMC president Dr. Sharon Hart in comments she submitted to the House last week.

The House referred Senate Bill 18-72 bill to committee during their session last week. The bill would establish NMTI as an “adult vocational and continuing education charter school.”

While the college has stated it supports NMTI’s goals, it took issue with how the bill “dilutes the mandates set forth” by the CNMI Constitution.

According to the Constitution, the college “shall be responsible for providing education in the areas of adult and continuing education, postsecondary and adult vocational education and professional development.”

The bill’s proposal to create a school that runs “adult secondary and postsecondary education programs” would infringe on the mandates that the college was established on, according to Hart.

The bill gives NMTI’s board the ability to offer “academic courses,” issue “adult high school diplomas” and “postsecondary education degrees.” But these functions are already performed by NMC, Hart said.

“The bill provides no clear explanation or definition of how the functions of [NMTI] would be different from those of the Northern Marianas College,” Hart said.

“Not only is the overlap going to create confusion and inefficiency, but creating another public entity with similar functions will dilute the limited funds that are available for appropriation to the college,” she said.

Hart said the bill’s intention could be satisfied by defining the charter school as a “not-for-profit public vocational school” as opposed to a “not-for-profit postsecondary school and removing references throughout the bill to postsecondary education, degrees, and diplomas.

Hart was also concerned about a section of the bill that would establish the NMTI as the Board of Control for funding through the United States Vocational Education Act, also now referred to as the Perkins Act.

This would give NMTI board control over Perkins funding to the Commonwealth, Hart said.

“I hope that the Legislature will clearly carve out a niche for NMTI that does not duplicate the efforts of PSS or Northern Marianas College,” Hart said.

When asked about the bill yesterday, Board of Education chair Herman T. Guerrero said he has yet to review it.

NMC has been previously criticized for not pursuing vocational education as part of its goals to develop the workforce. Saipan Tribune learned that in 2006 Public Law 15-5 authorized NMC to establish the United States Registered Apprenticeship Training program, but since then no program has materialized reportedly due to lack of funds.