PSS leaders appeal: ‘Vote yes to HLI 18-12’

The new Tanapag Middle School opened this school year for students from grades seven to eight. But most of its buildings essentially date back to when it was built in the 1960s—with temporary repairs and facelifts helping it withstand the ravages of time in the last five decades.

The new middle school also needs a vice principal, a counselor, and more teachers.

This is also true for the largest elementary school in the CNMI, Garapan Elementary School. Home to more than 800 students, it has about 30 classrooms. In some classes, though, the teacher-student ratio goes beyond the Board of Education-mandated ratio of 25:1. One class has 28 students. Another has 32 and, in one instance, 38.

Yet the need for more funds to hire more teachers is not its only issue; GES classrooms are also deteriorating. The school was built in the 1960s. The only major facelift it has had was repairs of its roofing and classrooms and repainting.

Kagman High School and Chacha Oceanview Middle School were erected in early 2000, same with Rota’s Sinapalo Elementary School, Saipan Southern High School, and Kagman Elementary School. That was the year when the Public School System had its last major construction.

Today, the school district is reduced to minor repairs and rehabilitation to maintain the structural integrity of its aging facilities. It is also short-handed and needs to add more staff: vice principals, counselors, classroom teachers, and support staff.

As it continues to adapt to the changing education landscape, coupled with the growing student population, the onset of technology, and providing for more educational opportunities to the Commonwealth’s close to 11,000 students, PSS continues to carry forward. But its growth is continually stymied with the longstanding threat of fluctuating local funding. It needs permanency.

Yesterday, public school leaders gathered together to rally the community to support House Legislative Initiative 18-12. The initiative sets the minimum local funding for public education at 25 percent. This is an increase from 10 percent of the overall government revenue sources for appropriation—a 29-year-old constitutional mandate that has remained untouched.

“When we talk about how our public schools provides for educational opportunities to our children, we should not look at the ‘here and now.’ Education is about the future of our children and this community, and if this community requires us to provide quality education, we have to come as one in investing for public education,” Tanapag Middle School principal Ruth Calvo said. “We all need to come on board in helping our public schools, and support our [PSS].”

As one of the “pioneering” students at the then-newly constructed Tinian High School, Leila Staffler recalled how she and her peers enjoyed the heydays of uninterrupted air-conditioned classrooms, among others.

That was back in 1997. Four years later, as a new classroom teacher, she began to experience the challenge of the school district. Fast forward, a decade later and as principal of Kagman High School today, Staffler feels for her students who have to endure “rationed” air conditioning.

Some Kagman High School classrooms are also cramped, with students hitting the 30:1 ratio. The library also needs more reading and instructional materials.

“The federal government assists our PSS with other instructional things the local funding cannot fund or provide. But the day-to-day business of school, like air-conditioning repair, maintenance, and ensuring conducive learning environment, is what our children needs,” Staffler said. “I speak of experience because I am proud public school graduate who, along with hundreds of our committed education leaders, parents, volunteers and stakeholders continue to do more with less. If we pass H.L.I. 18-12, it will help our children with their essential needs.”

In the last 24 years that Dr. Ignacia Demapan has dedicated her life to public education, “it is about time that this community threw its support to PSS. I really believe that our PSS has progressed to a higher standard and for us to be able to sustain it, it requires a level of funding to make things happen. Things are different now. Let us all come together.” Demapan is principal of Kagman Elementary School.

Hopwood Jr. High School principal Jonas Barcinas feels strongly about the need to support the initiative.

“For many, many years my school was faced with overcrowding classrooms and deteriorating facilities, lack of qualified teachers, instructional materials,” he said. “I ask our parents and this community to help us by voting for H.L.I. 18-12. PSS cannot do it alone, we need you.”

When the new school year opened, San Vicente Elementary School implemented a full-day, full-time kindergarten program. SVES, however, could only provide four full-day classes, and the ratio is all-time high: 22 (5-year-olds) to 1 teacher. The state-mandated policy for kindergarten is 15:1.

Even so, “the waiting list is very long,” said principal Paulette T. Sablan. “Those on the waiting list will be carried through the next school year and the enrollment will further balloon.”

SVES also needs to repair and modernize its classrooms.

“I believe that our community should support this, not only that this has direct impact to our schools, but because our children needs to feel comfortable, secure and safe,” Sablan said.

Chacha Oceanview Middle School principal Vince Dela Cruz agrees. “The initiative…will allow for more 5-year-old children to have access to…kindergarten classes,” he said.

Since 2004, grade 1 enrollment for all public schools hovered between 700 and 800.

“Our public schools are the second home of our children from Mondays to Fridays, they come to us. But we can only do so much; our facilities must be secure, our children must feel safe, and enough support must be given,” SVES vice principal Ana Marie Guerrero said.

These public education leaders are appealing to voters to support the initiative, which they all agreed is critical to meeting the PSS’ commitment to smaller class sizes, full-day kindergarten class, more instructional materials, and continuous school improvement and modernization of facilities.

“Our children need this. This community’s support goes directly to our them,” Garapan Elementary School principal Laila Yumul appealed.

Interim Associate Commissioner for Student and Support Services Yvonne R. Pangelinan agrees.

“PSS cannot be the only champion of public education and of our children. It has to be us, all of us—this community.”

PSS operates 19 school campuses and 10 Head Start Centers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota. (PSS)