PSS wants authority to set salaries put back into Education Act bill

The Public School System wants the authority to determine its salaries placed back into a pending education bill, after the section was removed in a recent draft, according to a letter from the CNMI State Board of Education to the Legislature.

The letter, dated on June 30, provided the Public School System and the board’s comments on several bills sitting with the House education committee. Written by board chair Herman T. Guerrero and Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Sablan, it was sent to committee chair Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro (R-Saipan).

The bill in question, House Bill 19-10, or “Education Act,” is absent section 1182 “PSS Employee Compensation,” according to the board.

“It is unclear why this section was removed from the bill but it is essential that the Board of Education be responsible for determining the salaries of PSS staff,” writes Guerrero.

The board says PSS suffers from a problem with recruiting and retaining teachers, which is exacerbated by low salaries. The board says public schools see teachers take a job with them right out of college, but after gaining experience on island take “those skills elsewhere so they can get paid more.”

“We essentially become the training ground for teachers and consistently lose the once they have the skills to earn more. This is a disservice to our students and to our island. We need to be able to competitive with other school districts and therefore need to be able to recruit and maintain good teachers. This can only occur if we are able to pay them a competitive wage,” Guerrero said.

Furthermore, Guerrero said, it is constitutionally impermissible for the legislature to reprogram PSS money. PSS should decide what needs it has and what is the most effective way to spend, Guerrero said. “That is why the Board of Education is in place,” he added, saying this should not be left to the “subject of politics.”

In the letter, the state board and PSS assure they will develop a comprehensive classification plan designed to ensure that staff are classified appropriately and consistent with their education, work experience, skills, duties, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

Guerrero also says the board can respond and react quicker than the Legislature to PSS’ needs and to changes in the employment environment. The board needs the flexibility to react accordingly, he said. And policy changes take the board less time to research, discuss, and pass than the Legislature, he added.

In an interview, Guerrero said the Legislature might fear the board is going to increase salaries for PSS employees. But they forget PSS can only increase salaries if there is funding through appropriations, which are set by the Legislature.

He also said they could not go into a “deficit” beyond what they were given through appropriations. Even if they made a compensation plan, without money set for the plan, it could not be effected.