SAIPAN — Public School System Acting Commissioner of Education Jacqueline P. Che appealed to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation to prioritize restoring power at typhoon-damaged public schools before a federally funded summer program begins June 22.
Che met with CUC Executive Director Kevin Watson on the afternoon of June 15, more than six weeks after Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck Saipan and Tinian in April, the Public School System said in a release. The release said ten public schools on the two islands remained without electricity, while listing eight campuses as the focus of Che’s appeal. Only Rota’s two public schools, Sinapalo Elementary School and Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior-Senior High School, were spared because the typhoon did not make landfall there.
“We are really hoping, and pleading with you, if you can prioritize our eight schools,” Che said.
The meeting, also attended by CUC Legal Counsel Michael Ernest and PSS Associate Commissioner for Administration Eric Magofna, came against a deadline. The school system must decide by Friday which campuses can host the summer program and notify parents.
Che said many students and families are already burdened by the typhoon’s aftermath. She said the school system serves one of the most economically vulnerable student populations in the nation and operates under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision, which qualifies all enrolled students for free breakfast and lunch.
“A lot of them have lost homes,” Che said. “For our children to enjoy a safe place, reconnect with their classmates and friends, and at the same time continue learning.”
Watson acknowledged CUC’s competing restoration priorities across Saipan and Tinian but committed to support the school system as much as possible. He initially asked Che to identify four priority schools among the affected campuses before affirming a broader commitment.
“I understand everyone’s priorities; CUC’s priorities are also to restore power generation and water,” Watson said. “Give us the most critical schools among the eight. We will prioritize as much as possible all of the eight schools.”
Magofna said an estimated 50 percent of the solar panel systems on PSS campuses were destroyed by Sinlaku, the most severe infrastructure loss to the school system since Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018. He said the school system will need at least 15 large-capacity generators to power Saipan schools if grid restoration falls short before June 22.
Tinian Elementary School and Tinian Junior Senior High School have no power and are scheduled to begin the summer program Monday, the release said. The school system is prepared to consolidate the eight affected schools into four combined campuses if CUC can restore grid power to only some of them in time.
More than 1,000 students have enrolled in the summer program, which the school system described as a federally supported bridge for students needing learning recovery and remedial support before the new school year. The school system said it will follow up with CUC on Thursday, June 19, for a status update and will tell parents by Friday which campuses are confirmed.
The ten schools listed as without power are Marianas High School, Hopwood Middle School, Oleai Elementary School, Tanapag Middle School, Garapan Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Tinian Junior Senior High School, Tinian Elementary School and San Antonio Head Start.
