By Glenn Smith
The CNMI Public School System is facing one of the most challenging periods in its history. Two major typhoons have left schools with significant damage. A looming fiscal cliff threatens the system’s ability to maintain current operations. Discussions of reduced work hours, reductions in force (RIF), and even school closures have become part of everyday conversation.
Yet one question remains unanswered:
Where is the Board of Education?
The Board of Education exists to provide governance, oversight, and direction for the public school system. Its responsibility is not simply to approve policies during normal times—it is to lead during times of crisis. If there was ever a time for visible leadership, transparency, and frequent communication with the public, it is now.
The last Board meeting was approximately two months ago. Since then, employees have been left wondering whether they will still have jobs, parents have no clear picture of what the coming school year will look like, teachers are uncertain about staffing levels and resources, and students continue preparing to return to schools that are still recovering from significant storm damage.
School is scheduled to begin on August 18, yet there has been little public discussion from the Board regarding how the system intends to navigate these unprecedented challenges. Even more concerning is that the Board Chair is reportedly off-island until the end of August—after the school year has already begun.
Leadership cannot be put on hold simply because key officials are unavailable.
The uncertainty extends beyond the Board itself. The Commissioner of Education resigned in June to run for Governor, and an Acting Commissioner was appointed to lead the school system. However, there has been no public indication that the Board is actively conducting a search for a permanent Commissioner. The Board has known since May that the Commissioner would be leaving, yet there appears to be little urgency to recruit the person who will lead the Public School System through one of the most difficult periods in its history.
This raises another important question: Is it fair to place decisions of this magnitude on an Acting Commissioner?
Decisions involving reduced work hours, potential reductions in force, possible school closures, and the long-term direction of public education will shape the future of the school system for years to come. Those decisions should ideally be made by the individual selected to serve as the permanent Commissioner—someone chosen by the Board to establish a vision, build a leadership team, and guide the Public School System through these extraordinary challenges. An Acting Commissioner should certainly keep the system operating, but the long-term future of public education deserves permanent leadership.
The Board should be holding regular public meetings. The public deserves updates on the budget, facility repairs, staffing plans, transportation, school operations, the search for a permanent Commissioner, and contingency plans should additional funding fail to materialize. Transparency is not optional during a crisis—it is one of the Board’s most important responsibilities.
Parents need time to prepare. Teachers need certainty. Employees deserve honest communication about their futures. Principals need direction. Instead, uncertainty has become the only constant.
The financial outlook is no secret. Everyone understands that this year’s budget will almost certainly fall well below previous years. Difficult decisions will have to be made. But those decisions should be made openly, with public discussion, Board oversight, and opportunities for stakeholders to understand the reasons behind them.
Silence creates anxiety. Leadership creates confidence.
The Board of Education was elected to represent the public, not to disappear when the decisions become difficult. Oversight means asking hard questions of management, reviewing financial conditions, evaluating options, communicating those decisions to the community, and ensuring that the Public School System has stable leadership. It means demonstrating that there is a plan—even if the news is not always positive.
This is not a criticism for criticism’s sake. It is a call for leadership.
The CNMI’s students, parents, teachers, school employees, and taxpayers deserve a Board that is actively engaged during the most difficult period the school system has faced in years. They deserve regular public meetings, timely updates, decisive action, and the assurance that their elected Board is fully involved in guiding the future of public education.
If there was ever a time for the Board of Education to demonstrate its purpose, that time is now.
The question remains: Where is the Board of Education?
The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of NMI News Service, its staff, or its sponsors. NMI News Service publishes opinion submissions from the community as a platform for public discourse. Responses to this op-ed may be submitted for publication consideration.
