Educator says budget constraints are pushing qualified teachers away

A CNMI educator who returned home after earning her master's degree says she is preparing to leave for a teaching job in Hawaii after being offered another substitute contract locally, highlighting the difficult choices facing both educators and the financially strapped Public School System.

Tatiana Hunter-Talalemotu told Marianas Press that PSS remains close to her heart because her father was also a teacher, but said finding a permanent position after pursuing higher education has proven difficult.

“It's just very sad that those of us who went on to pursue further education to bring skills back home are having difficulty finding permanent positions here,” Hunter-Talalemotu said in a social media message to Marianas Press.

Hunter-Talalemotu said a school principal contacted her directly and wanted to hire her for the new school year. When she went to PSS to sign a contract, however, she said she was offered another substitute teacher contract after having worked as a substitute during the previous school year.

She said she asked PSS human resources personnel why she was still being offered a substitute contract despite a principal specifically seeking to hire her and was told the reason was budgetary constraints.

“What I'm being told is that it's a financial issue within PSS,” Hunter-Talalemotu said.

Her comments came after her mother, Tamara Hunter, responded to an Aug. 19 Marianas Press story about PSS' staffing and financial challenges.

Hunter wrote that her daughter had returned home with a master's degree in education but was offered substitute positions both last school year and again this year.

“So now she will leave at the end of this month for a teaching position in Hawaii,” Hunter wrote. She lamented that young people can leave the CNMI to pursue an education, return hoping to give back, but find themselves unable to secure permanent employment.

Other readers responding to the Marianas Press story raised concerns about the effect of the CNMI's financial situation on teachers and students.

Tai D. Doram questioned whether the departure of nearly 140 employees could provide enough savings to prevent PSS from cutting another school day each week. Norma Buniag expressed concern about teachers working 64-hour pay periods and said the situation could lead more educators to leave the CNMI for opportunities elsewhere.

PSS itself has made clear that its staffing decisions are being shaped by its limited financial resources.

During Wednesday's House Ways and Means Committee budget hearing, acting Education commissioner Jackie Che said PSS had lost 47 teachers since January and did not hire replacements before schools reopened. Instead, PSS moved existing teachers among campuses and reassigned some central office personnel to schools to teach, counsel, and serve as registrars.

PSS has been grappling with the loss of 137 employees overall since January while attempting to maintain school services with fewer personnel. The system is seeking $44.98 million for fiscal year 2027 to restore employees to 80-hour pay periods and provide students with five regular instructional days each week. Its baseline is about $37 million, which would maintain the current workforce at 64 hours and continue Monday austerity.

The staffing situation also drew concern from Parent Advisory Council acting president Grace Naputi during Wednesday's hearing.

“Every teacher who leaves represents more than a vacant position. It represents lost experience, disrupted relationships, increased workload, and fewer opportunities for students to thrive,” she said.