Maintain proper oversight over spending. Upgrade school infrastructure. And follow through on your plan for COVID-19 relief money.
Those are three key areas of Puerto Rico鈥� public schools the U.S. Department of Education will be watching to ensure that students, teachers, and other educators get better support, said Chris Soto, the head of a federal team providing technical assistance and support for the U.S. territory鈥檚 public schools.
In an interview with Education Week, Soto, a senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, also acknowledged that he鈥檚 far from the first person to try to convince Puerto Rico鈥檚 educators and others in schools there that Cardona and others will help lead the island鈥檚 schools in a fundamentally new direction.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e heard this before, that federal help is on the way,鈥� said Soto, who recently visited the island. 鈥淲e have to build trust.鈥�
A commitment from the top
When he took over the Education Department, Cardona鈥攚ho has Puerto Rican heritage鈥攄eclared that the Biden administration would usher in a 鈥渘ew day鈥� for Puerto Rico鈥檚 education system. The U.S. territory鈥檚 schools were battered by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which severely disrupted life for educators and families, and prompted a controversial decision to permanently close hundreds of school buildings.
The island-wide school system also received a steady stream of negative attention recently, due to the arrest of its former education secretary and ongoing concerns about how the island鈥檚 education department manages federal funding, among other things.
Last March, federal officials eased Trump administration restrictions and released nearly $1 billion in education funding to Puerto Rico. In September, the Education Department announced a new federal team that would focus specifically on Puerto Rican education. In mid-November, the department approved the territory鈥檚 American Rescue Plan blueprint, and in doing so released $990 million for its K-12 system out of the $3 billion for Puerto Rico鈥檚 schools included in the COVID relief package signed by President Joe Biden last March.
Among other things, Puerto Rico鈥檚 plan calls for the University of Puerto Rico to help with tutoring efforts to address lost instructional time; by providing stipends for teachers and paying for more support staff to support teachers; and by working with specialized contractors to replace outdated HVAC systems to improve air quality in schools.
That last part might address a situation that became especially urgent after Hurricane Maria. But these and other efforts will have to contend with a fundamental, long-term problem facing Puerto Rico鈥檚 schools: Since the storm struck in September 2017, enrollment in the island鈥檚 public schools has plunged from about 350,000 to 260,000 this school year, a decline of 26 percent, although this enrollment tends to fluctuate during the school year as students travel back and forth from the U.S. mainland. ( over roughly the past decade.)
And there are also longstanding concerns about the academic performance of students in the island鈥檚 public schools.
Challenges similar to those on the mainland
After his visit with educators, Education Department officials, and others in Puerto Rico as part of the Education Department鈥檚 task force, Soto said he is focused on issues that are also challenging right now for U.S. mainland schools: ensuring that student have access to appropriate in-person instruction, school transportation, and special education services. (A large share of students special education services, which have been the recently.)
At the same time, Soto praised the island for vaccinating nearly all teachers and students following a mandate announced by Puerto Rico, saying that it could serve as a role model for schools elsewhere. In Puerto Rico, 98 percent of school staff are vaccinated.
In conversations with educators, Soto said he also stressed that the amount of COVID aid and the flexibility schools have in using it should open up a lot of opportunities to improve their work. He also said bluntly that teachers in Puerto Rico should be paid more, although he said the limited duration of COVID relief could complicate that issue.
鈥淭hey are probably the most dedicated teachers that I鈥檝e ever had the pleasure to interact with,鈥� Soto said. 鈥淭hey also need to feel supported.鈥�
More broadly, Soto is encouraging the K-12 system to build stronger connections with after-school programs, the island鈥檚 higher education system, and nonprofit organizations. In addition, Soto and his team are trying to help the island鈥檚 public schools match labor market needs in the business community.
Asked if Hurricane Maria, ex-Secretary of Education Julia Keleher鈥檚 arrest, and other issues from the last few years still affect what he and others are trying to do, Soto responded: 鈥淒oes it cloud the work? Absolutely.鈥�
Yet he also praised , which former Gov. Ricardo Rossello signed in 2018 that was backed by Keleher and which implemented fundamental changes to the island鈥檚 K-12 system. Among other things, Soto highlighted how the law has created more autonomy for principals and empowered regional education officials. That law also instituted private school vouchers and charter schools in Puerto Rico.
With a third-party fiduciary agent in place to for Puerto Rico, Soto said he鈥檚 confident that he and his team will provide a balance of support and measurement-based accountability 鈥渢o make sure that we鈥檙e making progress.鈥�
鈥淭his is not just talk. We鈥檙e actually committed to the island,鈥� Soto
