Gov’t formalizes push to decentralize island education system

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi

By The Star Staff

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia announced on Monday the beginning of the administrative decentralization of Puerto Rico’s education system, an action coordinated with the federal Department of Education called the Initiative of Decentralization of Education and Autonomy of Regions (IDEAR).

“The goal is to make this decentralization of the education system viable so that all our students, as well as their parents, and their teachers, can have confidence in their future and that of the next generations,” Pierluisi said at a press conference.

Executive Order 2023-014, signed by the governor and the U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, formalizes the initiative and establishes as public policy the strategy of increasing autonomy in the island Education Department’s regional school offices.

In addition, an executive committee is being created to design the decentralization strategy, evaluating existing governance models and best practices from other jurisdictions.

“This initiative has the full commitment of me and my team, as well as the federal government, through Secretary Cardona and his team,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, Pierluisi announced the launch of the P-Card initiative, which will allow each school principal to directly purchase necessary materials with a debit card.

“The Department of Education has worked hard to streamline procurement processes so that the necessary materials and tools reach schools in a more efficient way,” he said.

The governor noted that his initiatives on education include the renovation of infrastructure, the increase of vocational offerings, and bilingual and specialized schools, as well as Montessori schools and extended hours.