PHILIPSBURG:--- While reading the government program 2014 -2018 the section dealing with the adoption of a school program did catch my attention. It was very vague and I was hoping to acquire some more information on this adopt a school program. Both MP’s Marlin-Romeo and Lake came out strong defending this program and while I believe there is nothing wrong with such a program but are they planning to make this mandatory that the business community must adopt these schools. In one scenario MP Marlin-Romeo is talking about the tax breaks that many companies are receiving and that one of the condition to receive such a break is that they must adopt one of the public schools. Perhaps as a Member of Parliament she can inform the public how many companies are receiving a tax break at this moment? Secondly it would be interested to hear from the MP how many tax break requests are pending by the Minister of Finance awaiting approval or denial.
OSPP feels very strongly that the public schools should be managed by a school board like all the other primary schools. This is not a new idea as it has been floating around for many years. You would imagine that if the other schools with a school board have had some type of success that the public schools would be able to enjoy the same type of benefits.
According to some information acquired by the OSPP most school boards are paying between 25,000 to 30,000 guilders a month in utility consumption to NV GEBE. It is time that the Council of Ministers instructs the Supervisory Board and management of NV GEBE to start charging all the schools residential rates and not commercial rates. All the schools including the public schools would save approximately 20% on their actual energy consumption per kilo watt.
Motion
The Parliament of St. Maarten, in its meeting of today, August........, 2015
Considering:
- That the Parliament of St. Maarten strongly believes that the public schools and government subsidized schools should receive some type of relief and financial assistance from NV GEBE.
- That NV GEBE is 100% owned by the government of St. Maarten.
- That many of these school boards are going through some though financial times in being able to provide the type of education that is required in any modern society.
- That these school boards and public schools depend solely on the subsidy from the government and that the private school boards also collect an annual school fee from their students.
- That these school fees are also hurting many families financially; especially those families who have more than one child attending those schools that charge school fees and those families who are earning the minimum wage.
- That many of these school boards pay approximately 26,000.00 guilders of their subsidy in utility bills on a monthly bill and it varies from school board to school board.
- That many of these schools in comparing with schools in other countries are lagging far behind in modern information technology and other areas.
Resolves:
- To request the Minister with responsibility for Energy as Shareholder Representative of NV GEBE to instruct the Supervisory Board and the Managing Director of this company to do the following:
- Effective immediately charge all the public schools and subsidized government schools with a special tariff equivalent to the residential or lower rate.
- NV EBE to invest in the installation of solar panels in the public schools and subsidized government schools.
- That the government of St. Maarten, in particular the Ministers of Finance and Education agree:
- That the savings derived from the change to a special tariff and the installation of solar panels at the public schools and subsidized government schools should remain within the educational institution to:
- Improve on the quality of education in particular the modernization of their information technology and other educational areas.
- Reduce the school fees of the students.
And goes over to the order of the day.
Copies of this motion to be sent to:
The Governor of Sint Maarten.
The Government of Sint Maarten.
The Council of Advice of Sint Maarten.
