The city government through the Local School Board (LSB) chaired by Mayor John Dalipe will be hiring next school year at least 250 LSB teachers for public elementary and secondary schools in the city.

This, as 20 more LSB teaching positions under the 2024 allocation will be filled up the soonest time possible within this school year. The items were part of the 250 teaching slots allocated this year.

Mayor Dalipe convened the LSB meeting on Friday at City Hall Conference Room, during which a resolution was approved for the hiring of LSB teachers—250 for next year, without distinction between elementary and secondary; and 20 as soon as possible this year, of which 13 for high school and 7 for elementary.

At the same time, the Board has approved the projects, programs and activities (PPAs) submitted by the City Schools Division Office for this school year. The PPAs will be funded under the 2023 SEF surplus, amounting to P65.353 million.

Notwithstanding the LSB-funded teachers in addition to the DepEd-hired teachers, Zamboanga City remains short of public school teachers every year.

Records showed that of this school year Zamboanga City accounts for a total of 6,887 public elementary and secondary school teachers. Of the number, 4,319 were hired by DepEd and 2,568 were hired by thr city government through the LSB.

The salaries and bonuses of LSB-hired teachers are charged against the city’s Special Education Fund (SEF), which delimits its allowable expenditures exclusively for the operation and maintenance of public schools; construction and
repair of school buildings, facilities, and equipment; educational research, purchase of books and periodicals; and sports development.

The SEF is derived from the LGU’s annual real property tax collection.

Among those present during the LSB meeting were Councilor Charlie Mariano, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s Committee on Education; City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Majarani M. Jacinto, LSB co-chair; Dr. Basilio Uy, chief of DepEd’s School Governance and Operations Division; City Budget Officer Geraldine Dela Paz, City Treasurer Romelita Candido and Asst. City Planning and Development Officer Jessie Christopher Lapinid.-(Vic Larato)