Minister Gumbs: I never ordered halt to teacher appreciation coupon distribution

GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs has rejected claims that she ordered a halt to the distribution of Teacher Appreciation Coupon Sheets to public school teachers, saying no such instruction was ever given.

Gumbs was responding to concerns raised by educator Angelique Romou, founder of the “Loving Our Teachers Out Loud” initiative, who said public school teachers had not yet received their coupons and that she had been informed distribution was halted because of a policy governing donations.

The Minister said it was unfortunate that Romou, with whom she personally discussed the matter, chose to frame the situation in that manner.

“At no point was distribution halted,” Gumbs said.

She explained that during a phone conversation with Romou, she expressed surprise that the coupons had been given to the Division Public Education for distribution, since Romou had traditionally handled distribution herself.

Gumbs said she was familiar with the initiative from her time as a Member of Parliament and viewed it positively.

According to the Minister, the Division Public Education is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of public schools and is not responsible for facilitating the distribution of a personal initiative, regardless of how welcomed or well-intentioned that initiative may be.

She pointed out that the division is required to respond to emergencies while carrying out its regular responsibilities, and therefore does not have significant idle time to take on additional tasks.

“If distribution was not completed, it was not at the orders of the Minister,” Gumbs stated.

She said she could not understand portraying the matter as bureaucracy standing in the way of an initiative that she herself considers positive for teachers.

Gumbs said the only request she made was for an email formally confirming the initiative, in keeping with procedure. She indicated that this procedure had not been followed by her predecessor.

“What I did ask for was an email to confirm the initiative, in keeping with procedure, as I know it wasn’t followed by my predecessor,” Gumbs said. “But at no point did I say, ‘stop distribution until I get this email.’”

The Minister also expressed disappointment with the public characterization of the matter and suggested that political associations may have influenced how the issue was presented.

She maintained, however, that her central concern was correcting the record and making clear that neither she nor her office instructed the Division Public Education to stop the distribution of the appreciation coupons.

Gumbs reiterated that she regards the teacher appreciation initiative as a positive one and said the issue should not be interpreted as opposition from the Ministry to recognizing or rewarding educators.

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