Senate education committee presses Department of Education for corrected device and internet-voucher counts

San Juan — The Senate Commission on Education, Tourism and Culture on July 15, 2021 heard Department of Education officials describe how laptops, tablets and Internet-voucher redemptions were distributed to public-school students and teachers during the pandemic and in the aftermath of recent earthquakes.

Senator Ada García Montes, president of the commission, opened the hearing by citing Resolution del Senado número 5, which directs a “thorough investigation” into the distribution process. "La resolución del Senado número cinco tiene el propósito de investigar el proceso de repartición de los dispositivos electrónicos a estudiantes y maestros del sistema de educación pública," she said, framing the session around numbers, outstanding deliveries and how complaints have been handled.

María Ortiz, director of the Department—s Office of Information Systems and Technology Support, presented the department—s summary of registered devices and delivery steps. She told the commission that, according to departmental records, "De los doscientos setenta y tres mil cuatrocientos tres estudiantes que conforman la matrícula certificada M uno del departamento de educación, doscientos treinta mil ciento treinta y siete tienen equipo registrados a su nombre. El balance actual de esa matrícula certificada es cuarenta y tres mil doscientos setenta y seis." Ortiz also said the department purchased and distributed devices under Project Innova and that a $124 million supplemental allocation from the fiscal oversight board allowed the program to change from a school-based model to handing devices to students for home use.

On redemptions of Internet vouchers — a program administered by the Department of Hacienda and the Fiscal Agency (AFAF), not by the Department of Education — Ortiz reported that "ciento cuarenta y cuatro mil veintiséis" students and "veintiún mil ochocientos seis" teachers had redeemed vouchers through the SURI system. She said the Education Department provided lists to Hacienda but did not operate the voucher redemptions and thus does not have full detail on voucher-related claims.

Throughout the hearing senators pressed for more precise, verifiable numbers. Committee members flagged inconsistencies between tables in the department—s written presentation (ponencia) and live extracts from the Horizon registration system: for example, different pages show different totals for devices purchased and devices assigned. The department acknowledged multiple live files and offered to provide a snapshot extract and a link to Horizon so the commission can verify records.

The session highlighted specific data gaps the commission said must be closed: recorded rejections of issued devices (the department—s Horizon extract shows 1,022 recorded parental rejections islandwide), differing counts reported for Vieques and Culebra (Ortiz read figures from a May file that showed Culebra 417 and Vieques 381 and said she would verify the discrepancy), and a mismatch between the number of devices purchased on one page of the ponencia and the number recorded as assigned on another.

Senators also asked about special-education needs, device types by grade and device maintenance. Ortiz said kindergarten through second grade were given tablets (iPads) and third grade and up received laptops, that accessibility features (larger font, screen readers) were included in standard device specifications, and that the procurement package included three years of warranty and maintenance. She described school charging carts that can plug in and charge multiple devices.

Outcome and next steps: The commission ordered the Department of Education to provide rectified, municipality-level tables (including separate counts for Vieques and Culebra) within five calendar days so the committee can complete its report. No formal vote or policy change was taken at the hearing; the committee adjourned at 1:05 p.m. on July 15.

The department said it will deliver the requested data and an extract from Horizon; the commission will review the corrected numbers before determining any further oversight steps.

Sources: testimony by Senator Ada García Montes and Department of Education officials María Ortiz and Lic. Yaitza Maldonado Rivera at the July 15, 2021 hearing before the Senate Commission on Education, Tourism and Culture.