Senate committee questions Elbaricet Aponte Santos on reopenings, infrastructure and oversight during confirmation hearing

Elbaricet Aponte Santos, the governor’s nominee to lead Puerto Rico’s Department of Education, told the Senate’s Commission of Appointments on April 5 that she is “ready” to continue work she began in an acting capacity, outlining early actions on school reopenings, technology and financing while answering sustained questioning from senators about infrastructure, special education, payroll controls and vendor selection.

Aponte began with her background as a career public‑school teacher and union leader and described priorities she said she had advanced in her first 91 days: reopening schools in phased fashion, deploying vaccines for staff in coordination with the Department of Health and the National Guard, expanding Wi‑Fi access and reactivating frozen federal funds by agreeing to a federally required monitor. “Ver a esos niños… me llenó de gran satisfacción,” she told the commission.

Why it mattered: senators pressed for concrete numbers and timelines that affect students and municipal governments. Aponte said 120 schools had opened in hybrid or in‑person modalities at the time of the hearing and reported between about 2,586 and 3,020 students attending on a single reference day; she said those figures vary by schedule (some groups attend Mon/Tue, others Thu/Fri). She also said 260 schools already had 100% Wi‑Fi access and the department aims for all schools to reach that goal by July 31.

Infrastructure and the south: Several senators pressed Aponte on damaged schools following January earthquakes. She acknowledged 41 schools in the island’s southern zone were “totally destroyed” and said the department is pursuing a mix of responses: identifying temporary modular classrooms, reusing some schools in disuse where safe, asking the Fiscal Oversight Board for permission to reallocate state funds and requesting FEMA and other federal support. She said the administration requested $46 million for modular solutions and that 16 schools with only minor damage had already been slated for fast repairs.

Special education and socio‑emotional supports: Senators repeatedly raised lengthy backlogs in therapies and services for students with disabilities. Aponte said the department scheduled an assessment (diagnostic testing) for April to measure academic gaps and planned compensatory time and extra services for students with significant cognitive impairments. On mental‑health capacity she said the department has approximately 640–648 psychologists available and has issued guides and workshops for parents and educators; she acknowledged the work is incomplete and pledged to provide more targeted outreach in the most affected municipalities.

Financial controls and payroll: The nominee described implementing a time‑and‑attendance system she said produced preliminary payroll savings of roughly $3 million and an associated call center to process employee claims and adjustments. Senators cited press reports that the Fiscal Oversight Board declined to release $30 million because of concerns about mass payroll approvals; Aponte said the department is coordinating with the board and the federally required monitor (síndico) to increase oversight and avoid losing emergency federal funds.

Technology and vendor contracts: Aponte confirmed the department purchased student devices and that about 91% of those devices had been distributed; she named IBM as the firm contracted to install antennas in the Wi‑Fi rollout and said some contracts are extensions of legacy systems (Oracle and others) the department maintained to avoid interruption. Several senators asked for procurement records and copies of collaborative agreements (for example, with the University of Puerto Rico) and the commission authorized the department to submit requested documentation within three business days on certain items.

Allegations and transparency requests: Senators raised questions about potential conflicts of interest involving suppliers and relatives of people connected to the department. Aponte denied personal involvement in procurement decisions and said vendor proposals pass through established administrative and bidding processes and legal review; she agreed to provide records where requested. The commission set deadlines for the department to provide lists of certified schools, contracts, lists of trust‑and‑confidence appointees and related documentation.

What’s next: The committee concluded the hearing after two rounds of questions and recorded multiple document requests and short deadlines for the nominee to provide details. No confirmation vote was recorded during this session; senators signaled they would weigh the testimony and the submitted documents before a final decision.