The short version
- El Nuevo Día reported that the Asociación de Maestros sent a letter on Oct. 26 to OGP director Orlando Rivera Berríos requesting a work calendar for the payments
- El Vocero reported the union also wrote to Gov. Jenniffer González last week asking her to expedite the process with no response received by Monday
- Both outlets reported the Department of Education completed individual calculations and passed them to the OGP which is awaiting a fiscal oversight board audit now three months past the estimated two-month timeline
- El Vocero reported individual payments range from $15,000 to $60,000 for active and retired teachers with some debts dating to 2010
Union seeks transparency on delayed payments
The Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico demanded on Monday that the Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto (OGP) provide a timeline detailing when thousands of teachers will receive $90.4 million in overdue salary adjustments under the Carrera Magisterial program. El Nuevo Día reported that union president Víctor Bonilla Sánchez sent a letter to OGP executive director Orlando Rivera Berríos on Oct. 26 and had received no reply by Monday morning.
Gov. Jenniffer González announced on June 22 the reallocation of $90.4 million from the prior fiscal year's budget to pay 5,850 active and retired teachers. El Vocero reported the amounts per teacher range between $15,000 and $60,000. The union stated the Department of Education has completed its calculations and forwarded them to the OGP. The Junta de Supervisión Fiscal requested an audit before disbursement.
Bonilla Sánchez told reporters the OGP had indicated the audit would take two months but three months have now passed. The union also met with Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés and sent a letter to the governor last week seeking her intervention. No responses had been received to either letter, according to both outlets.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
El magisterio merece transparencia, y creo que merece respeto.
Our translation: The teaching profession deserves transparency, and I think it deserves respect.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Llevamos años reclamando que el DE cumpla con un derecho reconocido por ley.
Our translation: We have been claiming for years that the DE complies with a right recognized by law.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Vocero. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Years of claims and pending lawsuits
The union has been pressing for compliance with the Ley de Carrera Magisterial since 2017 after the program was affected by the government's bankruptcy proceedings under PROMESA. El Nuevo Día reported the program had been frozen for years due to fiscal problems but was reactivated in the previous four-year term. Teachers who complete master's or doctoral degrees and meet professional improvement criteria are entitled to raises.
In 2024 the Asociación de Maestros filed three lawsuits against the Department of Education for failing to comply with the law and its regulations. Union legal adviser Edgardo Pabón said additional legal action has not been ruled out depending on the government's response.
Where the sources differ
El Nuevo Día and El Vocero agree on the core facts: the $90.4 million announcement by Gov. Jenniffer González on June 22, the number of affected teachers (5,850 in El Nuevo Día, more than 5,890 in El Vocero), the completion of calculations by the Department of Education, the pending OGP audit requested by the fiscal oversight board, the three months elapsed since the two-month estimate, and the Oct. 26 letter to the OGP with no response. El Vocero adds the individual payment range of $15,000 to $60,000 and specifies the union also wrote to the governor last week. Both name the same union leaders and note the lack of immediate comment from the OGP.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state when the audit might be completed, whether the Junta de Supervisión Fiscal has set any deadline, the exact current status of the audit, when the first payments could be issued, or whether the governor or OGP plan to issue a public schedule. They also do not indicate the total number of teachers still awaiting payment after any initial disbursements or the precise amount each individual is owed.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Miles de maestros aún esperan por el desembolso de $90.4 millones en ajustes salariales
- Reporting FOTOS: Maestros reclaman fecha para pago de $90.4 millones pendientes
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and El Vocero both reported the union's demand for a payment calendar and the lack of response from the OGP and governor's office. The June announcement figure, the audit timeline estimate and the filing of prior lawsuits rest on the union's account as presented in the two outlets.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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