About 55 positions in the Northern Marianas Public Schools System will remain vacant this fiscal year until funding is found to hire more people.
The Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, who has ordered the hiring freeze, says this affects a combination of certified and non-certified personnel.
According to Ms Sablan, the schools may apply an across-the-board pay cut for employees.
The schools have about 900 employees on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that are paid using local funds.
Of that number, more than 500 are classroom teachers.
