A move by the Fono to increase the annual salaries of the governor and lieutenant governor as well as hiking the office allowance for lawmakers has been called "inappropriate" by Leone High School principal, Ben Te’o, who also voiced concerns with the pay hikes for cabinet directors included in the fiscal year 2015 budget.

Te’o, who is also president of the Federation of American Samoa Educators, says these pay raises “scream[ed] foul” and noted that such pay hikes are problematic because many residents are suffering — “o lo’o fiaola le atunu’u” — with their own needs not addressed.

Te’o's concern with the pay increases are outlined in a Sept. 10 letter to Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga, Senate President Gaoteote Tofau Palaie and House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale. A copy of the letter, written in Samoan, was also sent to the local media.

The letter raises the question as to why people, such as students are not put first — referring to the Administration’s campaign theme which has been often referred to by the Administration after the election— “People First”.

And while the pay hikes are going through final discussions in the Fono, the letter points out that funding is needed for so many other important issues in government, such as teacher shortage in classrooms due to the lack of money to hire more teachers. Additionally:

•            not enough school buses for students and no buses eligible to transport ECE students;

•            not enough bus drivers due to low pay;

•            no money to hire security officers for public schools;

•            shortage of desks and chairs for both elementary and high schools;

•            no money to fund “service maintenance contracts" for air conditioners and copy machines.

Te’o also shared his concerns about the issue of insufficient electric lines to serve Leone High School, saying that there is no direct electric line from the ASPA pole to the administration office.

In a unanimous vote of 12-0, the Senate last Thursday passed in final reading a Senate bill, which increases lawmakers’ office allowances by $10,000 across the board. The measure now goes to the House for consideration.

If the bill is enacted, each member of the Senate and House will see their office allowance hiked to $40,000, while the Senate President and House Speaker will each receive $50,000. The Fono’s FY 2015 budget shows additional money, which the senators say would be used to cover the allowance increase.

For the pay hike for the governor and lieutenant governor, the bill is going through debate in the House. If enacted into law, the governor’s salary will increase from $85,000 to $125,000 and the lieutenant governor from $75,000 to $100,000. ASG Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a testified in the House that increases in revenue collections in the last three years are enough to cover the proposed salary increases for the territory’s top two officials.

However, a former lawmaker and a former ASG senior official told Samoa News that the law is clear when it comes to money bills — "they must come with an identified funding source” and this is not done in the House bill.

Samoa News has received a huge amount of local and off island readers commenting on the issue of pay raises for the governor and lieutenant governor as well as the increased office allowance for the Fono. Overall, they say that there are so many other things that need improvement in the territory, such as teacher's pay, better classrooms and health services, and that is where this money should be used.

More money to be allocated for educating students in American Samoa is one of the biggest recommendations made by commenters.

Some commenters sounded furious, saying that while the Fono and the Government are against the minimum wage, here is the Fono moving to hike their own pay — through the increase in their office allowance — as well as the pay for the two top elected government leaders.

BACKGROUND

Samoa News should point out that local senators are not ‘elected’ by popular vote in a general election in American Samoa, but House representatives are. The pay raise bill originated within the Senate, and the House vote on the bill will happen before the faipule return to their districts for re-election, which will take place this November.

The minimum wage for American Samoa is scheduled to increase in September 2015. In 2012, it was set to increase by 50¢, but was frozen by Congress while review of the impact of the raises on the local economy happened. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 provided for annual 50-cents per hour increases until the rate matched the rest of the U.S., where the minimum pay is $7.25 per hour.