Politics decrees the language used in schools. There is a long history of switches, from all Spanish, to all English, to a combination, to what is presently used, where classes are in Spanish with English taught as a foreign language.
Politics has influenced the beginning of this school year, not only with the delay to create a plan for the H1N1 virus, but also in a teacher shortage. In May, hundreds of teachers lost their positions, due to budget concerns. Now, with the imminent start of the year, there are still many vacancies,with 1500 teachers needed. It was indicated to us that perhaps the teachers were fired so that they would not need to be paid over the summer. Just a few weeks ago, all school districts were eliminated, and superintendents were told they would become principals. However, if there is already a principal in a school,the superintendent may become a teacher. There presently is no teacher union in Puerto Rico, to help protect against this type of situation. There had been one for a few years, but it was dismantled last year.
Yesterday we passed a protest at a government building, demonstrating against the loss of thousands of government jobs. People were carrying signs and wearing shirts for unity, but there was also music playing. When we went past, we heard the Ricky Martin song, "Living la Vida Loca". We had been told that music is important, and that even in demonstrations, music is played. And then we saw it!
Politics are also involved in the area of La Perla, which we visited yesterday. This neighborhood occupies a small but beautiful area on the shoreline of the entrance to the bay--a prime piece of real estate. The government was in the area very recently in relation to titles to the land. It is rumored that Donald Trump may be interested in the site.
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