Senate committee grills nominee Magali Rivera on school reopenings, procurement and device status

Magali Rivera Rivera, nominated to serve as Puerto Rico Secretary of Education, appeared before the Senate nominations committee on May 17, 2021, where senators pressed her for concrete plans on school reopenings, infrastructure funding and procurement safeguards.

Rivera repeatedly said she needs verified data from regional superintendents, municipal officials and agencies before finalizing plans. "Tengo que sentarme con los diferentes representantes… OMED, edificios públicos, AFI, sentarme con ellos para precisamente esas partidas y esos datos que usted nos da, esto verificarlos," she told senators, promising to follow up with the committee once those figures are confirmed.

Committee members asked specifically about an allocation described in the hearing as "setenta y dos millones en dólares" for the south of Puerto Rico and about a building-by-building infrastructure review prepared by regional staff. Rivera said the regional superintendent in Ponce, Dr. Roberto Rodríguez, has prepared a detailed plan and that, if authorized, she could make that document available to senators.

On procurement and preventing corruption, Rivera said the department must require public bidding and stronger oversight. "Todo lo que se haga en el departamento tiene que ser con subasta," she said, and proposed using dedicated project managers to monitor major contracts and a second reviewer before any final signatures on agreements involving public money.

Senators also asked about the whereabouts and status of roughly 300,000 computers and about 57,000 iPads reportedly purchased for students and teachers. Rivera stated she did not yet have the consolidated inventory but said she would investigate and provide the committee with the status.

The committee recorded one formal request: at Sen. Mariali González Huertas's prompting, the presiding officer ordered the interim secretary to provide the committee with the requested infrastructure information within three business days.

The hearing continued with questions about teacher retention, curricular updates and special-education services; Rivera emphasized the need for evidence-based decisions and repeated her willingness to work with regional teams if confirmed. The committee recessed at about 1:37 p.m. with Rivera still a nominee awaiting the full confirmation process.