Puerto Rico to create charter schools, give teachers raises

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico's governor says he aims to create charter schools and vouchers and give all public school teachers their first raise in a decade as part of a plan to transform the U.S. territory's education system.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Monday he will submit a measure that also will strengthen vocational schools and allow parents to have more freedom in choosing their child's school.

He says Puerto Rico expects to lose 54,000 students in the next four years, in addition to 78,000 already lost since 2014 amid an 11-year-old recession.

Education officials last year announced they would be closing more than 150 public schools as a result of a sharp drop in enrollment.