Wendy Bisaro

Stress to small schools is not what I want, and I’m sure it’s not what the Ministers want, but to do otherwise is unfair to the larger education authorities and that unfairness is being categorically ignored. The justification seems to be that the larger authorities can handle it, so let’s take advantage of them. The fairest solution is to provide new JK funding for the new JK program. That way all schools will be able to keep the staff they currently have and maintain delivery of the excellent programs they provide.

If, as stated yesterday, the regional centres and YK board budgets are reduced...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up a bit on this same subject. I think Mr. Bromley has covered most of it.

My question here is similar to his and maybe I will try asking it in a different way. My concern is that it has been referenced that GNWT can’t just remove an employee, but where is it written that we can’t do that? What safeguards exist? Where are they that one could go look at them and read them that basically states we can’t just remove somebody or we have to have cause to remove somebody? Because it’s not clear what safeguards are in place to prevent the Minister from...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did sort of mention in my remarks I’m slightly confused why we are deleting the definition of layoff and I mentioned I think it’s because there’s a difference in the way that the word “layoff” it’s used, whether it’s used as a noun or a verb. I didn’t hear that, I don’t think, in the Minister’s remarks. I also didn’t hear about what consultation was done, but I don’t know if we can go to the Minister at this point or not, but that is a concern. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to consider Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act, and Bill 27, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2014.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to take that as a yes.

Junior Kindergarten now has 23 schools; sorry, Junior Kindergarten is being offered in 23 schools and I have to assume that that JK program in those 23 schools is fully funded.

So I would like to ask the Minister, how are those schools being funded if next year there needs to be more money taken from education authorities’ budgets? Is it being fully funded this year? If it is not being fully funded by the budget reductions, is there an internal reallocation that is funding part of the JK program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with some further questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

I’m struggling with the answer that the Minister gave me with regards to the implementation of a 16 to 1 funding at 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio. It has been stated many times that education authorities are over-funded and that we need to fund our legislated PTR of 16 to 1.

Looking at the department’s numbers, using the department’s own numbers, and albeit they are from 2013, but it is entirely possible that if we have a 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio across the board...

I don’t think I heard an answer to my question, so I guess school boards are looking forward to reductions in 2015-16 and they aren’t going to get anything back for at least another two or three years.

The Premier referenced surpluses and he referenced the need for particularly the two boards in Yellowknife to use up their surpluses. There are other boards with surpluses. I’d like to ask the Premier if the need to use up surplus to deal with the funding shortfall because of the reductions that are happening, is the need to use up surpluses the same for every education authority or is he looking...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier and I want to follow up on some questions that my colleague Mr. Dolynny asked earlier following up on the statement of the Premier today. I want to, at the outset, indicate that I am very pleased and was pleased to hear the statement from the Premier. It is good news. But one of the things Mr. Dolynny asked had to do with funding and the funding ongoing. The Premier indicated in one of his answers that there were funding reductions for education authorities in this fiscal year, 2014-15, that there would be reductions in...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 154-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 154-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.