Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we have. As I have chatted with the Member, once this agreement is officially signed and we can make an announcement, we will be willing to come before standing committee and share that information. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that. I am looking forward to that briefing, so at this point in time those are all my questions for this area. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Next on my list I have Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is on page 42. In the current bilateral agreements, discussions between this government and the federal government, can we see some additional funding coming in for the fiscal year for, more specifically, the whole area of early childhood programming or any other funding that is under way through these bilateral negotiations? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am just trying to tread lightly here in terms of working with our counterparts with the Government of Canada. We will be making an announcement and, when we do make that announcement, we can inform all Members of the increased funding that we are going to have for early childhood development. Right now, I just want to make sure that we have that confirmation and good working relationships with the Government of Canada. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. McNeely.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks for the answer that the Minister gave. I just basically want to know if there is additional funding that we will see for the upcoming year in the areas of youth support, early development programming. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Anything from the Minister?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I can confirm there will be an increase in funding. As you have heard me say in this House, as well, we also have 11 communities in the Northwest Territories that currently do not have any childcare or daycare programming, and, with some of this additional funding, we want to make sure that it is a priority to get early childhood programming as well as childcare in those communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Anything further, Mr. McNeely?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was it.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Next, I have Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to go back to this inclusive schooling amount. It was announced as additional funding in the budget address, and I guess what we are hearing now from the Minister is that, I guess on page 6 of the budget address, we are also going to direct an additional $881,000 towards providing inclusive schooling funding for junior kindergarten students. Is this new funding that is to be added to the base, or is it lapsed funding from decreased enrolment in JK funding? What is this funding? I cannot find it in the business plan. I cannot find it in the main estimates. Where is it? Let's start with where it comes from, and then I would like to know where it shows up. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I mentioned, the mains were printed before those decisions were made, and it is an internal reallocation. The Member did mention that there was a lower enrolment than we expected in junior kindergarten. I will just confirm that it is an internal reallocation to fund inclusive schooling for junior kindergarten. To get into the really specific details, I can go to Mr. Lovely to explain. I think he explained it earlier, as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Lovely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In a normal business planning year, if the enrolments had gone down, that funding would have been returned to the Department of Finance. Rather than return that money to the Department of Finance, it was reinvested into the education system under inclusive schooling. However, because of the timing of when the main estimates were printed and when that decision was made, it was unable to be reflected in the main estimates for 20182019, but, as we move forward into the next main estimates process, it will be reflected in the 20182019 revised main estimates. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Lovely. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to our ECE colleagues for that explanation. So, that $881,000, is it entirely from this lapsed funding or is some of it an internal reallocation of contributions that go to the district education authorities? What is the proportion if it is mixed up? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I can confirm with the Member that it is entirely from the lapse, the funding. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Okay, thanks, Mr. Chair. That is better than taking it out of, clawing it out of, the DEA funding, so that is good news. So is this just a onetime allocation, or is it basically going to be added to the ongoing funding that is provided to the district education authorities? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is added to ongoing. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay. That is not what I think I heard last time from the Minister. Just to be crystal clear, this $881,000 addition for inclusive schooling to presumably cover junior kindergarten students, that will be added to the ongoing funding that is provided to the district education authorities not just in 20182019, but in all future years. Is that correct? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is ongoing funding from JK to 12, as I had mentioned earlier, and every year, it is going to change based on enrolments from school to school, authority to authority. I will ask my assistant deputy minister, Olin Lovely, to maybe get into a little bit more detail. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Lovely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Under inclusive schooling for this current fiscal year, it was only counting the number of students who were in kindergarten to grade 12. Because of this decision to include junior kindergarten students in the inclusive schooling formula, in the 20182019 school year, those students will be counted within that formula for inclusive schooling.
$881,000 reflects the amount that is provided under inclusive schooling for the number of junior kindergarten students throughout the education system. If the number of junior kindergarten students increases, then the amount for inclusive schooling will go up. If it decreases, the amount for junior kindergarten will go down. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Lovely. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think I understand that, but is this then the equivalent of actually changing the formulas that fund inclusive schooling to now include junior kindergarten students for all future years? Is that what this really amounts to? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and yes. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Well, that was a long series of questions to get to the basic answer that the formulas are going to be changed. That's great for inclusive schooling.
I want to refresh the Minister and his staff's memories, then, about Tabled Document 42318(2) on September 19, 2017. I have got extra copies here if the Minister and his staff need them, but this was a table that showed the formulas for funding schools where junior kindergarten was not included and then the shortfall if junior kindergarten students were included.
I have just heard now from the Minister that he is going to include junior kindergarten students for the inclusive schooling portion of those formulas. That is great news. What about the other portions that did not include junior kindergarten students, like administration, school consultants, counselling, secretaries, custodians, Aboriginal languages O and M, and Aboriginal languages assistance? Are those formulas going to be changed to include junior kindergarten students in 20182019? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are currently looking at the Aboriginal languages directive, and we are looking at possibly adding that moving forward. With all of the other ones, I believe they are going to stay the same, but we are including JK in those. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Once that directive is sorted out, one of the potential outcomes is to change the formula to include JK students? Is that what I am hearing from the Minister? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and yes, that is correct. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell us when that developmental review of the directive is going to be completed? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't have an exact timeline, but I can let the Member know that probably within the next couple of months, probably before the next business planning cycle. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
