Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Mr. Hawkins, I think. I stand again today to once more voice my concerns about the way the Department of Education, Culture and Employment funds inclusive schooling in our schools. The department directive on inclusive schooling states, “Inclusive schooling is intended to ensure equal access for all students to educational programs offered in regular classroom settings.”
As I pointed out in March of this year, this very preamble highlights what is wrong with how inclusive schooling in the NWT is currently being funded and addressed at the departmental level. Inclusive schooling should not be about ensuring equal access. It should be about ensuring equity for our students, and there’s a big difference there, Mr. Speaker.
As a former educator, I hear a lot from other educators, parents, education councils and authorities and board members, who all want the best for the children in their care. But in order for teachers to do that, to properly respond to each individual student’s needs, the department has to come up with a funding formula for inclusive schooling that ensures success for NWT students. The department must work with all education councils, authorities and boards to develop that formula, not impose it on them.
I hear from the Yellowknife school boards regularly about their ongoing concerns with how inclusive schooling is funded. I hear over and over how it’s not working for them, how Yellowknife students are not receiving equitable access to resources as a result of inequities in the funding formula.
About 18 months ago, Education, Culture and Employment, in its wisdom – I have to say it was poor judgment, in my mind – reduced the inclusive schooling funding by about $1 million across all NWT school districts. As a result, Yellowknife Education District No. 1, for instance, has had to supplement the cost of their inclusive schooling programs from their budgeted surplus. In school year 2011-12, both Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic Schools spent approximately $2.5 million in inclusive schooling over and above the funding provided by Education.
Now, two years later, they have used up their surpluses. It’s not available for them to use anymore to sustain those inclusive schooling programs. Next year, if nothing changes, both boards expect to have to either increase taxes or cut programs.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Some months ago, the Minister promised the department would do a review of the inclusive schooling funding formula, but there is no evidence to date that that has been done. It’s time to revisit and redefine the funding formula for inclusive schooling. The entire inclusive schooling directive must also be revisited, revised and redefined. Both of these must be done in consultation with education stakeholders, developed with them, not designed by the department and then presented to stakeholders for comment.
We spend a lot of money on inclusive schooling. We must evaluate how we are spending it, revamp it accordingly, and ensure equitable access to education programs for all students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
