Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to ask the Minister some questions about junior kindergarten.
Last fall the government, in its wisdom, chose to put a stop to the implementation of junior kindergarten in the NWT.
Schools that were offering junior kindergarten in the 2014-15 school year were advised that they could cease offering that program if they advised the Department of Education prior to a December 14, 2014, deadline. There was a piece in our local paper a number of weeks ago, which talked about those schools that had chosen to withdraw.
I would like to know from the Minister if he could advise the House what was the result of his offer to the schools and to the district education authorities to continue or withdraw from junior kindergarten programming. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When the decision came down by the government in this House on October 30th not to proceed with the second and third phase, the 23 communities that were in the process of delivering junior kindergarten, we reached out to them and they provided a written response by the end of last year in December. There were some communities that decided to opt out. Out of 23, there are 19 communities that decided to continue with junior kindergarten, a majority of JK deliverance in the community for this year and also next year. Next year will be around 18 junior kindergartens being delivered in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. The Minister, the House knows, Members know, and I think the public knows that there’s now a review underway for junior kindergarten. The results are not likely to be known, I don’t imagine, before the election occurs.
I’d like to know what plans does Education, Culture and Employment have with regard to junior kindergarten for the 2015-16 year. Will it go beyond the 18 communities that the Minister just mentioned? Thank you.
Mahsi. We are currently, as the Member indicated, reviewing the overall JK, junior kindergarten deliverance for next year. The communities that provided written to opt out of junior kindergarten have been verified and next year the plan is to have 18 junior kindergartens to be delivered as part of the process. That’s where it stands. We go by what’s been written to our department by the DEAs and the DECs. Mahsi.
So, he said there are 18 that are going to continue next year. So that means there will be no additional junior kindergarten programs started in the school year for ’15-16. So given that, and given, as well, that the education authority budgets were reduced in the 2014-15 fiscal year, my belief is that the department has all the money that is needed to run junior kindergarten in school year ’15-16. If it’s 18, they actually have more because we’ve gone from 23 or 22 down to 18.
So, can education authorities expect any further contribution reductions for junior kindergarten implementation in their school year ’15-16? Thank you.
Mahsi. When the decision was made October 30th, the decision was that we’ll continue to deliver junior kindergarten this year and next year on the phase one approach with the existing funding that was allocated in working with the school boards. So that will continue, the decision that was made by this government. So that’s the process that we’ll continue to follow for next year. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to ask the question again. The education authorities were scheduled to be reduced, some of them were scheduled to be reduced three years running. The first year’s reductions have already taken place.
Will there be reductions to education authorities in the second year when there is no increase in the program offerings for junior kindergarten?
Mahsi. It is approximately $1.8 million to deliver junior kindergarten, and with the downsize to 19 and 18 there’s a small reduction that’s going back to the school boards. I must reiterate that the October 30th decision that was made by this House uses an existing fund that we’ve allocated. So, we’ll continue to go with that process, as well, for next year. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
