Wendy Bisaro

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...

Thanks to the Minister. The Premier yesterday stated, in answer to one of my questions, “we will be re-profiling from all authorities.” He was referencing the money that is being used for Junior Kindergarten, that it’s coming from all authorities. So, if it’s coming from all authorities, I’d like to say that 20 of our 49 schools are currently, give or take, less than 120 students. That’s almost half of our schools, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister explain the fairness of having small schools exempted from the budget reductions and, at the same time, receiving the small schools funding formula...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my statement and some of the questions asked by Mr. Dolynny yesterday. In this fiscal year, 2014-2015, budgets to all education authorities were reduced to a certain extent in order to fund the start of Junior Kindergarten. That funding apparently was to go help the 23 schools that are offering Junior Kindergarten this year to get their program in place.

So I would like to ask the Minister first off, why, if these programs are operational and we have funding for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t often get to do this, but as I said yesterday, I want to congratulate the Premier on the content of his statement on Junior Kindergarten yesterday.

As you will have guessed from the applause, we found it gratifying to know that the executive does actually listen to Members periodically, does actually listen to us periodically when we give voice to our constituents’ concerns, and they took action to do the right thing.

But, as pointed out by Mr. Dolynny yesterday, there is still the issue of funding for the Junior Kindergarten program. Apparently there will be no...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to give a brief explanation for the action that I’m about to take. I, as well, have listened to both sides of this argument and I am part of the committee that discussed this at great length. I am satisfied with the failsafes, I guess, that have been expressed by the government, and I do not feel the fear, I guess, that my colleagues do passing this bill without the word “vacant” in there. However, that said, I don’t feel that I can vote against my colleagues, so I will be abstaining.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the legislative counsel for the clarification. I guess with regard to the consultation, I would advise the department and the Minister that anytime legislation that involves employees, no matter who they are, is being contemplated, that there ought to be consultation with them on the changes that are intended to be made to an act.

I’m not quite sure what the Minister means by the fact that the NWTTA had access to the consultative process. It’s one thing for a submission to come in when the bill is at committee stage. It’s quite another thing for a submission to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a couple of comments. One of the things that came to light when we were discussing the bill, we received some comments from one of the stakeholders who was concerned about consultation. I don’t believe that there was enough consultation done on this bill, if there was any consultation done at all. One of the questions I have for the Minister is to advise us what consultation was done in the development of the amendments to Bill 30.

I would like to confirm in the definition of layoff, it’s being deleted, and I’d like to confirm, I believe the Minister advised us...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am still trying to find out how JK is being funded, if it’s the budget reductions that are funding it.

I would like to ask the Minister, if we are going to have reductions to education authority budgets in ‘15-16, what will that money be used for? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. So, I guess, it is an average across the territory. We’re going to make sure that no school or no education authority is beyond 16 to 1, which is appreciated for sure. But if that’s the case, then the Minister is going to subsidize from within the department. So we are going to end up reducing education authority funding and then he’s going to add money back in. Is that correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister, since I didn’t get an explanation as to whether it’s fair, I have to assume that it’s unfair and he can’t explain it.

My last question to the Minister is: We’ve heard many times that our legislated pupil-teacher ratio is 16 to 1. I have said that definitely we do not have 16 to 1 in all our schools. I would like to know from the department if we are intending to bring our funding down to 16 to 1, how does he intend to implement this 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio, particularly in small schools where some of them are 9 to 1 and some are 4 to 1. So, how is...