Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, during the public meeting on junior kindergarten funding, ECE advised us that junior kindergarten would be funded according to a pupilteacher ratio of 12:1, but, in the same discussion, the ECE also advised that the funding formula was an allocation tool, not a tool to determine whether or not funding that ECE delivers is adequate to meet schools' and students' needs. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain how this impacts schools and school boards who have identified where funding is inadequate to meet the needs of the students and the schools? Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that commitment; it helps. I'm just trying to understand where it is, and I greatly appreciate the Minister is going to make that commitment; it will help maybe eliminate some of the questions in the future. So thanks, Mr. Chair; I'm done with this page. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the assistant deputy minister for his answer. I guess, again, I see two areas of bank services, other program costs: can the Minister explain what these other program costs are? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

No, thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the deputy minister for that answer. Could the Minister advise us if these two positions were vacant or if they were reduced through a package at the end of the day? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the deputy minister for his answer. Just to follow up on honourable Member from Sahtu, when we talk about other program costs, is there a rationale for it being split up, or why couldn’t we just put it into the areas that it should have been put in? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. I think we are looking at the bigger centres, and that is why we are seeing a larger increase. With the implementation of junior kindergarten from the start, my understanding is the department required the divisional education councils to provide $2 million of the startup cost. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if this $2 million is on top of the $1.4 million? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that answer, but he has to also realize that I speak for the territories. I sit as the chair of social development, and I am hearing these concerns across the territories. I have to agree with the Minister. It is working well in my region, and I am not saying that. I am saying, across the territories, there are concerns, and this is why we are asking these questions.

Mr. Speaker, ECE has indicated that it will take $5.1 million to implement junior kindergarten in all of the remaining NWT classrooms, not including some onetime spending to make classrooms physically ready...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Chief Julian Yendo School junior high school students have been working really hard all year to be able to be part of the annual Jasper and Edmonton field trip. The school staff, the District Education Authority, and the parents worked together to come up with guidelines the students need to fulfill to be able to go on the trip.

Mr. Speaker, some of the guidelines involved the students to have good attendance, complete their assigned work, be well behaved in school, and be respectful of their fellow students, visitors, and school staff. On top of this, the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the deputy minister for his answer. So I'm assuming that under Finance and Employment Shared Services other program costs are the same thing: salary and O and M? Thank you, Mr. Chair.