Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With your permission...
PART III: Communities - Governance
Membership And Terms
Issue: In responding to a request from divisional boards for more continuity on education councils and committees in the communities, the draft act proposes that the term of office of members of a district education authority will be three years, except where the term of the municipal council of a district is two years. In this manner, the election of district authority members would coincide with municipal elections.
The committee felt that each community is different and should be able to decide for themselves how much "continuity" they require in their district education authority membership. It was suggested that this provision for determining the terms of members be flexible, perhaps within a range of one to four years, to allow more community control.
Response: The department responded by indicating that a provision will be added:
"allowing communities to petition the Minister for an alternate length of term for the members of the district education authority. One qualifier will be that the elections for the district education authority must coincide with the elections for the municipal authority in their district so that costs are not increased. Since most municipal authorities have staggered terms, and so have elections every year, this would allow a great deal of flexibility for most communities if they wished to change the terms of the members of the district education authority."
Issue: The draft act also proposes that the person who receives the most votes in the election and the person receiving the second-highest number of votes will be named the chairperson and the vice-chairperson respectively.
The committee did not agree with this method of selecting these positions and recommended that the department make a change.
Response: The department agreed to change the relevant sections to enable the district education authority to select is chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its members, rather than being determined by the number of votes candidates received during an election.
Coordination
Issue: In the general discussions on the role and responsibilities of district education authorities in the community, the committee felt that there should be more emphasis placed on the need for coordination of education planning and management with the governing authority of the municipality.
Response: The department made a commitment to add a provision in the responsibilities and duties of local authorities that requires the district education authority to inform the governing authority of the municipality or community of the development and use of school facilities to enable coordination with municipal planning.
Part IV: Finance And Administration
Public Denominational Finance
Issue: In the discussions on support for, and voting in the elections of, either public or public denominational schools, there was some confusion with respect to the options available to ratepayers.
Response: Upon closer examination of the relevant provisions of the draft act, department officials provided the following explanation:
"...those who support a public denominational district may vote for the district education authority of that district, and those who support the public district may vote for (that) authority. If a person sends contributions to both districts, they must choose the district in which they will vote, because they cannot vote for both the public and public denominational district education authorities. (In addition,) only those support the public denominational district through taxes can vote on issues dealing with the expenditure of money in that district."
However, in the event of joint property ownership, the draft act allows the two joint tenants "to send their contributions to different districts and each to vote for the district education authority of the district to which they send their contributions."
Conclusion
The Standing Committee on Legislation was very pleased with the draft of the new Education Act. Although it will likely require additional adjustments and minor revisions to meet the needs and concerns of northerners, the committee felt that the foundation and the necessary provisions are present. The committee especially supports the move reflected in the proposed legislation to vest communities with additional responsibility and authority for education. This will allow community and regional priorities and differences to be reflected in education programming throughout the north, while maintaining the quality and standards of the core curriculum.
The committee is aware that over the course of the last two months the department has endeavoured to present the draft legislation to the divisional boards of education across the Northwest Territories and engage in discussions aimed at further improving the new Education Act. When the education bill is introduced, it will likely reflect additional changes suggested by the education boards.
A new Education Act for the Northwest Territories has been years in the making. When the education bill is introduced in the Legislative Assembly, the committee is confident that all parties, including government, communities, education professionals, parents and students will give it the priority consideration it deserves.
Acknowledgements
The Standing Committee on Legislation gratefully acknowledges the considerable efforts of the Honourable Richard Nerysoo, and the staff of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in assisting the committee with its review: Mr. Hal Gerein, the deputy minister; Mr. Eric Colbourne, the ADM of educational development; Ms. Gail Joyce, director of policy and planning; Ms. Janet Grinsted, senior policy advisor on legislation.
Their commitment to education in the north enabled the committee to gain a thorough understanding of the proposed legislation through their contributions to the committee's review of the discussion paper.
Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Legislation.
Motion To Receive Committee Report 6-12(7) And Move To Committee Of The Whole, Carried
I have a motion to make, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Natilikmiot, that the report of the Standing Committee on Legislation on its review of the draft Education Act be received by the Assembly and moved into committee of the whole.
