Mr. Speaker, Return to Written Question 5-13(3), asked by Mr. Barnabas.
The following replies are in response to the six written questions asked by Mr. Barnabas on May 16, 1996.
1. There are five communities in the Baffin which will have more than one school next year. Will the Department of Education provide the Baffin Divisional Board with funds to allow every community school to have a school counsellor?
In the past, school community counsellor positions were allocated to communities which had a trainee in the training program. This resulted in an unequal distribution of counsellors. The new funding formula is more equitable because funding for counselling is now based on enrolment. The changes in the contribution funding formula are intended to support the autonomy of boards and school districts, and to prepare for division of the Northwest Territories in 1999 by distributing resources equitably across the NWT.
Since the Baffin Divisional Board of Education had a higher ratio of counsellors to students than other boards and, as a result of the new funding formula, the number of counsellor positions within the Baffin board decreased while positions in some other jurisdictions increased. Funding for counsellors will increase with increases in enrolment.
In addition, the department has recently considered the results of the review of the school community counsellor program. The review recommends closer ties between school community counsellors and community wellness programs. It further recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment work with Health and Social Services to integrate counsellor training. The department will be pursuing these recommendations with Health and Social Services.
2. Will school community counsellor positions be built into the funding provided to divisional boards of education for the community grade extensions?
The department is looking at the issue of grade extensions to see what is needed to improve support, which includes counselling, for high school programming.
Forced Growth
3. Is there a supplementary reserve built into the 1996-97 budget which will be available to provide formula funding increases to respond to the growth in the student enrolments?
During the past meetings with the board directors and superintendents, the idea of establishing a reserve fund to respond to extraordinary student enrolment increases was discussed. The boards did not want the department to hold back funds. Establishing a reserve fund meant adjusting the pupil/teacher ratio. As a result, no reserve was established for the 1996-97 school year.
4. If the department now only considers supplementary funding after increases of more than eight per cent, does that mean we must wait two years before the Baffin can receive supplementary funding for the number of students we have?
Funding is based on prior year enrolment. Therefore, student enrolment increases would be reflected in the following year's contribution. For 1995-96, the department requested supplementary funding to address the above-average enrolment increases on behalf of the boards. The department has indicated to the boards that the possibility of supplementary funding for 1996-97 is very limited.
McGill University Tuition Fees For TEP Students
5. Is it true that the Department of Education is refusing to pay for these fees for 1995-96?
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment did not pay McGill University tuition fees for 1995-96. In the summer of 1994, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment advised Nunavut Arctic College that it would not be responsible for the additional tuition fees for McGill courses, effective in the 1995-96 academic year. The department funds the college for all delivery costs of the teacher education program. The department advised the college to meet with McGill to resolve the issue of fees and to identify alternate institutions to deliver the required courses if necessary.
The college reviewed the agreement with McGill and the fee arrangements remained in place. Following notification from the college of this arrangement, the department advised the college that all costs associated with the agreement would be the responsibility of Nunavut Arctic College.
University transfer agreements between northern public colleges and universities provide accredited training for northerners. Generally, however, such arrangements do not include a cost to the northern colleges. For example, the current arrangement for teacher training provided at Aurora College is accredited through the University of Saskatchewan, at no cost to the college.
6. Will the Department of Education, Culture and Employment be paying the McGill tuition fees for TEP students at Nunavut Arctic College for 1996-97?
Nunavut Arctic College staff have had opportunity to review and resolve the matter. Their decision to review the agreement with McGill University has direct cost implications for which the college is being held accountable. The department will not pay the McGill tuition fees for TEP students at Nunavut Arctic College for the 1996-97 academic year.