Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the 1997/98 academic year, the budget for school contributions is about $139 million or approximately half of this department's total budget. We are working with our partners in education across the Northwest Territories, the divisional education councils, to determine an appropriate funding formula for all divisional education councils and district education authorities. Part of the problem we have with determining the formula is the total amount of money is not growing each year - in other words our business plan has had to include virtually the same amount of money for the three years reflected in the business plan.
The formula has to reflect what the actual enrolment is next year because that $139 million has to suffice no matter what the school population is in each of the divisional education councils come September, 1997. As recently as March of this year representatives from the divisional education councils have come to work with representatives from the department to discuss changes to the formula. All of the boards, as we used to call them, or divisional education councils have a pretty good idea as to what they are going to see next year. The final number has to reflect somewhat the growth in school populations.
There have been some recommended changes from this working group which last met in March that we are going to implement for 97/98 and I would expect the figures should be relatively firm within the next couple of weeks. As I have said, most of the boards have a pretty good idea of what they will receive this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.