Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to provide a bit of detail in terms of actions by the committee and this information has been reviewed by the chairs in cooperation with the Minister.
The allocation for the pupil-teacher ratio changed from 18:1 to 17.5:1, has been instituted. It essentially means about a 3.5 percent increase in the number of teacher-person years for the 2000-2001 year. In the area of inclusive schooling, the SPAR Committee looked at allocations just for the 2000-2001 academic year. Recognizing the survey was coming, they felt it was important simply to make the allocation for the upcoming year and then revisit it with a three year plan as soon as the survey data was in.
They have allocated money in three areas for the 2000-2001 year. The first is an increase of about $500,000 for staff development in the schools to assist with the inclusive schooling activities. The second was direct program assistance to students with the allocation. We raised the allocation for the full-time equivalent for each student, from $260 per student to $370 per student. That is allocated to each council on a per student basis. The third area was they set aside additional funding for minor projects and equipment. It is a relatively small amount of $77,000 but they felt it was important to ensure the DECs had additional monies for that purpose for the 2000-2001 year. The intention of that committee is to meet again after the student survey is in and provide a three-year plan.