Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t often get to do this, but as I said yesterday, I want to congratulate the Premier on the content of his statement on Junior Kindergarten yesterday.

As you will have guessed from the applause, we found it gratifying to know that the executive does actually listen to Members periodically, does actually listen to us periodically when we give voice to our constituents’ concerns, and they took action to do the right thing.

But, as pointed out by Mr. Dolynny yesterday, there is still the issue of funding for the Junior Kindergarten program. Apparently there will be no change to the funding model. Education authorities will continue to have to provide a new grade in their schools without any new funding. As has been said, the funding design is flawed, very flawed.

That funding model, put in place by ECE, targets regional centres and YK schools. Why do I say that? Well, first of all, there are no reductions to board budgets for schools which have less than 120 students.

Secondly, it’s the stated view of the Premier and Education, Culture and Employment Minister that education authority surpluses are to be used up, to make up for the dollars clawed back by ECE to finance Junior Kindergarten.

Thirdly, the only boards that had budget reductions imposed in the ’14-15 school year were the boards that did not have Junior Kindergarten programs this year.

Fourth, the Minister and Premier regularly state, as justification for the clawbacks, that authorities are over-funded, that schools are funded well beyond what legislation requires. The law requires 16 kids to one staff, a 16 to 1 PTR, as we say. In reality, the schools which are over-funded are our smallest schools. Out of our 49 NWT schools, we have nine schools which are funded at less than nine students to one staff. A couple of schools are less than 4 to 1 PTR, and we have 19 schools which are funded at less than 13 to 1 PTR. It is the schools in the regional centres and Yellowknife which are close to or at the 16 to 1 PTR. Yet reductions are applied across the board, except for schools of 120 students or less.

If the Minister and Premier intend to fund at 16 to 1 to meet our legislative requirement and if they plan to make the application of that standard fair, our smallest schools and our smallest communities will be devastated, they will be inoperable.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted