So, because of how the SSDEC distributes funds, the Hay River DEA receives only the funding that is calculated in the funding formula. Now, I haven't gone through the DEA's books line by line, but I know that their budget is stretched thin and they have absolutely no wiggle room. I know the budget amount for busing doesn't cover the full cost of busing, and because their entire budget is already fully utilized, they have no extra funds to put aside to cover the costs of replacing the buses which need to be replaced in the next year or two. In the meantime, the district education council, the SSDEC, has been accumulating a surplus of over $3 million, as of I believe last year. Couldn't that DEC surplus be used to either fund the busing issue that we're having now or help replace the buses?
R.J. Simpson on Question 811-18(3): School Busing in Hay River
In the Legislative Assembly on August 15th, 2019. See this statement in context.
Question 811-18(3): School Busing in Hay River
Oral Questions
August 15th, 2019
Page 6040
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