Fully funding junior kindergarten? Not this fall, says N.W.T. gov't

Regular MLAs are disappointed the N.W.T.'s government promise to fully fund the expansion of junior kindergarten won't apply to the coming 2017-2018 school year.

The funding model unveiled on Wednesday, if approved by a majority of MLAs, could still force school boards in the territory to reallocate money from their own budgets to help pay for the expansion.

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"Now finally we have a commitment to fully fund it," said Kieron Testart, the MLA for Yellowknife's Kam Lake riding.

The bad news?

"This budget doesn't do that," he added.

$2.7 million is for future school years 

CBC News is still seeking answers from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment on how much the expansion is expected to cost this fall and how the budget would be divvied up. 

But here's what we know so far. 

The government announced two amounts for junior kindergarten on Wednesday.

The first amount, $1.5 million, is for the coming school year, which MLAs say would leave school boards making up some of the cost.

But the government also promised to provide another $2.7 million "to fully fund junior kindergarten during the 18th legislative assembly."

When exactly the latter funding will be available was not immediately clear to John Stephenson, the chairperson of the YK1 school board in Yellowknife, after listening to Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod's budget speech.

"What we'll be keen to find out is the timing of that for our planning purposes," he said. "We're planning now to welcome students into our school at the end of August. And we have to plan now for classes and teachers."

School boards have money to chip in: minister 

McLeod says the earliest the $2.7 million would be available is 2018-2019.

"The commitment that I'm making is that we put $1.5 million into it this year and we will put $2.7 million within the next two years," he said during a roundtable with media before his speech. 

He also seemed to suggest that with the government now committing to fully fund the program — eventually — the school boards may now be more open to chipping in for the coming 2017-2018 school year.

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"Not all the communities in the territory are ready for junior kindergarten. And knowing now that it's going to be funded by the government may make them speed up the process of implementing junior kindergarten."

Alfred Moses, the minister of Education, Culture and Employment, echoed McLeod in the legislative assembly Wednesday.

"We believe that the education authorities have the leadership, the fiscal management skills and the financial flexibility to be able to cover the remaining costs," said Moses.

"All our education authorities have an accumulated surplus of over $10 million, and we're also asking them to look within there as well."

Funding doesn't go far enough: MLAs

Regular MLAs past and present fear the government's funding won't go far enough.

"I certainly welcome the investment in junior kindergarten, but I don't think that makes up the entire shortfall that the school boards are looking at," said Julie Green, the MLA for Yellowknife Centre.

"Are there hidden costs?" said Shane Thompson, the MLA for Nahendeh. "That's what we are trying to find out."

Meanwhile many parents of four-year-olds are planning for fall enrolment.

For the Boyd family in Yellowknife, the option of junior kindergarten is welcome news.

"Emily's going to go to Sissons, Kate is already at Sissons, so I'm really looking forward to one drop-off," said Christine Boyd.

"I know that there are some programs that will suffer for it, the daycares and the dayhomes, but I feel that it's a good thing. I did junior kindergarten in Ontario 31 years ago so I know it's a program that has worked elsewhere and I'm looking forward to seeing how it works here."