GNWT Reaffirms Commitment to Inclusive Schooling and Early Childhood Development

Communiqués de presse

YELLOWKNIFE (June 19, 2012) -- Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) Jackson Lafferty reaffirmed the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) commitment to inclusive schooling and early childhood development today.

As part of the Legislative Assembly’s review and approval of the 2012-13 Main Estimates, the GNWT has agreed to reallocate $1 million to early childhood development.  This new investment in early childhood development is being funded through a reallocation from funds previously allocated to inclusive schooling.

“Investments in early childhood development benefit our children and prepare them to enter the school system ready to learn, reducing the need for more supports later on,” said Minister Lafferty. “We worked with Members of the Legislative Assembly to identify funding in ECE’s budget for early childhood development during the recent budget session. With their help, we have come up with a solution that invests in this important priority while continuing to provide inclusive schooling programs and services across the NWT.”

ECE provides $26 million annually to school boards to fund inclusive schooling. This funding is part of the approximately $150 million ECE provides to school boards, out of a total departmental budget of $300 million, for the education of children from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The internal funding transfer represents less than one percent of overall school board funding.  The school boards have the ability to allocate their budgets each year to a variety of programs and services.

Funding for inclusive schooling is provided through a formula based on 12 categories of expenditure. ECE reviewed past spending in these 12 categories to identify opportunities for reallocating funds while ensuring minimal impact on programs and services.

Members of the Legislative Assembly approved the GNWT’s 2012-13 budget on June 8, 2012.

For more information, contact:

Megan Holsapple
Media Liaison
Office of the Premier and Executive Council
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 669-2302
Fax: (867) 873-0111


BACKGROUNDER: 

INCLUSIVE SCHOOLING FUNDING REALLOCATION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Inclusive Schooling is based on a philosophy or a belief system which welcomes all learners and values each as both unique and capable of learning.

There are twelve areas for expenditure for the school boards to allocate funding provided by ECE.  This funding allows education authorities to provide support systems and services to enable all students to be included as full participants in regular, age-appropriate classes within their home communities:

Inclusive Schooling Consultants

  • Funding is based on the prior year average salary and benefits for consultants (territorial and inclusive schooling consultants).

    •  

Program Support Teachers

  • Funding is based on the prior year average salary for teachers.
     

Counsellors

  • Base funding is provided for each community.

 

Program Assistance

  • Strategies, materials and personnel used to provide programming supports to meet the learning needs and goals of individuals and groups of students.

    •  

Magnet Facilities

  • Certain institutional facilities provide services to non-resident students and thus exhibit a high concentration of students with very challenging needs. These facilities have been identified as requiring additional supports and the education authority can access funding based on the average number of annual FTE students accommodated at the facility.  Funding is only provided for magnet facilities designated as such by ECE as defined above.
     
  • The following are identified as Magnet Facilities operating in the NWT:
    • Group Homes:
    • McAteer House (Yellowknife)
    • Territorial Treatment Centre (Yellowknife)
    • Trail Cross (Fort Smith)
  • § Young Offender Facilities (YOF): North Slave YOF (Yellowknife)

    •  

Staff Development

  • The staff development formula includes base funding and funding for travel in accordance with the number of communities that each council serves.
     

O & M (Travel & Minor Projects)

  • Travel and Minor Projects funding is for minor projects, travel and supplies.
     

Student Transportation

  • An additional per student allocation is provided for students requiring special transportation, such as buses with wheelchair lifts, or private vehicles.

    •  

Southern Placements

  • There may be extraordinary situations when a southern placement is necessary because an education authority is unable to provide a program for a student, despite having met all the requirements as outlined in the Inclusive Schooling Directive.  Other such instances may occur where placements are initiated by the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services in consultation with the relevant education authority.
     

Healing and Counselling

  • It is recognized that, in pursuing their academic goals, students may need help in addressing personal, social, or emotional issues. Counselling and Healing refer to strategies and supports designed to address behavioural, social, emotional, and healing issues, including residential school recovery.

 

Student Success Initiatives

  • The SSI aims to improve student learning and performance. Education district level projects are funded to improve student achievement in a range of areas.  To address the particular needs of small communities, funding has been set aside to provide more targeted assistance to one or two small community schools.  Such schools are deemed “focus schools” and present some of the following characteristics:

    • § a significant percentage of students who function below grade level;

    • § a high percentage of students who have been identified as having special needs or learning disabilities;

    • § the need for cultural enrichment, or;

    • § a high rate of nonattendance.

      •  
  • A focus school will be identified where the school community demonstrates the readiness to address such issues that have been identified for its school. Final determination of focus schools rests with the Department.


Coordination of Integrated Services

  • Provides supplementary funding provided to education authorities to work with other social agencies.


The three areas affected by the funding reallocation:

  • Coordination of Integrated Services provides supplementary funding provided to education authorities to work with other social agencies. The entire $480,000 formula allocation would be reduced in the 2012-13 School Year (SY);
  • Staff Development provides funding for staff development related to student support services. The formula allocation would be reduced by $275,000 or 18% in the 2012-13 SY; and
  • Magnet Facilities provides funding for non-resident students accommodated in group homes and young offender facilities. The formula allocation would be reduced by $245,000 or 16% in the 2012-13 SY.


The overall impact of this funding reallocation is less than one (1%) percent of the total funding provided by the Department to Divisional Education Councils and District Education Authorities in the NWT.


For more information, please contact:

Shaun Dean
Phone: (867) 669-2304
Email: shaun_dean@gov.nt.ca