Premier to address controversial junior kindergarten program
MLAs say program isn't required in big communities with established daycares
MLAs say they're getting increasingly frustrated with the way the Education Minister Jackson Lafferty is handling the territory's move to start junior kindergarten.
Regular members have peppered Lafferty with questions for the past week. They say the program requires additional funding and moving four year olds into schools will have a negative impact on existing pre-school programs.
Premier Bob McLeod will be speaking about the issue in the legislature Thursday afternoon, but his press secretary's office would not say what will be in his statement.
Several MLAs confirmed they met Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to discuss their dissatisfaction with the minister's plans to move forward with the program. There were no questions about the program Wednesday during question period.
Junior kindergarten is already running in 23 communities. It is scheduled to launch in a handful of small communities as well as Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik next fall, followed by Yellowknife in 2016.
Lafferty declined an interview request Wednesday, but has said he's committed to reviewing the implementation plans before the program goes ahead in the coming school years.
He has had the education portfolio for seven years and rarely does interviews.
Minister says he's looking for feedback
"I want to hear the parents," Lafferty said Monday. "Right now I am just hearing it from the school boards, but I want to hear from the parents’ perspective, because what we are hearing now is 23 communities with Junior Kindergarten is working fine for those communities that are delivering it."
Nearly all regular MLAs have spoken about junior kindergarten this session, many saying they support the concept but don't agree with how it's being implemented in the territory.
"It’s bad for the communities that already have something established, and it’s not enough resources for the people who don’t. It’s a lose-lose all around," said Hay River South MLA Jane Groenwegen. "You cannot move an initiative like this forward with no resources. I know I may be repeating myself, but you can’t do it. You can’t throw $15,000 at a small community and say, here, invite all the four-year-olds into your school program."
Wendy Bisaro, who represents Frame Lake, said there are alternatives to putting junior kindergarten in schools if the goal is providing a free service.
"The Minister can subsidize existing four-year-old programs to make them free to clients, or he can provide subsidies to parents who now pay market rates for preschool or daycare so the program is free," she said.
Finance asking for money to cover junior kindergarten costs
This week, the Finance Minister introduced supplementary appropriations for operating and infrastructure costs. This includes $375,000 for costs association with implementing junior kindergarten and $330,000 for infrastructure upgrades related to junior kindergarten in schools in Fort McPherson, Tuktoyaktuk and Colville Lake.
In June, MLAs passed a motion asking that the Education, Culture and Employment look for new money to fund junior kindergarten. At the time, Lafferty says moving money around within his department would cover the necessary costs. Cabinet abstained from the vote.
"It begs for me to say whether or cabinet does take what we're trying to do seriously," said Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses Wednesday evening during the budget review. "Now we're having the government come back to committee and saying, 'yeah we do need that money.' Why didn't they listen to us the first time?"