Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Hay River (Jun 25/01) - Citing irreconcilable differences, the Hay River French school has been granted a divorce from the local school board.
Effective Aug. 1, the Conseil Scolaire Francophone de Hay River will leave the Hay River District Education Authority and become part of the Commission Scolaire, a Francophone school board formed last November when Ecole Allain St. Cyr split from the Yellowknife1 School District.
While the conseil was granted custody of the 18 students, the property settlement is uncertain.
The French First Language program is run out of the Princess Alexandria elementary school, but the kindergarten to Grade four program has outgrown the two classrooms they now occupy, said chair Gerry Goudreau.
"We really need four rooms," Goudreau said.
On direction from the federal government, the French school had hoped to occupy four portable classrooms that are to be moved to the school from Fort Resolution.
Goudreau said the portables would house the Francisation preschool, kindergarten and Grades one through four and one portable for administration. The rooms would also contain their own library and computer lab.
Those hopes were dashed somewhat last week at a meeting in Hay River when Curtis Brown, the superintendent for the South Slave Divisional Educataion Council said the decision of how the buildings will be used is up to the local DEA.
Chair of the Hay River DEA, Andrew Butler says no decision has been made on the use of the four trailers.
Butler says there are number of details to be worked out with the department of Education Culture and Employment (ECE) before any decisions are made.
Education minister Jake Ootes could not be reached for comment.
Consiel board member Rick Conners said the federal government recommended they use the portables and pay rent to the GNWT until a French wing was built on P.A. school, but with or without the portables, the students will require space.
"Our needs haven't gone away," Conners said. "We're in this building until they find somewhere else for us."
While the DEA awaits the minister's response, Butler said some issues regarding how services will be shared that will have to be worked out with the consiel.
"Until that time we're sort of in limbo land, because we don't have anyone to negotiate with," Butler said.
The French school will be funded as a regular school division and extra costs would be covered by Heritage Canada. The new school will have two teachers -- one teacher will be paid by the GNWT through regular formula financing and the federal government will fund a second teacher and a part-time monitor.
