Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 17/98) - Yellowknife Education District No. 1 is looking for money.

It needs $1 million to complete a $13-million renovation of Sir John Franklin high school. Plans to fix the school will cost more than the board first anticipated.

"They have examined what the possible savings might be and what other sort of things we could cut back but at this point the board has looked at it and said no," said board superintendent, Ken Woodley.

"These are reasonable requirements for a new school." The preliminary renovation figures for Sir John Franklin started with just a raw budget figure representative of money available for capital projects at the time, said Woodley.

It was done at a low estimate level, a ball-park figure. But after community input and workshops with students and the public and the hiring of architects and consultants, the board fine-tuned the proposal.

From this it became clear that once they made program modifications and pared back on program areas that were not essential, they were still short about $1 million.

"The board deliberated and looked at the program they had designed for the building and what it wished to offer students over the next 10 to 15 to 20 years and said they do not want to cut back any more," said Woodley.

"Even if it costs a bit more than is readily available, we need to bite the bullet and fundraise for the difference," he said. "It's not good management educationally to cutback any more."

The board passed a resolution to raise roughly $1 million over the next three years to bridge the financial gap.

Renovation plans will go ahead as they are, with tenders going out in October and the first phase of renovation construction anticipated to begin in January.

A committee has been struck to use every means possible to raise the needed amount. Donations and gifts will also be considered. They will approach the student council, school, the alumni and ask them to take on projects to raise money.

Asked if a public-private partnership would be considered, taking after Yellowknife Catholic School's new expansion plans, he said the committee may look at it.

"It's not totally out of the realm of possibility I suppose," said Woodley.

To kick off the campaign, the board will be hosting a reception in the parking lot of the board office on Franklin Avenue, June 24 at noon.