Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 04/05) - One school board is feeling left out now that a long-awaited plan on how to spend $18 million on educational facilities in Yellowknife is complete.

Yellowknife Catholic Schools was looking for a new school to fix its overcrowding problem, but the plan by FSC Architects and Engineers said city schools have more than enough space and found no need for a new building.

"The only school system that hasn't had its needs addressed is us," says Kern Von Hagen, Yellowknife Catholic Schools superintendent.

"We were very clear in the process. If they were going to say no new school, we were fine with that, as long as they accommodated us," he says.

But the Catholic board may see some school improvements. Renovation of the 27-year-old Ecole St. Joseph was one of four recommendations in the plan. Von Hagen called that good news, but said it will not fix the district's problems.

The plan, commissioned by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment last year, says it can't justify a new school when there are 880 desks sitting empty. Most of those spaces are in Yellowknife Education District No. 1's seven schools.

Other recommendations included a renovation of the public system's Ecole J.H. Sissons, Yellowknife's oldest school, and demolition of the crumbling Akaitcho Hall residence.

The biggest potential winner is Aurora College. The plan acknowledges that the college needs a new space and possibly a new building within 10 years.

The college has been looking for a new campus for years now, after outgrowing leased space in Northern United Place.

Tim Gauthier, public affairs manager with the college, said Aurora is hoping for a new campus downtown.

The plan found the college bursting at its seams and operating with only 57 per cent of the space it actually needs.

"We've made it clear that at some point, a dedicated facility for the college would be required," he said.

The plan's authors say the boards need to work together on sharing space and redistributing students, something that Von Hagen says could work, but not at the expense of a Catholic education.

Metro Huculak, superintendent of Yk No. 1, is happy with the plan.

He suggested that Yellowknife Catholic Schools could fix its overcrowding problem by serving Catholic students first and putting others on a waiting list.

Not all the students in the Catholic school system are Catholic. "What happens in Alberta in the Catholic school system is if you don't have enough space, your priority is to take Catholic students and turn away other students," he said.

Von Hagen said that goes against the NWT Education Act which allows parents to choose where they send their kids.

"Why should we have to compromise our mission, our values and our identity for just a practical, functional and pragmatic reason. There are more important things at play here," he said.

A steering committee of representatives from the Francophone district, Yk No. 1, Yellowknife Catholic Schools, Aurora College, and the territorial government set to work on the plan last December.

Ecole Allain St-Cyr was considered a separate subject, because its dependence on federal funding under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A renovation plan for the French school is being developed, but most of that funding comes from Ottawa.

The 119-page facility plan is in the hands of Education minister Charles Dent. Dent said he's looking forward to hearing comments from each education district, as well as the public. He'll use them in the 20-year capital planning process.