Yellowknife (Dec 15/06) - Yellowknife district 1 trustee Marylou Cherwaty said giving themselves a raise during Tuesday's board meeting "was a very difficult thing to do."

It's been 14-years since YK1 trustees have had a pay increase.

Terry Brookes, chair for the YK1 school board, has been on the board for 12-years. "This is the first time there's been a pay increase."

The trustees pay went from $5,000 a year to $7,500. The vice-chair previously had the same pay as regular trustees, however in recognition of the extra work the vice-chair does the pay is now $8,500. The board's chairperson's pay rose from $7,500 to $10,000.

In the future the board has locked in their annual pay raises with the Yellowknife Consumer Price Index.

With the raise tied to the Yellowknife Consumer Price Index, the raises are out of their hands.

"In November the staffy can just look at (the price index)," said Brookes.

Intensive French doing well

The intensive French program at William McDonald school has ten students currently enroled in the program.

The course is geared to give students interested in stronger French skills who were unable to enrol in French immersion to take this course instead.

"The biggest thing that I was worried about were her English marks... They both have A's," Allan Shortt, a parent, said to the school board.

Students will be assessed in the spring of their growth in the program, and the school board will decide then if the intensive French program will continue.

"(We would like) to review the program. I'd really like to know where we are," school trustee Dale Thomson said.

Sandra Benson, mother of student in the program, said she is hopeful the program will continue. Her daughter now spontaneously speaks to her in French and is enjoying it.

"We're still waiting for the school board to confirm that this program will continue."

Benson would also like to see an option for a late French Immersion program as an option.

J.H. Sissons sees strong French immersion

According to the monthly enrolment tracking, J.H. Sissons school has 104 students in French immersion and 98 in English.

William McDonald has 177 in English and 98 in French.Sir John Franklin has seen a fluctuation in their student enrolment.

In September, the school had 767 students, 782 in October and in November the tally shows the count at 753. In November 2005 SJF had 726 students in total.