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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - School teachers and appointed board trustees will likely be territorial government employees once mergers of public service boards are complete, according to a recent report.

The territorial government's refocusing committee report, released Jan. 29, says the Department of Education, Culture and Employment will be responsible for school staffing.

The proposal raises the question as to how the department will deal with the NWT Teacher's Association - the union that represents teachers working for the city's two school districts.

"That's one of the questions we need to investigate," said Duff Spence, chair of Yk Education District No. 1.

"There are different bargaining units and the packages aren't the same, especially when it comes to things like pension issues. It's one of the things we are looking at."

David Reid, president of the NWT Teachers' Association, said the government faces serious complexities if it goes ahead with the proposed reforms.

"If they were to go ahead with it you're looking at moving 300 people into the government service," he said.

"The pension plans are vastly different. It would have quite an impact on the government on who is going to pay for what.

"There has to be some consultation. We've been nattering at them as to when it's going to happen. It hasn't happened for us yet."

What to do with the various properties owned by Yk No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic Schools is also being look at by the government's refocusing committee but Michael Miltenberger, the cabinet minister leading it, said the government has yet to find a way to handle it. The report also states that the government will likely bring appointed school board members on as government staff.

"The question will be if it can be arranged for them to come in as GNWT employees," said Miltenberger.

"They'd be captured as well. Not all are union in the government, there are excluded employees, so where there are unions we have to look at that whole transition piece."

The report outlines board composition, roles and responsibilities, and the structure in which the regional boards will operate. However, the report does not outline specifics about the Yellowknife region.

"It doesn't address any of the specific challenges of Yellowknife," Spence said. "Both boards own properties and we have surpluses and it doesn't address those things. It overstates the successes of the Tlicho model and understates challenges we face here.

"There are still a lot of holes in this thing and no direct communication between the minister and our board."