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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Taxpayers' support is drifting towards the public school district at the expense of the Catholic school board, according to statistics supplied by the city.

Figures show the percentage of support from Yellowknife ratepayers for Yk Education District No. 1 has climbed almost four per cent to 59.4 per cent since 2006, while property tax support for Yellowknife Catholic Schools has dropped to 40.6 per cent from 44.5 per cent.

Since 2006, ratepayer support between the two districts has been shifting towards YK1 by an average of about one per cent each year.

Close to $9 million in city property taxes will be divided between the two school districts this year. City ratepayers can choose how their tax allotments to the school districts are divided, and can even ask that all their allotment go to a single school district.

If they don't make a choice, the city splits the percentage of their tax support based on student enrollment between the two school districts, said Carl Bird, director of corporate services with the city.

In the fall of 2006, the Catholic school district attempted to bar non-Catholics from running in school board elections even though the district accepts non-Catholic students. The move led to a lengthy and very public court battle between the district and the territorial government, which the district lost, although the Catholic board is attempting to have its case heard in the Supreme Court of Canada.

When asked whether she believes the legal dispute might be turning off tax supporters in the city, Mary Vane, chair of the Catholic school board, said it would be unfair to property taxpayers to speculate on their motives.

"I don't think that it is wise to speculate about people unless you know why people actually switched taxes," said Vane, who said she thinks there might be another reason for the shift since 2006.

"We had a fire at St. Joe's and we had some students transfer because of that fire," said Vane.

Mike Huvenaars, assistant superintendent for the Catholic district, did not want to speculate on the cause of the shift, but said while "more tax money would be better than less," the board has been able to do all right with what they have.

"We've been able to balance our budget and live within our means and deliver our programs," said Huvenaars. "Good fiscal management has allowed us to do that."

Though enrollment has dropped in both districts from the 2007-2008 school year to 2008-2009 - 106 fewer in YK1 and 70 fewer in YCS - the tax base in the city has actually increased, according to Bird.

"(As) more homes come into being, more businesses - we have a bigger tax base, and so even if we don't change the mill rate, we get a bigger tax revenue just based on growth," said Bird. The Catholic district is expecting 1,375 students enrolling this fall; Yk1 reported that it had 1,885 student in February.

The final amount of cash being split between the districts this year has not yet been finalized - it still needs approval from the city's board of revisions

Remi Gervais, supervisor of taxation and financial reporting with the city, estimates the value of taxes going toward the school districts this year is approximately $8,989,883. That is up $185,639 from last year.

Duff Spence, chair of the YK1 school board, said he thinks the increased support for his district is because YK1 has become better at advertising itself over the past few years.

"The board's done well in the past six years to really focus on kids, and we're seeing the results of that in both our academic results and also how we're perceived within the community," said Spence.

"I think it's been a goal of the superintendent to go out and canvas the taxpayers, the corporate taxpayers, and the large landowners to get their support."