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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There were lots of ideas and little debate at the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 board of trustees candidates forum last Thursday at Range Lake North School.

Forum moderator Karen Hamre posed questions to the candidates for the first half of the hour-long event, followed by questions from the audience in the second half.

All but one candidate participated in the forum. Mildred Wilke left the candidates' table to sit in the audience after Hamre explained the format of the forum to the audience. Wilke did address those gathered once the forum was over, after prompting from Hamre.

"I didn't participate because I was in an anxious mood," said Wilke. "I didn't think it was going to be like this.

"I did put my name in and I look forward to your vote."

Wilke added that she has served on the board twice in the past.

Those who did participate agreed on the answers to most questions posed by Hamre.

The question which generated the most varied response was one asking candidates what cause would they most likely advocate politically if elected to the board.

Terry Brookes, who is seeking his seventh term on the board, said he thought political advocacy had been weak in the last term and would like to see the board lobby hard for better special needs funding.

Mira Hall, who is also seeking re-election, raised the issue of a GNWT cut of $92,000 to special needs programing at Yk1, even though the district overspends by $150,000 per year due to the needs of the students.

"We were able to address the funding deficit through our surplus but surpluses are finite and we need to explain this to the MLAs and have them reinstate the funding and fund us appropriately so we can meet the needs of all our students," she said.

Heather Clarke said she would also advocate for the reinstatement of the funding but would also go to non-government organizations and impacted families to generate attention and funds for the special needs programs.

Programs geared toward gifted students and non-heterosexual students should be top priorities, said Jay Butler. He said both groups are high-risk students who need to be better supported.

"We want these (gifted kids) loving Yellowknife, coming back to be our doctors, our lawyers, our leaders, our engineers," he said.

"The second group (non-heterosexual students) is at risk, very much at risk ... These kids are at risk of bullying and self harm to the same degree, second only to aboriginal students. This is scary."

Allan Short, current chair of the board, said special needs advocacy is important, but he would also lobby for concrete plans for renovations at J.H. Sissions School. He would like to finalize when it will start, how much it will cost, where the funds will come from, and where the students will go while the school is closed for approximately two years during renovations.

Healthy living topped John Stephenson's advocacy priority list. He called for the creation of a steering committee for healthy living comprised of trustees, parents and school staff. The committee could then propose projects to parent groups and the government.

Blake Lyons said his intention would be to ensure government funding formulas for Yellowknife schools are fair in relation to the funding given to school districts in NWT communities.

He said some legacy costs that Yellowknife property taxes pay for are not incurred by Yk1 and could be used to improve the benefits of Yk1 employees.

"There is money there and we should be able to get it," he said.

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