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WHITEHORSE – The 2024-25 school year began on Tuesday for almost all Yukon students, and students and parents will quickly find out if the Liberals sufficiently prepared the school system to ensure a smooth start.
Early indications are that we are once again in for turbulent times. The Minister of Education has stated in local media that 500 additional students were not anticipated for this year, which necessitated a 48-hour hiring freeze as staff were re-allocated. The government reported that 22 vacancies have not yet been filled and we are not sure if that includes the 21 additional hires promised for this year.
Student transportation issues have arisen with bus routes changing inexplicably. Many families have expressed concerns regarding poor communications regarding their children and the bus registration process.
The Yukon Party Official Opposition is hearing that both CSSC Mercier and FH Collins are over capacity with promised modular classrooms now delayed to next year. Some families within the catchment area may not be accommodated at FH this year.
The Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) between the NDP and Liberals has several commitments regarding Education. We have heard that wellness counselors have not been allocated to each Yukon school, and we do not see any resolution to the Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) criticisms from last Spring of the one-year training program for Educational Assistants and Teachers on Call.
We also have questions regarding the $29 million in this year’s capital budget for Education. According to the Yukon Bids and Tenders website, the contract for the new school in Burwash Landing, with $15 million slated to be spent this year, has yet to be awarded even though it closed on June 20, 2024.
The Yukon Party is happy to see the new school opened in Whistle Bend. However, we are concerned that the Yukon Government failed to install pedestrian-activated streetlights on Casca Boulevard prior to the start of the school year, as required in their development agreement with the City of Whitehorse.
We are watching closely as collective bargaining between the YAEP and the Yukon Government will resume in September. The results of these negotiations will significantly impact on the Yukon’s ability to recruit and retain educational professionals on top of the obvious fiscal pressure on the Liberal government’s finances.
“Year after year, we keep seeing the same issues,” said Education Critic Scott Kent. “And year after year, the minister and her government continue to ignore the concerns of groups such as the YAEP and break their education commitments under the CASA. We need to see real action from this minister so that students and education staff can get the support they need to ensure a successful school year.”
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Contact:
Tim Kucharuk
Media Director
(867) 689-7874
