Yellowknife Education District No. 1 is apparently facing a funding shortfall for the 2025-26 school year because of changes to the Jordan's Principle program.
That means dozens of educational assistants will be out of work at the end of this current year if things don't change.
The board office issued a press release on Tuesday afternoon stating that it has completed its anticipated staffing for next year and outlined exactly what will happen if funding from Jordan's Principle is not received for the new school year.
As many as 79 educational assistants who are currently on term contracts were told that they wouldn't be hired back because there were "no anticipated positions for the next school year."
The release added that remaining educational assistants "will be assigned to those students and classrooms who require the most support. Assignments will be prioritized to ensure safety and promote student success."
It also indicated that the board has applied for funding through the program, but it has yet to receive a response, which is the reason why these changes are forthcoming.
The release indicated that schools will be getting more information in the coming weeks in order to answer questions from families about supports based on the changes.
According to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), which oversees Jordan's Principle, under the program.
One of those changes involves existing or previously-approved requests; ISC indicated that there is no guarantee of a renewal of funding and that new requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
When it comes to schools, ISC noted that supports to school boards off-reserve and private schools will be redirected to provincial school boards, or other existing provincial and federally-funded programs.
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