Jordan’s Principle cuts: YCS ‘won’t be able to sustain’ some programs

Yellowknife Catholic Schools has become the latest NWT school board to sound the alarm over the impending disappearance of Jordan’s Principle funding.

More than 200 positions in schools across the territory have been lost or jeopardized by the federal decision to revamp the qualifying criteria for Jordan’s Principle, a fund used to ensure First Nations children have equitable access to programs and services.

Jordan’s Principle managers say it needed to be urgently overhauled as demand was rising exponentially and becoming unsustainable, while some requests amounted to abuses of the system.

For years, some NWT schools have relied on Jordan’s Principle to pay for some positions like educational assistants or providers of specialist support services.

The loss of those positions has been felt in districts like YK1, where educational assistants have said the atmosphere is more fraught and meeting students’ needs is harder.

But the effect at Yellowknife Catholic Schools, or YCS, has been more limited. YCS previously said it had a Jordan’s Principle funding agreement in place until at least the end of 2025-26, providing a form of cushion.

Now, the clock is ticking and YCS said on Thursday its appeal for Ottawa to change its mind about Jordan’s Principle’s future had been flatly denied at a meeting between Indigenous Services Canada and the school board’s chair.

“Our board chair asked a very simple, direct question,” YCS superintendent Adam Murray said, “and wondered if any of our school-based proposals would be accepted moving into the 2026-27 school year. And the answer was no.”

In a news release, YCS said it had been told Indigenous Services Canada “will no longer approve school-related requests” under Jordan’s Principle.

If that’s the case, that may mark an evolution in the federal agency’s approach. For most of the year, ISC had said it was scaling back only “certain types” of school-related request. ISC has been approached for comment.

The federal budget, to be made public on Tuesday next week, may also provide clarity regarding Ottawa’s approach to Jordan’s Principle.

The NWT government has spent months lobbying the federal government to change tack, saying that the loss of millions of dollars in funding through Jordan’s Principle for the territory’s schools will have a significant negative effect – and the GNWT hasn’t the money to cover the gap.

While the territorial government has set up a $14-million emergency fund to temporarily address the loss of Jordan’s Principle funding, some schools have pushed back at criteria attached to that fund and the GNWT has said it cannot keep finding cash beyond that.

‘We have to reinvent ourselves’

At Yellowknife Catholic Schools, staff were told on Thursday that the loss of Jordan’s Principle funding means some jobs are not secure beyond next summer.

The funding in question is understood to cover some classroom assistant positions as well as programs related to social and emotional well-being, literacy, and the Dǫ Edàı̀zheh student leadership initiative, among others.

“Without new or alternative funding sources,” YCS stated in its news release, “the district will not be able to sustain all programs beyond June 2026.”

Where that funding might come from is unclear.

Murray said the GNWT and education bodies need to get together and urgently study an inclusive education review completed in 2024 that he described as “sitting on a shelf.”

“We need to look at that review, understanding that a large funding stream of support for children is changing for everyone. Then we can look more clearly at what our kids need,” Murray told Cabin Radio.

He drew a line between Ottawa’s nation-building ambitions and the NWT’s education needs, pointing out that the territory’s education system is tasked with guiding the students who are expected to take jobs in government and industry pushing forward the major projects Prime Minister Mark Carney envisages.

“After five years of Jordan’s Principal funding, I noticed how focused our students were, how quiet our hallways were, because students were engaged in learning. It made a difference,” Murray said.

“We’re talking about over 60 individuals who provide programming that is essential for all students and our First Nations students … We’re just really shocked.”

In the Thursday news release issued by YCS, board chair Tina Schauerte was quoted as saying: “Our board remains steadfast in our advocacy for equitable access to education for all Indigenous students.

“We are deeply concerned about the impact of these federal changes and continue to advocate for sustainable funding solutions that ensure students receive the supports they need to succeed.”

Murray said staff and families would be given regular updates as YCS attempts to work with the federal and territorial governments, and other partners, to establish what happens next.

“We’ve got to go into next year not as what we were with missing pieces. We have to reinvent ourselves to support these kids. That’s what they deserve from us,” he said.