Education authorities across the NWT are being quizzed on their student transportation needs in an effort to better understand the costs associated with busing kids to class.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is surveying the authorities, with a plan to complete the work by the end of March.
"What we're looking for is the ridership in each of the communities, the number of students with special transportation needs and we're also trying to get an understanding of route links as well, because that drives a lot of the cost," said Olin Lovely, assistant deputy minister at the department.
"We're going to be making some recommendations on how student transportation should be delivered in the North and how that should be funded."
Last June, Yellowknife school boards voted to create a transportation committee to research busing costs for junior kindergarten students.
This came after the education minister committed to covering only some of the additional costs associated with providing buses for the new, mandatory grade level that kicked off last fall.
School boards voted not to provide buses for the youngsters as it would have cost around $570,000 a year to modify buses for their small size, according to Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (YK1).
Now, the department says it needs a more holistic picture of busing needs across the territory.
A group of departmental staff and representatives from NWT education authorities are getting to work on that task, looking at student transportation in other remote, Northern jurisdictions for comparisons.
Depending on their findings, Lovely said the department could change its funding formula for busing, which is currently based on student enrolment.
Claudia Parker, Yellowknife Catholic Schools superintendent, is part of the committee.
She said it's important the research has been expanded to all communities and grade levels.
"It is important for us to take a look at what the overall costs are across the whole Northwest Territories," said Parker. "When they're (the GNWT) making decisions in regards to funding for the future, they can base it on the needs rather than just taking a look at enrolment numbers and giving out
a certain amount based on your enrolment."
Parker said there no decisions have been made about whether to provide buses for junior kindergarten students in Yellowknife next school year.
A survey YK1 conducted last June concluded there was little desire for buses at the public district, as many parents drive their children to school.
"There's only three to four hundred junior kindergarten students in the North and just doing a piecemeal approach doesn't seem to be the most effective way of reviewing this," said Lovely. "So taking a holistic approach of transportation needs all across the NWT for students is probably the best way to go,
because then we can make the necessary changes as required."
The transportation committee is expected to meet again on Jan. 11, said Parker.