Education Transfer Principles

RESOLUTION NO. 1987-29

SUBJECT: EDUCATION TRANSFER PRINCIPLES

WHEREAS the First Annual Assembly of the Mushkegowuk Council gave firm direction to proceed on plans to transfer responsibility for services, and;

WHEREAS the Chiefs of the Mushkegowuk Council commissioned a study on education and local control, and;

WHEREAS this study was guided by a Steering Committee consisting of representatives from each Band, and;

WHEREAS a report on education and local control was presented to the Chiefs of the Mushkegowuk Council and their respective Council.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Assembly adopt the following principles for transfer or control over education:

If the Mushkegowuk people decide to have full responsibility for education, they wish the following principles to be assumed:

Each individual community will exercise the maximum amount of local autonomy and control over education, without jeopardizing the benefits of regional coordination and control afforded by a Tribal Education Authority.

Page 2 Resolution No. 1987-29 Mushkegowuk Council continued

Although the Mushkegowuk Council is the senior Native governing authority for western James and Hudson Bay, the Tribal Education Authority will be the senior Native governing authority for education in the Mushkegowuk Council jurisdiction. The Tribal Education Authority will be ultimately accountable to the people of its member communities, who will be consulted throughout the transfer process.

The management, administration and delivery of education is an exercise in se}f-government on terms established by the Mushkegowuk Council people and the people themselves will determine the nature, timing and extent of the transfer process. This exercise in self-government will be a test of existing legislation and may point to a need for a new, enabling federal legislation.

The purpose of having responsibility for the delivery of education is to improve the existing level of service and to ultimately achieve a better and more extensive level of educational service. Implicit in providing a quality level of service is the need for capital requirements to reflect the educational needs of the Mushkegowuk Council communities. The Tribal Education Authority expects to define the education capital requirements and control capital spending in the Mushkegowuk Council jurisdiction.

The Mushkegowuk Council communities are concerned with the low academic standards of their schools when compared to provincial standards. The communities wish to maintain academic standards in order to give students a fair chance of succeeding in provincial high schools and post-secondary institutions.

Page 3 Reso1ution No. 1987-29

The relationship between the Tribal Education Authority and other school boards and governments (Canada, Ontario) will be on a government-to-government and school board-to­school board basis.

The Tribal Education Authority expects to hav.e direct access to government officials with authority to make decisions and to change policy.

The Government of Canada continues to have financial responsibility for the education of Indian people. The federal government must negotiate the allocation of these funds directly with Indian people and must not delegate this responsibility to a provincial government.

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