History was made Thursday as seven out of eight Yukon school districts voted in favour of creating a new First Nations School Board.

For the last two weeks, Yukon residents in the eight districts have been voting – even through COVID-19 pandemic restrictions – in a referendum on whether they wanted to join/create a First Nations School Board. Elections Yukon organized the referendum.

In Whitehorse, the tally was 135 to 100 for the Grey Mountain Primary School. At Takhini Elementary, the numbers were 141 to 49.

The new board is expected to be in operation by the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Little will change initially, as the schools will continue to operate as normal under a new administration, according to Katharine Sandiford, the director of communications for the First Nations Education Directorate.

She said the immediate next steps for the new board will be to organize an election of trustees to operate it.

Those trustees will then pick a chief executive officer, who will be the sole full-time permanent position, at least initially.

The new board will operate under the same British Columbia curriculum that every school in the Yukon uses, Sandiford said.

She doesn’t expect to see any staffing changes to start with, and perhaps none in the near future.

The sole difference in operations will be in administration, and in programming, Sandiford explained.

While the same standards will be maintained, how the lessons are carried out may differ substantially.

Sandiford said, for example, a lesson in mathematics might consist of plotting a route to a lake where the students were planning to meet with an elder. Or, the class might simply be taken outside.

Education Minister Jeanie McLean said in a statement, “Last night marked a historic moment in the Yukon, as we received the preliminary results of the referendum on the First Nation School Board.

“These results show that seven school communities have voted yes to have their schools operated by the new Yukon First Nation School Board,” she said.

“The official results of the referendum process will be announced on Jan. 31, and we will have more information to share at that time.

“This is a major step in the right direction as we move forward in advancing the path to reconciliation,” McLean said.

“A path that was started 49 years ago with the historic document Together Today for our Children Tomorrow. The establishment of a Yukon First Nation School Board will contribute to and improve the educational outcomes for all students across the territory.”

As Yukoners, McLean said, “We should be proud of the milestone we have achieved today.

“This is a momentous occasion, and I congratulate all schools that will be joining the new First Nation School Board.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively over the days and months ahead as the school board is established and these schools make the successful transition.”

The process of establishing a First Nations School Board has been formally underway since last June. The announcement then outlined a nine-step process to establish the board.

“Signatories to the agreement, representing 10 Yukon First Nations and the Government of Yukon, seek to address longstanding concerns about unacceptable education outcomes for First Nations students,” the statement added at the time.

The new board will emphasize culturally-based programming, including on-the-land sessions. Elders will play an important role as well.

First, school councils need to hold discussions and pass a resolution supporting the creation, she told reporters.

Byelections for school council members would be next, then a host of more technical requirements, including curriculum approval and geographic locations would be required.

In 2018, the Chiefs Committee on Education was re-established to negotiate a framework agreement for First Nations education.

In 2019, the committee and the government agreed to explore the creation of a Yukon First Nation School Board under the longstanding provisions of the Education Act. This collaboration resulted in the Framework Agreement to establish the Yukon First Nation School Board.

The results will be finalized on Monday.

The only community to reject joining the new board was Mayo. The numbers there were 116 to 33 in declining the board.

Voters in Old Crow voted 44 to four in favour.

In Watson Lake, the vote was 96 to 60.

In Beaver Creek, the vote was unanimous amongst the 14 voters.

In Ross River, the numbers were 56 to one.

In Haines Junction, the votes were 215 to 153.

“The results are a testament to the dissatisfaction that Yukoners have with the education system,” Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon told the Star at noon today. “But it’s an exciting time for education in the Yukon.”

“It’s a reminder that the status quo isn’t good enough, especially for First Nations students. The status quo isn’t working.”

NDP Leader Kate White posted her excitement at the news on social media.

“Wonderful and exciting news to start the day! Eight Yukon schools will be joining the First Nations School Board. This is an amazing moment in history for Yukon First Nations and Yukon Schools!”

Ted Hupé, the president of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said he had spent some time looking over the agreement on the new board, and saw little to concern his members.

They will remain union members and government employees, he said, while simply serving under a new administration.

“There will be some growing pains,” he told the Star. “But things will continue as usual. For our members, nothing has changed.

“We always considered this as an evolutionary inevitability,” he added. “We knew it would come someday, but we didn’t know when.”

Result will be unofficial until Monday.

See letter.