3 more Yukon schools vote to join First Nation School Board, 1 votes against

Three schools in the Yukon have voted to join the First Nation School Board, according to Elections Yukon.

Eliza Van Bibber School in Pelly Crossing, Ghùch Tlâ Community School in Carcross and Kluane Lake School in Destruction Bay are now set to be part of the board at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

Unofficial results were released Tuesday morning, and Elections Yukon confirmed the results later in the day.

Both the Yukon's education minister and First Nation School Board trustees need to give their formal approval.

A fourth school, Del Van Gorder School in Faro, didn't meet the voting threshold it needed in order to join the First Nation School Board. It'll remain under the purview of the Department of Education.

The official results show just under two-thirds of voters at Del Van Gorder didn't want to join the school board. By contrast, the other three schools voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining.

At all four schools, school council members either passed resolutions or community members made petitions to hold referenda on this.

Voting began on Feb. 16 and closed Monday, with voting available in-person or through mail-in ballots.

The First Nation School Board was formed last year. Eight other school communities voted in referenda a year ago to join.