Final report of investigation into Dehcho education unavailable to public, for now

N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.

The investigation was launched amid concerns about governance, workplace culture, communication, and impacts on students and staff.

In a statement released late Friday, Cleveland says the investigation was ordered under the Education Act after trust in the system began to erode and student-focused decision-making was at risk.

Without releasing the final report or its recommendations, Cleveland says she agrees with the report’s recommendations “in principle.”

But she says they are not directed solely at the minister and involve shared responsibilities among education partners. She says that out of "respect" for those partners, she will not release the recommendations, or make responses "unilaterally."

Nonetheless, CBC News requested a list of the report’s recommendations but did not receive a response by publication time.

The final report follows interim findings released in October, which identified overdue elections at District Education Authorities in Jean Marie River, Wrigley, and Nahanni Butte, and called for increased territorial support to help education bodies meet legislative requirements.

Those initial findings also cited small community size and limited volunteer capacity as barriers to regular elections, and found no evidence of improper motives by officials whose terms had expired.

In her statement Friday, Cleveland says some issues identified in the interim report have already been addressed, including the use of external expertise. Cleveland says long-time northern educator Jane Arychuk was brought in during the investigation and will continue working with "education partners ... to help stabilize the system."

According to the Friday news release, the minister expects to provide a more detailed public update early in the new year.