Quebec gov't inquiry shows lack of oversight at Nunavik school board

An inquiry by Quebec's Ministry of Education has highlighted what it says is a lack of financial oversight within Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the Nunavik school board. 

"Action is needed to establish best practices in internal control and financial management," reads the report. 

Among other issues, it points to the board commissioners' inexperience, who didn't have the professional background needed to oversee financial operations. 

In 2019, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI) was operating with a $14 million surplus; by June 2023, that had dropped to a $26.7 million deficit. That drastic change is what set off the inquiry in December 2023. 

The inquiry determined that the deficit is mostly due to a construction plan that would see the building of staff housing and various education facilities. The inquiry found a lack of proper expense tracking related to the projects. 

"The lack of leadership of the financial resources department of KI explains why it does not play the central role that it should in the organization, and this prevents the department from carrying out strict monitoring of budgetary processes and from rendering a complete and relevant accountability report," reads the report. 

The Quebec government's inquiry also showed significant flaws in the organization's internal control processes.

In one example, some employees still had access to the school board's databases even after they'd left. Another is that changes could easily be made to financial information without needing to be validated by a manager. 

The inquiry determined that this lack of oversight exposed the school board to significant risk of error or even fraud. 

External support 

The inquiry ultimately proposed 14 recommendations, including hiring an "external support person" and a "specialized firm" to steady the board's administration. 

It also includes advising administrators, putting together a strategic plan, training the commissioners and establishing better internal control processes. 

The provincial government also recommended the board develop a recruitment strategy with "clear and precise objectives in order to reach the targets for staff retention, development and mobilization and, consequently, improve student perseverance and success." 

According to the inquiry, the high turnover rate of teachers in the region — about 30 per cent annually — has a negative impact on student success. That rate, it states, is mainly due to "the lack of preparation of non-Indigenous teachers for living conditions in Nunavik."

Another section compiled exit interview data and showed that nearly a third of the teachers that left (29 per cent) reported a "toxic" work environment. 

"KI needs to explore this worrying data further to improve the situation quickly. Clearly, improving the work climate will have a positive impact on the organization by motivating staff and reducing the turnover rate. As a result, students should receive better teaching and develop a sense of belonging to their school while KI should save money," it reads. 

Financial decisions not 'reckless', says board

In a response published to its website, the board acknowledged the reports findings and said the recommendations highlighted issues already identified by the board. 

"They all concern areas where work was already actively ongoing prior to the launch of the investigation (for example, recruitment, staff retention, student success, maintenance of infrastructures, cyber security and more)," it said. 

However, the board also rejected the idea that it mismanaged its funds, instead saying the deficit was caused by a lack of funding from the provincial government. 

"We didn't walk blindly into a deficit. The investigation report portrays the Council of Commissioners as reckless when it comes to making financial decisions. The reality of it is that we were faced with difficult choices: inadequate funding and urgent needs in terms of infrastructure to maintain or expand, new positions needed to support students, etc.," said Sarah Aloupa, president of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in a statement. 

The decision to approve deficit spending was the best way to get the Ministry of Education's attention, she added. 

"So, here we are today: with a deficit and a sound financial recovery plan in place, but most importantly, with open communication channels with the (ministry)."

The board said the inquiry's findings also show a disconnect between the ministry's understanding and the realities of education in Nunavik. It points to the majority of training materials for commissioners being in French as one example. 

"Only 10 per cent of this training material is available in English, while the rest exists only in French," reads the board's response. "Like 99 per cent of the Nunavik residents … our elected officials read and speak Inuktitut as their first language. We see it as a (ministry) responsibility to develop training material tailored and relevant to the law that applies on the territory under our administrative jurisdiction."

Nonetheless, Aloupa said the board is committed to working with the ministry to address the report's recommendations.