The Yukon Teachers Association is concerned teachers and students are becoming burdened with too much fundraising.

Area principals disagree, however, and the Department of Education hasn't heard anything about it.

'It's difficult for educators and students to spend time fundraising,' association president Sandra Henderson said in an interview this week. 'It's increasing over the years.'

Henderson believes fundraising is damaging students' scholastic achievement as well as teachers' professional performance.

In a recent survey of 3,100 Canadian schools, the Canadian Teachers' Federation found that northern schools are doing nearly twice as much fundraising as the national average, $27,700 compared to $15,705. However, the Yukon is far below the national average at $6,900.

The study, which raised concerns about the presence of commercial advertising in schools, also showed northern schools had more advertising than the national average 39 per cent of northern schools compared to 32 per cent nationally. That study did not specify figures for individual territories.

'It erodes free public education,' said Henderson. She is concerned the government will expect schools to do their own fundraising for programs that should be free and accessible to all students.

'Some of the programs have very few first nations students,' said Henderson referring to programs like experiential science and the outdoor pursuits program. Her concern is that relying on fundraising and student fees will exclude some students from participating in such programs and other extracurricular activities.

'I don't think fundraising should be the standard .Public education and the Education Act are meant to be available to every student.'

However, Kerry Huff, principal of Porter Creek Secondary School, believes fundraising can actually open the door to programs poorer students might not normally be able to attend.

'What fundraising does is give an opportunity for every kid to participate and not just those whose families can support it (financially),' he said.

Huff also disagrees that fundraising is on the increase.

'I haven't really seen much of change we don't have much fundraising.'

Huff points out that fundraising at Porter Creek Secondary is basically limited to graduation, sports, band and extracurricular activities.

'These things come with an expense that has to be covered I think the last thing we want to do is limit the number of opportunities available to our kids.'

Henderson declined comment on which avenue would be preferable if programs could not achieve complete government funding to either eliminate the program or have it continue with fundraising. Rather, she maintained the position that if the government deemed a program worthy of inclusion, it should be funded in its entirety.

But Huff doesn't quite see it that way.

'If it's an extracurricular activity, students are going to have to find a way to make it work or it just won't be offered . I think there is a finite amount of money and the government's taxpayer can't be paying for any program that comes along, I think that's unreasonable. There would be no end to things people would be throwing out there then.'

In a joint press release issued this week, the presidents of the three territories' teachers' associations expressed concerns about what is and what is not funded.

'For example, an increasing number of items such as playground equipment, field trips, sports teams and even some classroom and learning resources are being defined as extras', outside government funding,' said the release.

But Grey Mountain Primary School principal Gloria Coxford has not noticed an increase in fundraising either.

'I don't think it's on the increase,' she said. Coxford added that in the 15 years she spent at Takhini Elementary, School they also did fundraising.

'We're very careful to ensure the fundraising we do is not a burden .When we fundraise, the money goes to extra kinds of thing,' she said.

Those extras may include pizza with the principal or help for a poorer student who cannot afford the school's trip to the swimming pool.

'It's extra goodies,' she explained.

If fundraising is an issue for Yukon schools, it's news to the Department of Education.

'It's not come up as an issue, from a policy point of view or at a programming level,' said Ann MacDonald director of policy, planning and evaluation.

MacDonald points out that while the Yukon does have fundraising, there is no commercial advertising.

'We have absolutely no formal commercialism. There has never been that kind of relationship.'

'I think the issues is a problem in southern Canada,' she said, referring to the amount of commercial advertising in schools.

MacDonald does not see a problem with current levels of fundraising either, pointing out that the Yukon is far below-average for Canada.

'I don't think costs would be prohibitive for students,' said MacDonald, referring to programs and trips that students normally do fundraising for.

'The fundraising provides a bit of ownership,' she adds.

Education Minister John Edzerza agrees.

'I would never discourage anyone from fundraising because it does sort of give you a bit of ownership... kind of like if you never had to work for anything in your life, you won't appreciate the value of something.'

The minister was also unaware that the level of fundraising concerns the Yukon Teachers Association.

'It's never been raised as an issue at my office, no one has ever come to me and said, This is a problem we'd like you to look at it....' If these kinds of issues were brought forward, I would certainly look at it.'