The Yukon’s two school boards will hold general elections on Nov. 7 to elect school board trustees.

The boards are the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon (CSFY) and the newly established First Nation School Board (FNSB).

Trustees oversee the management and operations of the schools under the school board they are elected to.

They work in partnership with the Department of Education to deliver educational programs that meet the needs of students and legislated requirements.

The two boards operate a combined 11 schools across the territory. Five trustee positions are open for each board.

Candidates interested in becoming a trustee must be nominated and meet the eligibility requirements. Nominations opened Oct. 17 and close at noon on Oct. 27.

A byelection will also take place to establish a school council for the new Whistle Bend Elementary School, currently under construction. Once the school council is established, it will assume regular school council duties.

“The establishment of a First Nation School Board is a historic time for Yukon and a major step in advancing reconciliation,” Education Minister Jeanie McLean said Oct. 4.

“Over the past two decades, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon has shown us the impact passionate and dedicated school board trustees can have on students’ education.

“I encourage everyone to learn about the details of these elections and to get out and vote in November.”

“The Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon is looking forward to these elections with the First Nation School Board,” added commission president Jean-Sébastien Blais.

“This new school board is a long-awaited initiative supported by our school community.

“It will ensure the conservation of their knowledge, culture, language and visions of the world.

“The Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon wishes them much success for generations to come,” Blais added.

“Through this democratic process, we hope to welcome new trustees from different communities across the Yukon as it will help Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon to reach its mandate to represent its students and families throughout the territory.

“We encourage all interested candidates to submit their nomination to join our board,” said Blais.

Erin Pauls, a member of the First Nation School Board interim governance committee, called the election “a major milestone in achieving the vision laid out by our elders and ancestors: for Yukon First Nations to share the authority of education with the government for the schooling of all students.

“Our five trustees will be selected through an open, accessible, and democratic election process to lead a new era in education in the territory: one that is grounded in reconciliation,” Pauls said.

“There is a new and transformed electoral landscape for the 2022 elections,” said Maxwell Harvey, Elections Yukon’s chief electoral officer.

“In 2019, there was one board, one voting location and two schools operated by the Commission scolaire francophone Yukon. There were 84 electors.

“Since then, the commission scolaire francophone du Yukon footprint has expanded with a new school in Riverdale,” Harvey said.

This year, eight schools formed part of the newly established First Nation school board.

There are now a total of 11 schools under two boards located in communities across the territory with 655 students enrolled at First Nation School Board schools, as of Sept. 29.

There are more than 8,000 electors in communities all across the territory; those with minority language rights, those whose ancestral languages is a First Nation language, and those parents of students attending those schools.

“All need access to the vote,” Harvey said.

“It has demanded a historic shift in election administration to offer more locations to vote, more ways to vote, and more opportunity to vote.

“Elections Yukon will introduce new levels of elector outreach, convenience, and access in supporting the right to vote and the right to be a candidate for school board elections.

“We are proud to support, in our small way, the evolution of education in the Yukon.”

School board elections take place every three years to elect trustees to each school board in the Yukon. The last school board elections were held on Nov. 4, 2019.

Here are the key dates for the school board elections:

• until noon Oct. 27: candidates can submit nominations.

• Oct. 27: A full list of candidates available at https://ElectionsYukon.ca

• Oct. 28 to Nov. 7: applications for iVoting open.

• Nov. 5: early voting, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at nine Yukon schools.

• Nov. 7: polling day, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at nine Yukon schools and Elections Yukon headquarters.

• Nov. 8: official results of the Yukon school board elections will be posted on https://ElectionsYukon.ca