Mr. MacDonald: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Early in May officials from Alberta Education will present to school board chairpersons and school superintendents the province's new provincial school utilization rate. These changes are a very long time in coming, and I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Education for coming forward with these new provincial utilization rates. [some applause] It's certainly about time. Now, my first question is to the Minister of Education. How will the new provin­cial utilization rates work for public schools located in maturing neighbourhoods? These schools were built 50 to 60 years ago.

Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I'm a bit at a loss to understand what he's talking about. There is a review of the utilization rate happening, and there will be some further discussion with the stakeholders in the system about that utilization rate process, but nothing has been completed in it. I'll check to make sure that something isn't being hidden from me, but I'm not aware of it being presented as a fait accompli to the system in May.

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That surprises me because your colleagues are so enthusiastic over these changes.

Again to the Minister of Education: will the minister ask Edmon­ton public school board to delay the school closure process that's proceeding now until parents and taxpayers can see the full impact of the province's new school utilization formula?

Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, this hon. member is following the same tack as his colleague from Calgary-Varsity and, actually, quite misunderstanding the process. The school utilization formula really has nothing to do with the discussion that's happening with respect to schools in Edmonton or other jurisdictions. School boards have to determine what facilities they need and where they need them to provide a good educational program for the students in their area. He probably, actually, should be looking — and maybe I shouldn't tell him this — at the plant operation and maintenance process because that has much more to do with the funding we give them for the operating of the schools than the utilization formula, which is really just one of the characteristics for determining whether new schools will be built.

Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you. Certainly, to the hon. minister, I'm not going to tell him what kind of surplus Edmonton public had last year in their operating budget because he may want that back, too.

Again, how are communities facing school closures supposed to have confidence in this process when the minister is admitting that the rules will be changed after decisions that affect five central neighbourhoods are made, and these decisions could be the closure of their vital public schools?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member, obviously, wasn't listening the last time, so I'll basically just repeat it again. The utilization formula that's utilized has really nothing to do with the school closure process that school boards are engaging with. What has more to do with it, perhaps, is the plant operation and mainte­nance formula, which gives them the money that they need to keep schools operating. What they're really trying to determine is how they can make sure that they give the best educational opportunity to students in their jurisdiction without running excess facilities.