Navajo Nation defends NIEA trip to Hawaii

Thursday, November 29, 2007  

The Navajo Nation only sent 50 officials and employees to the National Indian Education Association conference in Hawaii, The Gallup Independent reports.

Of the 50 attendees, a tribal spokesperson said 15 came from the Head Start program, three from the Board of Education, 10 from the Department of Education and 21 from the Navajo Nation Council. Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. and his wife also went.

The trip cost more than $110,000, according to the tribe. Of that amount, the Head Start program, which lost federal funding last year, spent more than $35,000.

The Farmington Daily Times previously reported that 365 Navajos went to the conference. But that figure was apparently based on the tribal affiliation of conference attendees and not who they were representing.

Get the Story:
Dine officials defend Hawaii trip (The Gallup Independent 11/28)

Relevant Links:
National Indian Education Association - http://www.niea.org

Related Stories:
DOI launches inquiry into Navajo trip to NIEA (11/27)
Navajo Head Start spent $35K on trip to Hawaii (11/23)
Lumbee officials defend trip to NIEA in Hawaii (11/20)
Sen. Domenici seeks probe of Navajo NIEA trip (11/19)
Navajos question trip to NIEA conference in Hawaii (11/12)
Editorial: Navajo Nation wasted money on NIEA (11/8)
Column: Navajo Nation children deserve better (11/7)
Navajo Nation sent more than 360 to NIEA in Hawaii (11/5)
Editorial: Outrage over trip to NIEA convention (11/1)
JOM funds paid for trips to NIEA conference in Hawaii (10/30)