A provision in H.R.2584, the Interior appropriations bill, allows tribes to use Bureau of Indian Affairs funds to start charter schools.

Current law bars charter schools at Bureau of Indian Education institutions. But the House adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) to change that.

“This Congress has stated that we want self determination for tribes," Gosar said. "This amendment is a natural step. Charter schools should be an available choice to those tribes that want them. If a tribe chooses not to opt for a charter school approach, that is its decision, but another tribe may want to do so."

H.R.2584 is still under consideration in the House.

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Gosar School Choice Amendment Passes House—Charter Schools Now Allowed For Indian Tribes (Rep. Gosar 7/27)