A high-voltage electrical panel was installed next to a dishwater at a Bureau of Indian Education school -- a clear safety hazard. The problem was fixed after the Government Accountability asked about it last October. Photo from GAO
Note: To listen to the business meeting, tune into Capitol Hearings, a service of C-SPAN. The committee will carry a webcast of the oversight hearing. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow to focus on the Bureau of Indian Education. The BIE, a part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, oversees 185 schools in nearly two dozen states. Conditions at the facilities have been under scrutiny in Congress amid concerns about management challenges. The Obama administration is pursuing a restructuring of the agency in hopes of improving student performance and increasing tribal control. But some tribes have criticized the plan and the Government Accountability Office has said it wouldn't address longstanding issues. Wednesday's hearing takes place immediately following a business meeting at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The witness list follows:
Dr. Charles "Monty" RoesselCommittee Notice:
Director-Bureau of Indian Education, Washington, DC Ms. Melissa Emrey-Arras
Director-Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, U.S Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC The Honorable Carri Jones
Chairwoman-Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Cass Lake, MN Mr. Tommy Lewis
Superintendent of Schools-Department of Dine Education, Window Rock, AZ
Oversight Hearing on "Bureau of Indian Education: Examining Organizational Challenges in Transforming Educational Opportunities for Indian Children." (May 13, 2015) White House Report:
2014 Native Youth Report (December 2014) Government Accountability Office Reports:
Further Actions on GAO Recommendations Needed to Address Systemic Management Challenges with Indian Education (April 22, 2015)
Bureau of Indian Education Needs to Improve Oversight of School Spending (November 13, 2014)
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