FROM THE ARCHIVE
URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archive/000824.asp
Bush budget slashes Indian education by $79M
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
New Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson is making education a top priority but his agency's latest budget doesn't necessarily reflect his concern. While trust reform will see a major increase in 2005, education and school-related programs for American Indian and Alaska Native students of all ages are being cut. A number of areas, from student transportation costs to tribal college grants to school construction, will take hits next year. "We're pretty much flat-lined," Ed Parisian, the director of BIA's Office of Indian Education Programs, said on Sunday at the National Indian Education Association's legislative summit. The cuts aren't quickly identified because they are spread throughout different line items. But based on a review of the BIA's budget book, education programs are due for an overall slash of nearly $79 million. Small increases to some programs in the education arena reduce the impact, but only by about $7 million. According to the budget book, the following programs will take a hit:
Scholarships -- Due to a $547,000 cut,
tribes who hand out the awards
will do so for 150 fewer Indian students attending
post-secondary institutions.
Early Childhood Development - Despite praise from Secretary
Gale Norton about initiatives like the Family and Child Education (FACE)
program, this item will be cut by $33,000. This figure includes a cut
to the Therapeutic Residential
Model (TRM) program to help at-risk Indian students, a particular
concern for Anderson.
Student Transportation - Even though Indian students are
traveling more miles to get to school, this item will see a $58,000 cut.
Administrative Cost Grants / Administrative Cost Grants Fund --
Tribes and Indian organizations
that want to contract BIA schools can continue do so, but with $3.2 million
less. The reduction means one less school will be eligible for a new contract
next year.
School Statistics -- Although the No Child Left Behind Act calls
for maintenance of performance-related data, this item is seeing a $2,000
cut.
Tribal Colleges and Universities -- Due to a $5.2 million cut,
the United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota and Crownpoint
Institute of Technology in New Mexico will receive no funds.
The largest cut comes to the line items for replacement school construction
and for facilities improvement and repair. The proposed $69 million cut -- $65 million, when reduced by related offsets -- is controversial because tribal leaders see it as proof of the funding of trust reform at the expense of other programs.
NIEA president Cindy LaMarr recently told a Senate committee that $65 million is the amount of
the increase being sought for historical accounting at the Office of Special Trustee.
Parisian, however, said the cut was based on direction from
the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Officials
there believe too much time and money is being spent on
planning and design of new schools instead of actual construction,
he told NIEA attendees.
"We've only built four schools in the past couple of years
and there are 25 in the design process,"
Parisian said. "We need to move it up."
"OMB is all about results," he added. He said one school project
has been in the planning stages for six years
because a tribe hasn't made final decisions.
But Leonard Chee, a Navajo educator and delegate
to the Navajo Nation council, said tribes are not to blame.
He said BIA officials have yet to move on a replacement
project in his community for more than a year despite clear direction from
Navajo leaders.
Seven of the 14 schools on the BIA's construction list are located
on the Navajo Nation.
Cuts to education and other programs came under fire at a Senate Indian Affairs
Committee hearing last month. Members on both political parties
said they were disappointed with President Bush's funding request and
pledged to improve it.
"We have a lot to say about what is increased and what is decreased,"
said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), the chairman of
the committee.
Relevant Links:
National Indian Education Association - http://www.niea.org
Office of Indian Education Programs, BIA - http://www.oiep.bia.edu
Indian School Report Cards, BIA - http://www.oiep.bia.edu/school_report_cards.htm Related Stories:
Indian educators meet for legislative summit (3/22)
Cuts run deep for tribal programs at BIA (03/09)
Navajo leader gives BIA a 'D' for school funding (03/04)
BIA to publish replacement school construction list (2/26)
Comments sought on No Child Left Behind Act rules (02/26)
Tom Daschle: Leave no Indian child behind (2/25)
Senate panel shares criticism of Bush budget (02/12)
Tribal leaders pressing Congress on funding (02/11)
BIA programs barely survive White House test (02/10)
BIA budget staying the same under Bush request (2/3)
BIA Schools: Are Indian students being left behind? (01/26)
NCAI president uses speech to lobby for funding (01/22)
Bush education official pays visit to N.M. school (01/09)
Report card shows Native students falling behind (06/23)
Paige advancing Indian issues at Ed. Dept. (6/16)
Tribal-federal effort targets Indian education (11/15)
Controversial BIA school proposal dropped (05/16)
Leave no Indian child behind (5/15)
Court to decide limits of trust duty (4/23)
Bush school proposal faces tribal debate (3/19)
McCaleb: Bush helping education (3/7)
Bush proposal strips BIA of education (2/5)
Bush school proposal criticized (2/5)
GAO report finds failing BIA schools (10/29)
Final BIA school goes online (8/24)
Norton, McCaleb to address Indian educators (7/23)
Norton pushes Indian school construction, reform (7/17)
Norton to visit Indian school (7/16)
Norton to visit Indian Country (4/25)
Tribal Schools on Priority List (2/16)
Copyright Indianz.Com
URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archive/000824.asp
Bush budget slashes Indian education by $79M
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
New Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson is making education a top priority but his agency's latest budget doesn't necessarily reflect his concern. While trust reform will see a major increase in 2005, education and school-related programs for American Indian and Alaska Native students of all ages are being cut. A number of areas, from student transportation costs to tribal college grants to school construction, will take hits next year. "We're pretty much flat-lined," Ed Parisian, the director of BIA's Office of Indian Education Programs, said on Sunday at the National Indian Education Association's legislative summit. The cuts aren't quickly identified because they are spread throughout different line items. But based on a review of the BIA's budget book, education programs are due for an overall slash of nearly $79 million. Small increases to some programs in the education arena reduce the impact, but only by about $7 million. According to the budget book, the following programs will take a hit:
National Indian Education Association - http://www.niea.org
Office of Indian Education Programs, BIA - http://www.oiep.bia.edu
Indian School Report Cards, BIA - http://www.oiep.bia.edu/school_report_cards.htm Related Stories:
Indian educators meet for legislative summit (3/22)
Cuts run deep for tribal programs at BIA (03/09)
Navajo leader gives BIA a 'D' for school funding (03/04)
BIA to publish replacement school construction list (2/26)
Comments sought on No Child Left Behind Act rules (02/26)
Tom Daschle: Leave no Indian child behind (2/25)
Senate panel shares criticism of Bush budget (02/12)
Tribal leaders pressing Congress on funding (02/11)
BIA programs barely survive White House test (02/10)
BIA budget staying the same under Bush request (2/3)
BIA Schools: Are Indian students being left behind? (01/26)
NCAI president uses speech to lobby for funding (01/22)
Bush education official pays visit to N.M. school (01/09)
Report card shows Native students falling behind (06/23)
Paige advancing Indian issues at Ed. Dept. (6/16)
Tribal-federal effort targets Indian education (11/15)
Controversial BIA school proposal dropped (05/16)
Leave no Indian child behind (5/15)
Court to decide limits of trust duty (4/23)
Bush school proposal faces tribal debate (3/19)
McCaleb: Bush helping education (3/7)
Bush proposal strips BIA of education (2/5)
Bush school proposal criticized (2/5)
GAO report finds failing BIA schools (10/29)
Final BIA school goes online (8/24)
Norton, McCaleb to address Indian educators (7/23)
Norton pushes Indian school construction, reform (7/17)
Norton to visit Indian school (7/16)
Norton to visit Indian Country (4/25)
Tribal Schools on Priority List (2/16)
Copyright Indianz.Com