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Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native American universities and colleges brace for crippling Trump cuts
While colleges and universities slow down during summer break, Ahniwake Rose is busy wondering what the fall semester will hold for the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) – and if they will be able to stay open much longer. As the president and CEO of the Indigenous non-profit American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), Rose (Cherokee and Muscogee Creek) braces as the schools she represents face a potential nearly 90% reduction in funding starting in October. President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget includes a proposal to slash operations funding from $183.3m to $22.1m for Bureau of Indian Education post-secondary programs – career and technical schools, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities. On 15 July, a House appropriations subcommittee approved legislation that allotted $1.5bn to the Bureau of Indian Education, though it did not specify how much would go toward post-secondary programs. Congress still needs to finish approving the budget for the Bureau of Indian Education, a subdivision of the Department of Interior. If approved, such cuts will further endanger a system that's already undernourished. Congress currently underfunds the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities by $250m a year, according to a 2024 ProPublica report. TCUs are heavily reliant on federal funding, which accounts for about 75% of their revenue. Those monies cannot be replaced with endowments or alumni donations as other higher education institutions do due to low wealth in Indigenous communities, said Rose. 'There is really no other option, if not to close,' she said, 'than to severely reduce the way that our institutions are able to provide services to our students.' Rose added that 'there is not one TCU that would be able to walk away unscathed'. While they are on summer recess, faculty and students have expressed concerns about their academic future as they fear that their schools will close next year. 'The impact that this is having on the morale of our community and our students has been deeply troubling,' Rose said. Some students are reconsidering whether they will begin school or continue their coursework next year. 'Would the staff want to sign a contract for an institution that might not be able to pay them next year or in a few months?' In anticipation of potential budget cuts, some schools have adjusted by canceling internships, fellowships and workforce study, said Rose. AIHEC is working with institutions to guarantee that the cancellations don't affect students' abilities to meet degree requirements and graduate. For students who relied on fellowships to support their education, the non-profit is partnering with the American Indian College Fund so that they can complete their education on time. When Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) student Breana Brave Heart (Oglala Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne) learned that the Trump administration was seeking to eliminate her school's funding, she saw it as a betrayal. 'It felt like a direct attack on us as Native students – on our dreams, our cultures and our treaty rights,' Brave Heart said in a statement to the Guardian. 'IAIA isn't just a college; it's a promise our ancestors secured for us through sacrifice and agreements with the US government.' Rose said that Brave Heart's school was most vulnerable to a potential closure, since Trump's 2026 discretionary budget request includes a plan to specifically eliminate funding for the school – without explanation. The four-year fine arts school that focuses on Alaska Native and Native American arts receives $13.5m in annual appropriations. That amount would be reduced to zero if the budget is approved by Congress. 'If they were to defund us,' the IAIA president, Robert Martin, (Cherokee) said, 'then what would happen to those 850 students? Where would they go at this point?' Native Americans make up 80% of the student population, with 92 federally recognized tribes represented at the school. Founded in 1962, IAIA has had an indelible influence on Indigenous arts, Martin said. Some of the most well-known alumni include the former US poet laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek) and author Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma), a finalist for the Pulitzer prize for fiction. 'With the pandemic and historical trauma to begin with, there's always been mental health issues [for students], and this adds a little bit more stress to being a college student,' Martin said. 'In terms of faculty and staff, they are stressed about their employment outlook in the future, and what that's going to bring.' In the meantime, Martin is telling staff and students to expect to return to campus in the fall. School leadership has held town hall meetings for faculty and staff to allay their concerns, and they are preparing to increase their fundraising efforts. An obligation to educate Martin and Christopher Caldwell (Menominee), president at College of Menominee Nation in Wisconsin, hope that whenever a new budget passes, it will uphold the federal government's promise to fund Indigenous education. The 1978 Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act and about 150 treaties guaranteed federal funding to higher education, at a base amount of $8,000 per student adjusted for inflation. Since June, school leaders and their allies have lobbied congressional members to continue supporting TCUs so they remain open in the upcoming academic year. Continued funding of the schools, which provides economic vitality to the entire community also allows tribes to govern themselves, said Rose. 'Our tribal colleges are a deep expression of self-determination and sovereignty. These education systems were created to support and build tribal leadership, to create education systems in which Native students can thrive and can build our economies,' Rose said. 'Not only are the proposed cuts a direct attack against the trust and treaty responsibility that the federal government has to postsecondary institutions, it inhibits tribes' ability to direct self-determination in our own education systems.' She added that her organization and the institutions were connecting with the current administration to underscore just how critical Department of Interior funding is to tribal colleges. The Institute of American Indian Arts has been in contact with New Mexico's congressional delegation and members of the appropriations committee to ensure that they understand the significance of funding for TCUs. 'We've had bipartisan support for our programs, and it's all part of the trust responsibility of the federal government,' Martin said. 'Our ancestors ceded millions of acres of land to the federal government in return for certain promises, and one of those was education.' Martin continued: 'What we're hearing from our donors and supporters is: 'How can we help? And what can we do?' We're telling them to reach out to the congressional delegation immediately. But we also have to emphasize that we may have to experience some reduction in our funding, so we're going to have to make that up in some way to continue to offer the quality of programs and really focus on student success.' Students are also part of the campaign to preserve tribal education. Brave Heart, the IAIA student, is working with her peers to reach out to Congress. 'We deserve more than to see our futures reduced to a line item crossed out in a budget. We need our elected leaders to honor their commitments to Indigenous students and uphold these sacred obligations.' The potential closures of schools will greatly affect tribal economies, particularly since TCUs are sometimes the largest employers in their locales, said Rose. The non-profit plans to release an analysis that looks at the overall economic impact of TCUs on the surrounding communities around the nation. Along with writing letters to congressional members, AIHEC is also helping the schools review their budgets and identify ways that they can cut costs. But for some institutions, the decreases are so steep it's hard to plan. Caldwell, the College of Menominee Nation president, said that the school's federal funding would be reduced from $1.5m to $181,000 if Congress passes the proposed budget. 'How do you budget for the coming years when you see that kind of uncertainty?' Caldwell said. 'We're constantly weighing how much of these costs we are able to cover if the government suddenly stops paying their side of what they agreed to.' The school is refiguring their strategic plan for the upcoming academic year and examining whether their academic offerings align with workforce trends. In light of the financial hits that TCUs have faced since Trump entered office in January, including staff reductions at the Bureau of Indian Education, Caldwell said that the College of Menominee Nation had seen an increase in anonymous donations. 'It demonstrated that there are people who support the work that we do in tribal nations and surrounding communities.' Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Native American universities and colleges brace for crippling Trump cuts
While colleges and universities slow down during summer break, Ahniwake Rose is busy wondering what the fall semester will hold for the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) – and if they will be able to stay open much longer. As the president and CEO of the Indigenous non-profit American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), Rose (Cherokee and Muscogee Creek) braces as the schools she represents face a potential nearly 90% reduction in funding starting in October. President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget includes a proposal to slash operations funding from $183.3m to $22.1m for Bureau of Indian Education post-secondary programs – career and technical schools, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities. On 15 July, a House appropriations subcommittee approved legislation that allotted $1.5bn to the Bureau of Indian Education, though it did not specify how much would go toward post-secondary programs. Congress still needs to finish approving the budget for the Bureau of Indian Education, a subdivision of the Department of Interior. If approved, such cuts will further endanger a system that's already undernourished. Congress currently underfunds the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities by $250m a year, according to a 2024 ProPublica report. TCUs are heavily reliant on federal funding, which accounts for about 75% of their revenue. Those monies cannot be replaced with endowments or alumni donations as other higher education institutions do due to low wealth in Indigenous communities, said Rose. 'There is really no other option, if not to close,' she said, 'than to severely reduce the way that our institutions are able to provide services to our students.' Rose added that 'there is not one TCU that would be able to walk away unscathed'. While they are on summer recess, faculty and students have expressed concerns about their academic future as they fear that their schools will close next year. 'The impact that this is having on the morale of our community and our students has been deeply troubling,' Rose said. Some students are reconsidering whether they will begin school or continue their coursework next year. 'Would the staff want to sign a contract for an institution that might not be able to pay them next year or in a few months?' In anticipation of potential budget cuts, some schools have adjusted by canceling internships, fellowships and workforce study, said Rose. AIHEC is working with institutions to guarantee that the cancellations don't affect students' abilities to meet degree requirements and graduate. For students who relied on fellowships to support their education, the non-profit is partnering with the American Indian College Fund so that they can complete their education on time. When Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) student Breana Brave Heart (Oglala Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne) learned that the Trump administration was seeking to eliminate her school's funding, she saw it as a betrayal. 'It felt like a direct attack on us as Native students – on our dreams, our cultures and our treaty rights,' Brave Heart said in a statement to the Guardian. 'IAIA isn't just a college; it's a promise our ancestors secured for us through sacrifice and agreements with the US government.' Rose said that Brave Heart's school was most vulnerable to a potential closure, since Trump's 2026 discretionary budget request includes a plan to specifically eliminate funding for the school – without explanation. The four-year fine arts school that focuses on Alaska Native and Native American arts receives $13.5m in annual appropriations. That amount would be reduced to zero if the budget is approved by Congress. 'If they were to defund us,' the IAIA president, Robert Martin, (Cherokee) said, 'then what would happen to those 850 students? Where would they go at this point?' Native Americans make up 80% of the student population, with 92 federally recognized tribes represented at the school. Founded in 1962, IAIA has had an indelible influence on Indigenous arts, Martin said. Some of the most well-known alumni include the former US poet laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek) and author Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma), a finalist for the Pulitzer prize for fiction. 'With the pandemic and historical trauma to begin with, there's always been mental health issues [for students], and this adds a little bit more stress to being a college student,' Martin said. 'In terms of faculty and staff, they are stressed about their employment outlook in the future, and what that's going to bring.' In the meantime, Martin is telling staff and students to expect to return to campus in the fall. School leadership has held town hall meetings for faculty and staff to allay their concerns, and they are preparing to increase their fundraising efforts. Martin and Christopher Caldwell (Menominee), president at College of Menominee Nation in Wisconsin, hope that whenever a new budget passes, it will uphold the federal government's promise to fund Indigenous education. The 1978 Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act and about 150 treaties guaranteed federal funding to higher education, at a base amount of $8,000 per student adjusted for inflation. Since June, school leaders and their allies have lobbied congressional members to continue supporting TCUs so they remain open in the upcoming academic year. Continued funding of the schools, which provides economic vitality to the entire community also allows tribes to govern themselves, said Rose. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Our tribal colleges are a deep expression of self-determination and sovereignty. These education systems were created to support and build tribal leadership, to create education systems in which Native students can thrive and can build our economies,' Rose said. 'Not only are the proposed cuts a direct attack against the trust and treaty responsibility that the federal government has to postsecondary institutions, it inhibits tribes' ability to direct self-determination in our own education systems.' She added that her organization and the institutions were connecting with the current administration to underscore just how critical Department of Interior funding is to tribal colleges. The Institute of American Indian Arts has been in contact with New Mexico's congressional delegation and members of the appropriations committee to ensure that they understand the significance of funding for TCUs. 'We've had bipartisan support for our programs, and it's all part of the trust responsibility of the federal government,' Martin said. 'Our ancestors ceded millions of acres of land to the federal government in return for certain promises, and one of those was education.' Martin continued: 'What we're hearing from our donors and supporters is: 'How can we help? And what can we do?' We're telling them to reach out to the congressional delegation immediately. But we also have to emphasize that we may have to experience some reduction in our funding, so we're going to have to make that up in some way to continue to offer the quality of programs and really focus on student success.' Students are also part of the campaign to preserve tribal education. Brave Heart, the IAIA student, is working with her peers to reach out to Congress. 'We deserve more than to see our futures reduced to a line item crossed out in a budget. We need our elected leaders to honor their commitments to Indigenous students and uphold these sacred obligations.' The potential closures of schools will greatly affect tribal economies, particularly since TCUs are sometimes the largest employers in their locales, said Rose. The non-profit plans to release an analysis that looks at the overall economic impact of TCUs on the surrounding communities around the nation. Along with writing letters to congressional members, AIHEC is also helping the schools review their budgets and identify ways that they can cut costs. But for some institutions, the decreases are so steep it's hard to plan. Caldwell, the College of Menominee Nation president, said that the school's federal funding would be reduced from $1.5m to $181,000 if Congress passes the proposed budget. 'How do you budget for the coming years when you see that kind of uncertainty?' Caldwell said. 'We're constantly weighing how much of these costs we are able to cover if the government suddenly stops paying their side of what they agreed to.' The school is refiguring their strategic plan for the upcoming academic year and examining whether their academic offerings align with workforce trends. In light of the financial hits that TCUs have faced since Trump entered office in January, including staff reductions at the Bureau of Indian Education, Caldwell said that the College of Menominee Nation had seen an increase in anonymous donations. 'It demonstrated that there are people who support the work that we do in tribal nations and surrounding communities.'
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Native American universities and colleges brace for crippling Trump cuts
While colleges and universities slow down during summer break, Ahniwake Rose is busy wondering what the fall semester will hold for the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) – and if they will be able to stay open much longer. As the president and CEO of the Indigenous non-profit American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), Rose (Cherokee and Muscogee Creek) braces as the schools she represents face a potential nearly 90% reduction in funding starting in October. President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget includes a proposal to slash operations funding from $183.3m to $22.1m for Bureau of Indian Education post-secondary programs – career and technical schools, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities. On 15 July, a House appropriations subcommittee approved legislation that allotted $1.5bn to the Bureau of Indian Education, though it did not specify how much would go toward post-secondary programs. Congress still needs to finish approving the budget for the Bureau of Indian Education, a subdivision of the Department of Interior. If approved, such cuts will further endanger a system that's already undernourished. Congress currently underfunds the nation's 37 tribal colleges and universities by $250m a year, according to a 2024 ProPublica report. TCUs are heavily reliant on federal funding, which accounts for about 75% of their revenue. Those monies cannot be replaced with endowments or alumni donations as other higher education institutions do due to low wealth in Indigenous communities, said Rose. 'There is really no other option, if not to close,' she said, 'than to severely reduce the way that our institutions are able to provide services to our students.' Rose added that 'there is not one TCU that would be able to walk away unscathed'. While they are on summer recess, faculty and students have expressed concerns about their academic future as they fear that their schools will close next year. 'The impact that this is having on the morale of our community and our students has been deeply troubling,' Rose said. Some students are reconsidering whether they will begin school or continue their coursework next year. 'Would the staff want to sign a contract for an institution that might not be able to pay them next year or in a few months?' In anticipation of potential budget cuts, some schools have adjusted by canceling internships, fellowships and workforce study, said Rose. AIHEC is working with institutions to guarantee that the cancellations don't affect students' abilities to meet degree requirements and graduate. For students who relied on fellowships to support their education, the non-profit is partnering with the American Indian College Fund so that they can complete their education on time. When Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) student Breana Brave Heart (Oglala Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne) learned that the Trump administration was seeking to eliminate her school's funding, she saw it as a betrayal. 'It felt like a direct attack on us as Native students – on our dreams, our cultures and our treaty rights,' Brave Heart said in a statement to the Guardian. 'IAIA isn't just a college; it's a promise our ancestors secured for us through sacrifice and agreements with the US government.' Rose said that Brave Heart's school was most vulnerable to a potential closure, since Trump's 2026 discretionary budget request includes a plan to specifically eliminate funding for the school – without explanation. The four-year fine arts school that focuses on Alaska Native and Native American arts receives $13.5m in annual appropriations. That amount would be reduced to zero if the budget is approved by Congress. 'If they were to defund us,' the IAIA president, Robert Martin, (Cherokee) said, 'then what would happen to those 850 students? Where would they go at this point?' Native Americans make up 80% of the student population, with 92 federally recognized tribes represented at the school. Founded in 1962, IAIA has had an indelible influence on Indigenous arts, Martin said. Some of the most well-known alumni include the former US poet laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek) and author Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma), a finalist for the Pulitzer prize for fiction. 'With the pandemic and historical trauma to begin with, there's always been mental health issues [for students], and this adds a little bit more stress to being a college student,' Martin said. 'In terms of faculty and staff, they are stressed about their employment outlook in the future, and what that's going to bring.' In the meantime, Martin is telling staff and students to expect to return to campus in the fall. School leadership has held town hall meetings for faculty and staff to allay their concerns, and they are preparing to increase their fundraising efforts. Martin and Christopher Caldwell (Menominee), president at College of Menominee Nation in Wisconsin, hope that whenever a new budget passes, it will uphold the federal government's promise to fund Indigenous education. The 1978 Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act and about 150 treaties guaranteed federal funding to higher education, at a base amount of $8,000 per student adjusted for inflation. Since June, school leaders and their allies have lobbied congressional members to continue supporting TCUs so they remain open in the upcoming academic year. Continued funding of the schools, which provides economic vitality to the entire community also allows tribes to govern themselves, said Rose. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Our tribal colleges are a deep expression of self-determination and sovereignty. These education systems were created to support and build tribal leadership, to create education systems in which Native students can thrive and can build our economies,' Rose said. 'Not only are the proposed cuts a direct attack against the trust and treaty responsibility that the federal government has to postsecondary institutions, it inhibits tribes' ability to direct self-determination in our own education systems.' She added that her organization and the institutions were connecting with the current administration to underscore just how critical Department of Interior funding is to tribal colleges. The Institute of American Indian Arts has been in contact with New Mexico's congressional delegation and members of the appropriations committee to ensure that they understand the significance of funding for TCUs. 'We've had bipartisan support for our programs, and it's all part of the trust responsibility of the federal government,' Martin said. 'Our ancestors ceded millions of acres of land to the federal government in return for certain promises, and one of those was education.' Martin continued: 'What we're hearing from our donors and supporters is: 'How can we help? And what can we do?' We're telling them to reach out to the congressional delegation immediately. But we also have to emphasize that we may have to experience some reduction in our funding, so we're going to have to make that up in some way to continue to offer the quality of programs and really focus on student success.' Students are also part of the campaign to preserve tribal education. Brave Heart, the IAIA student, is working with her peers to reach out to Congress. 'We deserve more than to see our futures reduced to a line item crossed out in a budget. We need our elected leaders to honor their commitments to Indigenous students and uphold these sacred obligations.' The potential closures of schools will greatly affect tribal economies, particularly since TCUs are sometimes the largest employers in their locales, said Rose. The non-profit plans to release an analysis that looks at the overall economic impact of TCUs on the surrounding communities around the nation. Along with writing letters to congressional members, AIHEC is also helping the schools review their budgets and identify ways that they can cut costs. But for some institutions, the decreases are so steep it's hard to plan. Caldwell, the College of Menominee Nation president, said that the school's federal funding would be reduced from $1.5m to $181,000 if Congress passes the proposed budget. 'How do you budget for the coming years when you see that kind of uncertainty?' Caldwell said. 'We're constantly weighing how much of these costs we are able to cover if the government suddenly stops paying their side of what they agreed to.' The school is refiguring their strategic plan for the upcoming academic year and examining whether their academic offerings align with workforce trends. In light of the financial hits that TCUs have faced since Trump entered office in January, including staff reductions at the Bureau of Indian Education, Caldwell said that the College of Menominee Nation had seen an increase in anonymous donations. 'It demonstrated that there are people who support the work that we do in tribal nations and surrounding communities.'
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
After outcry from tribes, federal agency scales back tribal school choice plan
Days after taking office, President Donald Trump stunned tribal nations when he signed an executive order mandating the expansion of school choice to Indian Country by this fall. The president's Jan. 29 order led to an outcry from tribal members, including parents and educators, who feared the proposal would harm tribal schools that in many cases offer the only educational option for families living on remote reservations. They also warned - in public hearings and formal legislative action - that Trump's order threatened to undermine U.S. treaties with sovereign Indian nations and their rights to self-determination in education. "They put our kids in boarding schools to 'kill the Indian,'" said Michelle Beaudin, a member of the governing board for the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe, referring to the federal government's century-long Indian boarding school program to forcibly assimilate Native American youth. The tribe runs an Ojibwe language immersion school in rural northwest Wisconsin that Beaudin says has helped restore tribal identity and culture.* She worried any diversion of funds because of Trump's order would harm that effort. "We're working hard to get that language and tradition back again," she said. "This is one more assault to take it away." Yet in late May, the agency that oversees schools on tribal lands, the Bureau of Indian Education, released preliminary details of a plan in response to Trump's order that appears to bring much more modest changes than many anticipated. Citing the bureau's history of poor academic outcomes and financial mismanagement, conservatives have long wanted to turn the BIE into a school voucher-style program. The proposal, though, looks nothing like that. Instead of offering to pay for students to attend competing private, religious or charter schools, the BIE plans to give campuses the flexibility to offer additional services - like tutoring and after-school programs - that families can then pick for their kids. In an email to The Hechinger Report/ICT, the BIE said it 'structured the plan to ensure tribes retain a leading role in determining how educational choices are expanded for their students.' Related: A lot goes on in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Keep up with our free weekly newsletter on K-12 education. The BIE enrolls nearly 44,000 students at 183 schools that it directly runs or oversees on reservations in nearly two dozen states. About 8 percent of Native American students attend BIE schools; the vast majority attend traditional public schools. In his order, Trump set an April deadline for the bureau to come up with a plan for families to use federal funds at non-BIE schools - with it scheduled to go into effect this fall. Sweeping government layoffs and budget cuts, meanwhile, decimated the BIE's rank-and-file staff. The bureau didn't hold virtual forums to discuss the executive order until mid-March, when nearly 800 parents, tribal leaders, agency educators and Native education advocates weighed in, many of them critical of the order. Related: How a tribe won a legal battle against the Bureau of Indian Education - and still lost Yet in a letter to tribal leaders in late May, the BIE notified them of a plan that would offer a limited amount of choice for families, while potentially increasing funding for schools like Beaudin's that are directly managed by tribes. The letter included just one line on its school choice plan: The bureau proposed it would set aside up to $1.3 million that schools could spend on additional services for families to choose for their children. Those could include advanced or college courses, tutoring and after-school activities, according to the May 23 letter. It also mentions gathering more feedback before the next school year on new and strengthened college and career pathways for students. "These options will allow parents to exercise a meaningful choice in their child's education," the BIE letter reads. In March, the Department of Education had encouraged state leaders to take advantage of similar flexibility with federal funds under existing law. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the plan. But a BIE spokeswoman said the bureau worked closely with the Trump administration "to ensure the plan is consistent with executive order priorities and federal responsibilities." The bureau, she added, attempted to craft a proposal that would offer "practical and impactful" services in remote and rural settings where many of its schools enroll kids and private options for education are scant. In its letter, the bureau also said it would work to secure more funding for tribal schools by asking lawmakers to restore grants for tribes that directly manage their BIE-funded campuses. Federal law allows tribes to directly manage all budget, curriculum and hiring decisions at BIE schools. Some 130 campuses operate today under that arrangement. The bureau said it will request that lawmakers boost funding that helps tribes with those costly conversions to local management. The letter suggests the funding must arrive before fall, when the school choice plan would go into effect. Related: Investigating the Bureau of Indian Education - and Trump's efforts to turn it into a school choice program Trump's proposed budget, released after the BIE sent its letter to tribal leaders, included no increase in funding for tribal education. The bureau actually stands to lose about $80 million, or roughly 10 percent, of its total budget for elementary and secondary programs - though lawmakers have indicated they will fund the BIE's parent agency, the Department of Interior, above the level in the president's "skinny budget" request. "BIE proposes to carry out these initiatives within its allocated budget, to the extent possible," the bureau's spokeswoman said in an email. Meanwhile, the BIE's more modest proposal is already disappointing some of its loudest critics, including those at the conservative Heritage Foundation. In Project 2025, a transition plan for the new president released last year, the think tank called for offering BIE families a voucher-style program of school choice like the one states including Arizona and Florida have made available to all children. Jonathan Butcher, acting director of Heritage's Center for Education Policy, said the bureau's proposal falls short of the president's order. "This is an opportunity to give students the chance to find something they cannot get now at their assigned school. Expecting that assigned public school to provide this kind of opportunity, I'm afraid, is unlikely," Butcher said. "The BIE's students have not had a lot of great options for a long time," he added. "We should be figuring out how to do everything we can for them." At the bureau's consultation sessions in March, a few tribal members voiced support for school choice, including those who run schools in communities that do offer education alternatives to the BIE. Rodney Bordeaux, former president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, now runs the St. Francis Mission on the reservation. He said the private Jesuit school, which offers small class sizes and Lakota language classes, could use a boost from federal funds. It currently relies on private donations collected from across the country. "Our students learn the Lakota values - the history and the culture, as well as language," Bordeaux said. "However, our funding is somewhat limited, so we need this extra funding to become a very stable school." He added, "We can prove that our model works." Related: Native Americans turn to charter schools to reclaim their kids' education Before the bureau can implement its plan this fall, it will host a fresh round of virtual consultation sessions in July to gather feedback from tribal members, school boards, parents and teachers. Budget writers in Congress will soon release their proposed spending plan for 2026, revealing how much BIE schools will lose or gain as the plan moves forward. Tribes that already control their schools, however, didn't take it as a good sign that Trump's budget would eliminate all funding for BIE school construction and repairs. Funding shortfalls and mismanagement have contributed to poor conditions in many BIE schools, and inspectors have deemed some of the buildings unhealthy and unsafe. Michael Willis, a partner and lawyer with Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that represents small tribes, said his clients remain worried about Trump's order and the financial outlook for tribally controlled schools. "Let's fix what we have. Let's put more investment in infrastructure and what we need to operate successful schools," said Willis. "Unsafe, unsanitary, dangerous conditions just don't pose a good option when parents want their kids to have the best experience possible." Correction: This story has been updated with the correct location of the Ojibwe language immersion school. Contact staff writer Neal Morton at 212-678-8247, on Signal at nealmorton.99, or via email at morton@ This story about school choice was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, in partnership with ICT. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter. The post After outcry from tribes, federal agency scales back tribal school choice plan appeared first on The Hechinger Report.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
From the Archives: April 9 in the Pioneer
Apr. 9—April 9, 2015 — Three members of the U.S. Congress toured the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school in Leech Lake Nation to get a first-hand look at one of the 63 schools listed in poor condition on the nationwide Bureau of Indian Affairs list as of 2014, out of 183 Bureau of Indian Education schools that receive BIA funding. April 9, 2000 — A third-degree black belt, Bemidji's Jim Mastro is heading to the Paralympic Games. An assistant professor of physical and professional education at Bemidji State University, Mastro's goal is to win gold in judo at the October games in Sydney, Australia. He would be the first gold-medal winner in judo in U.S. history. April 9, 1975 — Local doctor Mary Ghostley has died at the age of 93. Ghostley worked as the superintendent at the Lake Julia Sanitorium for several decades, during which she was appointed medical director for the First District Minnesota Health Department and administered tests to hundreds of young students. April 9, 1925 — The Bemidji Women's Civic and Community Club is sponsoring the selection of a city flower by popular vote. Packages of this flower will be distributed through the schools and various organizations of the city will be asked to encourage planting and growth of the flower. Flower gardens are also being planned for summer.
