Latest news with #BureauofIndianEducation
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.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committees demand investigation into Indian schools
Madeline CantrellGaylord News The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources has requested an investigation of reports alleging abuse at Bureau of Indian Education schools. This request, in the form of a letter to the Comptroller General, Gene L. Dorado, alleged that schools dispensed medications to students without parental consent, did not take proper steps to prevent bullying, did not properly respond to suicidal behavior, and failed to follow proper background check protocol for staff and volunteers. The BIE Funded-School system includes 183 elementary and secondary schools that serve approximately 41,000 native american students across 23 states. Many students live on campus and heavily rely on their adult staff to provide a safe space for learning. Those were among the more than 526 Indian schools, often boarding schools, that were operated in the U.S, in the 19th and 20th century. In Oklahoma, there are four currently active BIE schools across four tribal nations. All four schools are tribally operated but receive federal funding. At one time there were more than 80 Indian schools operated in Oklahoma by the government and religious groups. The letter comes on the heels of an investigation into Haskell Indian Nations University that the 118th Congress conducted, which revealed misconduct at the university. 'There is reason to further examine whether BIE schools are properly reporting and responding to risks to students' safety,' the letter signed by House Committee on Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg, Republican from Michigan, states. 'The failure of BIE to consistently monitor and investigate such risks can have serious consequences for students, their families, and their communities including prolonged harm and long-term trauma to victims as well as erosion of trust in the staff responsible for safeguarding the well-being of students,' they went on to say in their letter. Lucas introduces bill to keep air traffic control school open in event of government shutdown Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, Republican, has introduced legislation to keep the air traffic control training center in Oklahoma City operating in the event of a government shutdown. The legislation, H.R. 2563, would ensure the training center which is racing to train additional air traffic controllers at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center would keep operating even if funding for the government expired. 'The Academy serves a fundamental role in the overall safety of the aviation industry. We must protect it at all costs,' Lucas said in a statement. The legislation is supported by the aviation industry trade group Airlines for America. Oklahoma Republican Congressman Tom Cole, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, led the effort in eliminating earmarks to secure passage of the stopgap spending bill last month. But Cole is keeping in place the ban on non-profits receiving funding through the Community Project Funding. He imposed the ban on non-profit funding last year. Billions of dollars in projects were cut as the House and Senate worked to secure passage of the spending bill, which now expires on Sept. 30. Cole told members that projects that were cut from the 2025 funding cycle are eligible to be resubmitted for 2026. Each Congressman is limited to 15 requests. Earmarks are now known as community project funding in the House and Congressionally directed spending in the Senate. But Cole has lowered the amount that can be spent to one-half of one percent of discretionary spending from the previous one percent. Still, billions of dollars will be doled out for projects favored by Congress.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tribal colleges preparing for more federal budget cuts
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) –From colleges and universities, to nonprofits, federal budget cuts have a lot of people on edge. The Bureau of Indian Education is not immune. This week, students and staff from tribal colleges and universities from 15 states gathered in Rapid City. In addition to celebrating student accomplishments, attendees are also thinking about the future. 'We're planning, we're not panicking, and so in relation to that is preparing. Preparing the college and administration for different types of transition of funds and resources, but also preparing students.' Oglala Lakota College President Dawn Frank said. 'Tribal Colleges were for our local communities and it's also a trust and treaty obligation from the federal government to provide education to Indian people.' Sitting Bull College President Tomi Kay Phillips said. The school presidents say they're worried about how federal cuts could impact faculty and programs, along with Pell grants and scholarships. 'So Tribal Colleges provide that access, especially in the areas that we are in. Because it's so rural you know a lot of them, especially non-traditional students, they can't uproot their family and go to college, so we provide the opportunity for them.' Frank said. 'When our students are educated and they graduate from our colleges and universities, they can get better jobs, they can make more money, and they lead productive lives.' Phillips said. The United States is home to 35 accredited Tribal colleges and universities. You can find them in 15 states, including South Dakota. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
BIE staff cuts result in lawsuit from tribal nations, Native students
Kalle BenallieICTThree tribal nations and five Native students are suing the United States Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs in response to staff cuts at the Bureau of Indian Education and in the schools they fund and operate. In February, the bureau terminated a significant number of employees in the Bureau of Indian Education that helped operate schools in lieu of President Donald Trump's executive orders to reduce federal staffing. Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, lost more than a quarter of its staff and nearly one-quarter of the staff at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, due to the federal layoffs that occurred on Valentine's Day. The cuts have led to disruptions in education, safety, student programs, student centers, financial aid and a clean Native American Rights Fund in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is guiding the case for the nations and students which include: the Pueblo of Isleta, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes and students: Ella Bowen, Kaiya Brown, Danielle Ledesma, Victor Organista, and Aiyanna Tanyan. 'They keep saying that these cuts won't impact individuals and services, but they do – they affect us a lot. Besides the classes that lost instructors, the entire school only has three custodial staff now. The school's restrooms have overflowing trashcans and no toilet paper. Students are cleaning up the restrooms themselves just to make them usable,' said Ella Bowen, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, in a press release. Bowen is a freshman at Haskell. SIPI student Kaiya Jade Brown, Navajo, who is named in the lawsuit, said it's been demoralizing. 'SIPI already was understaffed and things have gotten much worse. We had a power outage in my dorm for 13 hours because there was no maintenance staff available to restore power. I had to leave my dorm to find somewhere I could submit assignments,' Brown said. 'There also was a campus-wide power outage that cancelled classes.' Tribal nations said the BIE did not consult or notify them. The BIE is responsible for providing educational opportunities for Native Americans and Alaska Natives across the country, part of the U.S. government's trust responsibilities — the legal and moral obligations the U.S. has to protect and uphold treaties, laws and congressional acts dealing with tribes.'The United States government has legal obligations to Tribal Nations that they agreed to in treaties and have been written into federal law. The abrupt and drastic changes that happened since February, without consultation or even pre-notification, are completely illegal,' said NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De Leó are 183 bureau-funded elementary and secondary schools on 64 reservations in 23 states that serve about 42,000 Indian students, according to the BIE's website. It says 55 are BIE-operated and 128 are tribally operated. Haskell and SIPI are the only two tribal colleges operated by the BIE. 'Tribal Nations and the federal government should be working together to best serve our Native students. Instead, the administration is randomly, without preparation and in violation of their federal trust responsibility, taking away teachers and staff from already-underserved facilities. Our students deserve better,' said Pueblo of Isleta Governor Eugene instructional staff have been rehired but not all. On Friday, March 7, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, an organization that serves the 34 tribal colleges and universities across the country, announced on social media that "25 positions recently terminated at Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute have been reinstated" and thanked Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum for restoring this "vital infrastructure for Indian Country." "However, there are nearly 30 positions who serve critical needs at these institutions that still need to be addressed," read the statement. The BIA told the Associated Press it was department policy to not comment on pending litigation. A spokesperson for the Interior Department also declined to Associated Press contributed to this stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tribes, Native students sue feds over education cuts
Mar. 10—A coalition of tribal nations and students is suing the federal government over major cuts to a pair of colleges and a federal agency serving Native American students. The staffing cuts, part of President Donald Trump's effort to reduce the federal workforce, have slashed basic services on the campuses of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, known as SIPI, in New Mexico. The lawsuit says the feds failed to notify or consult with tribal nations prior to making the cuts. The lawsuit notes that those schools — as well as the federal Bureau of Indian Education — are part of a system that fulfills the federal government's legal obligation to provide education for Native people. Tribal nations secured that right in a series of treaties in exchange for conceding land. "The United States government has legal obligations to Tribal Nations that they agreed to in treaties and have been written into federal law," Jacqueline De León, staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, the legal group leading the lawsuit, said in a statement announcing the case. "The abrupt and drastic changes that happened since February, without consultation or even pre-notification, are completely illegal." Three tribal nations and five Native students have joined the lawsuit. Asked about the case, federal officials told media outlets they do not comment on pending litigation. According to Haskell student Ella Bowen, cuts to custodial staff have left bathrooms with overflowing trash cans and no toilet paper. SIPI student Kaiya Jade Brown said that school's campus has suffered from power outages because of a lack of maintenance workers. Both schools lost roughly a quarter of their staff last month after Trump and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency task force ordered major cuts across a slew of federal agencies. While the schools have since been able to hire back some instructional staff, "[i]t is not even close to enough," Native American Rights Fund Deputy Director Matthew Campbell said in the statement. Thirty-four courses at Haskell lost their instructors in February, according to the statement. Some students have reported delays in their financial aid, and SIPI students are dealing with brown, unsafe tap water, with repairs put on hold due to the cuts, the statement said. And the school did not have enough faculty to administer midterm exams. The Pueblo of Isleta; the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are suing the feds. "Despite having a treaty obligation to provide educational opportunities to Tribal students, the federal government has long failed to offer adequate services," Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Lieutenant Governor Hershel Gorham said in the statement. "Just when the Bureau of Indian Education was taking steps to fix the situation, these cuts undermined all those efforts. These institutions are precious to our communities, we won't sit by and watch them fail." Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at [email protected]. YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
