Press Releases

On Thursday, May 14 at 10:30 a.m., the Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will hold a hearing entitled, “Examining the Federal Government’s Mismanagement of Native American Schools.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

There are 185 Native American schools serving more than 40,000 students across the country. Three separate divisions under the Department of Interior – the Bureau of Indian Education, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management – and the Department of Education are responsible for ensuring Native American students receive an education comparable to their peers by providing schools with funding, academic support and operational support, as well as overseeing personnel, transportation, and financial management.

At a recent oversight hearing, members of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education learned about the deplorable conditions of Native American schools, including falling ceilings, broken water heaters, and ventilation problems. Witnesses cited layers of federal bureaucracy for failing to provide Native American students safe and healthy schools. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office reports the federal government’s efforts to restructure this ineffective system have not been implemented.

Thursday’s hearing provides members an opportunity to learn about how and when the Department of Interior and the Department of Education will implement reforms to improve Native American schools.

To learn more about the hearing, visit /hearings.

 

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WITNESS LIST

Dr. Charles M. Roessel
Director
Bureau of Indian Education
U.S. Department of Interior
Washington, D.C.

William Mendoza
Executive Director
White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education
U.S. Department of Education
Washington, D.C.