2023 - #08: ENSURING FEDERAL RETIREMENT BENEFITS FOR TRIBALLY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1970 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, NIEA as the largest national Native organization of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents, and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education of Indian and Native people; and

WHEREAS, through its unique relationship with Native nations and tribes, the federal government has established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, residing on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, the United States has a treaty and trust responsibility to ensure that all Native children receive a full and proper education; and

WHEREAS, there are 183 Bureau of Indian Education(BIE)-funded elementary and secondary schools, of which 129 are tribally controlled schools; and WHEREAS,the United States has a shortage of qualified educators and staff, which particularly affects BIE-funded, tribally controlled schools; and

WHEREAS, currently, only direct service schools under the BIE school system are eligible for federal retirement benefits; this disparity between retirement programs in BIE-funded school systems further exacerbates tribally controlled schools' recruitment and retention problems; and

WHEREAS, the Parity for Tribal Educators Act would provide all employees at tribally controlled schools with the same federal retirement benefits as teachers at BIE direct service schools, which would help recruitment and retention for all employees at tribally controlled schools by requiring the federal government to pay the contribution portion of retirement benefits; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the National Indian Education Association calls upon Congress to require the federal government to pay the contribution portion of retirement benefits for all employees at tribally controlled schools, helping teacher recruitment and retention, and to pass The Parity for Tribal Educators Act; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NIEA until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.