Support for Full Funding for the BIA’ s Johnson-O’Malley Program and for Reinstating a $400.00 Per Capita with 6% Annual Increases.

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1969 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special education needs of American Indian and Alaska Native people; and

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

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

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Johnson-O’Malley Program (JOM) provides funds to tribes which are serving an increasing number of eligible American Indian and Alaska Native students at the preschool and K-12 levels in public and tribal schools; and

WHEREAS, the American Indian and Alaska Native student population has doubled in numbers from 150,000 to 300,000 over the last 20 years; and

WHEREAS, federal budget appropriations for JOM have decreased substantially over the last 20 years despite dramatic increases in the student population and in education costs at the preschool and K-12 levels; and

WHEREAS, American Indian and Alaska Native children receive supplemental JOM program services in public schools and tribal entities have had to reduce their programs by 75% due to funding losses; and

WHEREAS, local educational agencies (LEA’s) with large American Indian and Alaska Native children school enrollment are supported by public, basic education funding through local, state, tribal, and federal sources; and

WHEREAS, the National JOM Association (NJOMA) is an organization representing the collective voice of over 275,000 eligible JOM program students and their parents/guardians nationwide; and

WHEREAS, NJ OMA members have approved a resolution entitled ”Eliminate Baseline Student Count Cap, Reinstate $400.00 Per Capita with 6% Annual Increases and Take JOM out of Tribal Priority Allocation.”

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION does hereby recommend that the FY2000 federal budget appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Johnson O’Malley Program (JOM) be funded at no less than $24 million and at most $54,400,000;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION will advocate and work towards reinstatement of a $400.00 Per Capita with 6% Annual Increases for the JOM Program to come from the projected federal budget surplus without affecting other Indian education programs;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION will collaborate with tribal governments, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and other organizations to ask the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress to remove imposed requirements which prevent the growth and expansion of the JOM Program, and to fully fund JOM at the higher requested level for FY2000.

SUBMITTED BY: Alvin Schuster (Yakama), Toppenish, WA, and Virginia Thomas (Muscogee [Creek] Nation), Wewoka, OK.

CERTIFICATION

I do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly considered and passed by the NIEA membership assembled at its annual convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at which a quorum was present during the meeting held October 17-20, 1999.