Support for Taking the JOM Program Out of the BIA’ s Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) Budget System.

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, Indian and Alaska Native children receive supplemental Johnson-O’Malley Program (JOM) 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 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, NJOMA members have approved resolutions entitled “Eliminate Baseline Student Count Cap, Reinstate $400.00 Per Capita with 6% Annual Increases and Take JOM out of Tribal Priority Allocation” and ”Eliminate Baseline Student Count Cap and Take JOM out of the Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA).”

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION will advocate and work towards removing the Johnson-O’Malley Program (JOM) from the Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) budget system under which few tribes have received financial increases as they were prior to 1995.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE 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.

SUBMITTED BY: 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.