Hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee - Examining the Federal Government's Mismanagement of Native American Schools

Hearing

Good morning and thank you, Chairman Kline, for holding this
hearing. This is the second hearing in as many months on Indian
education. Before that, it had been seven years since a hearing had taken
place.

I am grateful that today we will be able to consider the full range
of issues impacting American Indian and Alaska Native students. Our
prior hearing focused on the deplorable conditions of many schools
operated by the Bureau of Indian Education. That was important and I
am pleased that the Bureau of Indian Education will be sharing with us
its plans to address these conditions. You should know that there is no
partisanship on this issue. None of us want to see any student going to
school in conditions like the ones we learned about at the last hearing.

The schools need to be fixed. And they need to be fixed without delay.

The condition of BIE school buildings not only affects the health
and safety of students, it impacts their ability to learn and sends a
disheartening message that these conditions are "good enough" for you.
I want to be very clear: it isn't. No student should go to school in
freezing classrooms, with leaking roofs and exposed wires. These
conditions cannot persist.

I am eager to hear from the Bureau of Indian Education about its
recent reforms and initiatives to improve these unacceptable conditions.

I am also eager to work with Chairman Kline to ensure that there is
adequate federal funding to remedy these conditions. Appropriations for
construction of BIE schools have fallen 64%, from $206.7 million in
FY2006 to $74.5 million in FY2015. This sharp reduction in funding
has doubtlessly contributed to the deplorable conditions of many BIE
schools.

However, as important as it is to fix BIE school buildings, we must
also acknowledge that fixing these buildings will only solve a small part
of the problem. Only 7% of American Indian students attend BIE
schools. The vast majority -- 93% -- attend regular public schools.

Addressing the challenges facing these students requires a
comprehensive and coordinated commitment across agencies.

For that reason, I am especially pleased that Bill Mendoza,
Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian
and Alaska Native Education is here today. I am particularly eager to
learn about the important work of Generation Indigenous, an initiative
focused on removing the barriers that stand between American Indian
and Alaska Native youth and their opportunity to succeed. I look
forward to hearing more about this comprehensive approach that
includes work from the Department of Education, Health and Human
Services, and the Department of Interior.

The federal government holds a special trust responsibility to tribal
nations. Treaties, laws, and court decisions require the federal
government to protect tribal lands and sovereignty. It must also provide
resources to ensure the success of tribal communities. The delivery of
educational services is arguably the most important resource we can
provide. Sadly, it has not been an obligation that has been met well.

The reality is American Indian and Alaska Native children face
some of the bleakest outcomes of any racial and ethnic subgroup in the
United States. These students have the lowest high school graduation
rates, with only 69% graduating in four years in aggregate. When we
look at the graduation rate for students in Bureau of Indian Education
schools, the picture is even worse. Only 53% -- barely half -- of
students, graduate in four years.

A 2011 study from the Alliance for Excellent Education calculated
the economic impact of this high dropout rate as follows:

"If just half of the 24,700 American Indian and Alaska Native
students from the Class of 2010 who dropped out of high school
had graduated, together these 12,350 new graduates would likely
be earning an additional $147 million each year compared to what
they will earn without a high school diploma."

This kind of economic loss is a tragedy for the individuals. It also
impacts the economic future of our nation.

There are opportunities to change things. Many tribes are
optimistic about the work at Interior and through the White House
Initiative. However, after centuries of neglect, there is also skepticism.
The long history of broken federal promises to tribes and their children
requires Congress to be vigilant in our oversight. It is important that our
witnesses understand that we watching and committed to making things
right.

Thank you for being here today. I look forward to hearing your
testimony. With that, I yield back.

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