TITLE: Support Tribal Grant Schools Request for Fielding Hearings to Investigate the Constraints of Federal Funds for Tribal School Facilities and Administrative Costs
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, at the annual session held in Palm Springs, California in October of 2009, Resolution PSP-09-048 was passed requesting the United States Congress to end the funding constraints of the Bureau of Indian Affairs funded tribal schools; and
WHEREAS, since passage of #PSP-09-048 there has been no improvement in the funding shortfalls or constraints for facilities operations and maintenance and the administrative costs for school operation; and
WHEREAS, the federal government by treaty is responsible for 185 schools on tribal lands, comprised of 238 tribes, more than 60,000 students in 7,341 facility structures; and
WHEREAS, tribal grant schools have endured fiscal constraints for the past 22 years in its operation and maintenance and administrative costs which greatly impact administration of education services as described in #PSP-09-048.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NCAI urges the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to hold field hearings in the Great Plains, Southwest, and all across Indian Country to investigate the constraints of federal funds for tribal school Facilities and administrative costs; and
BE IT FURTHUR RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2013 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Cox Business Center from October 13 - 18, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a quorum present.
President
ATTEST:
Recording Secretary