“To improve the Indian School Equalization Formula of the Bureau of Indian Education, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section directs a study of the resources Bureau-funded schools need to provide competitive salaries and benefits for recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers, administrators, and staff; the funding and resources the Bureau of Indian Education requires to deliver high-quality education to its students; and potential revenue sources to achieve parity with other school systems.
This section defines terms used throughout the Act, including the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bureau-funded school, Indian School Equalization Formula, Indian School Equalization Program, Indian Tribe, Secretary of the Interior, and tribally controlled school.
This section directs the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, to complete a study within one year on updating the Indian School Equalization Formula. The study must develop alternative distribution methods that ensure sufficient funding for Bureau-funded and tribally controlled schools, set teacher and staff compensation at the higher of the top public-school quartile or Department of Defense overseas rates, apply weights for tribally controlled, small (under 100 students), and rural schools, and assign Havasupai Elementary School an extra 12.5 Weighted Student Unit factor. It also requires a report to Congress and Indian Tribes on the formula’s adequacy and recommended changes.
This section requires the Secretary, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, to conduct a study within 1 year of enactment identifying potential revenue sources to bring Bureau-funded schools into parity with other schools.