Delegation Introduces Legislation to Allow Tribal Grant Schools to Devote Additional Resources to Improving Education
Legislation would provide Federal Employees Health Benefits and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance eligibility for tribally operated grant schools
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today introduced Senate and House companion bills that would allow tribal grant schools to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) programs. This change would free up resources to improve recruiting and retention efforts for professional educators in tribal communities by allowing schools to spend less on health insurance and more on education-specific items.
“By allowing tribal grant schools to be eligible for federal health insurance programs, these schools would save thousands of dollars each year,” said Rounds. “This would allow them to redirect those resources toward improving teacher and administrator retention rates – an important factor in student success.”
Currently, tribal schools are operated either directly by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); by tribes, through Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance (ISDEA) Act contracts; or through Tribally Controlled Schools Act grants, which help support tribal grant schools. Currently, 128 schools nationwide operate as tribal grant schools, including nearly 20 in South Dakota, and three schools currently operate through an ISDEA contract. BIE operates 52 tribal schools across the nation.
Rounds, Thune and then-U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) first introduced this legislation in the 115th Congress.
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