Quality education programs and safe, well-equipped school facilities are essential to the educational welfare and personal growth of Indian children and their tribes. To achieve these objectives, tribes and tribal school boards must work effectively and forcefully with agencies and legislatures of federal and state governments. Our professional personnel have extensive experience in assisting tribes, tribal school boards, Impact Aid schools and Indian education organizations' advance programmatic and funding objectives designed to improve educational opportunities for Indian children.

CONTACT:
Carol Barbero or Lisa Ryan

Achievements and Actions

• Drafted and secured passage of key Indian-related amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Acts of 1988 and 1994

• Obtained IBCA ruling that tribal school was entitled to 100% of administrative cost grant funding, in Alamo Navajo School Board and Miccosukee Corporation v. BIA

• Conducted survey and analysis of education facilities needs for the National Indian Impacted Schools Association

• Obtained IBCA ruling that school boundaries that affect funding may be enforced only if established under formal rulemaking procedures

• During the 1998 Congressional re-authorization of federal vocational education law, succeeded in maintaining free-standing authorization of tribal post-secondary vocational schools, and a study of facility and training needs of those institutions

Typical Assignments

• Advocate for tribal education provisions in federal education statutes

• Prepare detailed analysis of annual Indian education budget requests and assist tribal school boards in advocating for program and facilities funding needs

• Prepare new school construction applications and FI&R planning and implementation

• Monitor and analyze legislative and regulatory developments and advocate for enhanced tribal control in Indian education

• Provide legal representation before the Interior Board of Contract Appeals in Contract Dispute Act and Prompt Payment Act claims, and disputes under the Self-Determination Act, the Tribally Controlled Schools Act, and the Administrative Cost Grant statute

• Draft congressional testimony and tribal comments in regulatory proceedings

• Provide information and assistance on federal funding opportunities

• Advise tribal school boards on personnel, procurement, and students' rights issues

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