As federal government shutdown continues, Native education takes a hit in Idaho

With the federal government shutdown now in its third week, schools on Native reservations are already seeing grant money dry up, affecting a multitude of programs and services for students and their families.

IdahoEdNews.org reports that school districts on nontaxable federal land — which includes military bases — aren’t getting grants from the Impact Aid Program.

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools says nine Idaho school districts and charters in fiscal year 2024 received roughly $9 million in Impact Aid basic support payments.

One affected district in Idaho, Lapwai, relies on the Impact Aid program for a third of its annual budget. Superintendent David Aiken told IdahoEdNews he’s worried about what a continued impasse in Congress could mean in the long term.

“What I’m really concerned about more than the government shutdown is the layoffs,” Aiken was quoted as saying. “The threatening of the layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education.”

Most federal money is still flowing in Idaho, including to the state’s Department of Education. But ImpactAid is one of the few federal programs that allocates funds directly to Idaho schools.

Adding to the frustration is the lack of communication during the shutdown. Impact Aid staff are employed through the U.S. Department of Education and not able to respond to messages while furloughed. Its website currently states that no emails or voicemails can be responded to while the shutdown continues.