Tribes criticize federal restructuring of Native education programs
Tribal leaders and educators criticized a federal restructuring of Native education programs during a consultation in Washington, D.C., according to Indianz.com. With the Department of Education being dismantled, the Department of the Interior will assume oversight of key programs, while the Department of Labor will take over others, including about $1.6 billion in Impact Aid funding. The changes affect nearly half a million American Indian and Alaska Native public school students. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation was quoted as saying that agreements were already “at the execution stage” before consultation occurred. Vice President Richelle Montoya of the Navajo Nation cited Executive Order 13175, saying the November 2025 announcement was made without consultation.
At the session at the National Museum of the American Indian, Chairman Peter Lengkeek of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe said the format did not constitute “robust and meaningful consultation,” according to Indianz.com. Tribal leaders raised concerns about the Bureau of Indian Education’s capacity to absorb additional programs and called for regional meetings.
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