- DOCUMENT RESUME ED 382 428 RC 020 091 TITLE Performance of Bureau of Indian Affairs Off-Reservation Boarding Schools. Oversight Hearing To Review the Performance of Bureau of Indian Affairs Off-Reservation Boarding Schools. Hearing before the Committee on Indian Affairs. United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, Second Session (June 10, 1994). INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. REPORT NO ISBN-0-16-046636-9; Senate-Hrg-103-923 PUB DATE 95 NOTE 890p.; Extensive appendix contains several attachments with light, broken, or small print. AVAILABLE FROM U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MF06/PC36 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Education; Behavior Problems; *Boarding Schools; Delinquenty; *Dropouts; Elementary Secondary Education; Emotional Disturbances; Financial Problems; Hearings; *High Risk Students; Mental Health; *Special Needs Students IDENTIFIERS *Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools; Congress 103rd ABSTRACT A Senate committee hearing received testimony about high dropout rates and other problems at seven off-reservation boarding schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) or by tribal groups under BIA contract. The schools are Pierre Indian Learning Center (South Dakota), Sequoyah Indian High School (Oklahoma),.Wahpeton Indian School (North Dakota), Chemawa Indian School (Oregon), Flandreau Indian School (South Dakota), Riverside Indian School (Oklahoma), and Sherman Indian High School (California). Together, these seven schools enrolled 2-,623 students at the start of the 1993-94 school year, but had only 1,557 students in attendance at the end of the year. In addition, persons associated with the schools had expressed concern that inadequate funding made it impossible for the schools to deal with rising numbers of court referred students and students with serious social and emotional problems. Testimony from BIA and Indian Health Service administrators, school administrators and board members, tribal leaders, and students discussed the feasibility of the therapeutic community school model, whether the model can be developed for implementation in off-reservation boarding schools, per-pupil funding at the seven schools compared to funding At comparable state residential institutions, needs for psychiatric and other mental health services, substance abuse, parent participation, school monitoring and evaluation procedures, and inadequate dormitories. An appendix of additional materials includes school mission statements, descriptions of service delivery models, a review of the Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP) suggesting that ISEP funding is inadequate, investigations of student criminal activities, profiles of student needs and problems, concept papers on the development of alternative schools, data on academic achievement and mental health indicators, fedekal boarding school evaluations, research reports on student tobacco use, and a summary of identified school strengths and needs based on correlates of effective schools. (SV) N N 00 P BEST U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RE ne)URCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) dierhIs document has been reproduced as reea.vep from tne person or orgaresatiOn Origmating Minor changes have been made 10 Improve reproduction Quality Points of weer or opinions stated in this dote mnt do not necessarily represent oths,a1 OE RI position or policy S. HRG. 103-923 PERFORMANCE OF BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS OFF-RESERVATION BOARDING SCHOOLS HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON OVERSIGHT HEARING TO REVIEW THE PERFORMANCE OF BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS OFF-RESERVATION BOARDING SCHOOLS JUNE 10, 1994 WASHINGTON, DC U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 46-151 WASHINGTON : 1995 S ( (Mk e I of Oh. I Supermtemleut of 1)(n.unicilts.CoTiv.w..ional Sale. ( asion1.1"1,1)(- h ISBN 0 16-046636 9 COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Chairman JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, Vice Chairman DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona FRANK MURKOWSKI, Alaska THOMAS A. DASCHLE, South Dakota THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi KENT CONRAD, North Dakota SLADE GORTON, Washington HARRY REID, Nevada PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico PAUL. SIMON, Illinois NANCY LANDON KASSEBAUM, Kansas DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii DON NICKLES, Oklahoma PAUL WELLSTONE, Minnesota MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado PATRICA M. ZELL, Staff Director DANIEL N. LEwis, Minority Staff Director CONTENTS Page Statements: Abeyta, Joseph, Superintendent, Santa Fe Indian School, Sante Fe, NM 25 Belkham, Jack, Chief School Administrator, Flandreau Indian School, Flandreau, SD 22 Geboe, Charles, Director, Elementary and Secondary Education, BIA, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 4 Gray, Gerald, Chairman, Coalition for Effective Residential Schools, and Chief School Administrator, Chemawa Indian School, Salem, OR 14 Gross, Shirley, Program Coordinator, Pierre Indian Learning Center, Pierre, SD 20 Hall, Robert, Chief School Administrator, Wahpeton Indian Boarding School, Wahpeton, NI) 48 Hatfield, Hon. Mark 0., U.S. Senator from Oregon 2 Holder, Sheldon, student, Riverside Indian High School, Anadarko, OK; resident of Gracemont, OK 44 Inouye, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii, chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs 1 Board Member, Flandreau Indian Cynthia, Board, Kipp, School Flandreau, SD; resident of Browning, MT 45 LaFramboise, Richard, Chairman, Turtle Mountain Tribal Council, Belcourt, ND 48 Lowe, Tammy, student, Sequoyah Indian High School, Tahlequah, OK; resident of Anderson, MO 40 Mehojah, William, Deputy Direct qr., Office of Indian Education Programs, BIA, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 4 Melendy, Patrick, Vice President, BIA Council (Portland Area), National of Federal Employees; and Home Living Assistant, Federation Chemawa Indian School, Chemawa, OR 34 Nelson, Scott, Chief Mental Health Programs, Branch, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Social Service, Albuquerque, NM 8 Taylor, Ken, Chief School Administrator, Sherman Indian School, River- side, CA 24 Tippeconnic, John, Director, Office of Indian Education Programs, BIA, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 4 APPENDIX Abeyta, Joseph (with attachments) 785 Belkham, Jack (with attachments) 776 Gray, Gerald (with attachments) 110 Gross, Shirley (with attachments) 750 Hatfield, Hon. Mark 0., U.S. Senator from Oregon 64 Kipp, Cynthia 782 Melendy, Patrick (with attachments) 798 Nelson, Scott (with attachments) 103 Taylor, Ken 63 Tippeconnic, John (with attachments) 66 '5 r Page ry Additional material submitted for the record: Chilton, Lance A., M.D., Chair, Provisional Committee on Native Amer- ican Child Health (letter) 884 Organ, Paul, M.D., Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, In Support of (Therapeutic) Indian Residential Schools 869 St. Germaine, Rick, Off -Reservation Boarding School Evaluation Sum- mary Report With Recommendations 819 0 PERFORMANCE OF BUREAU OF INDIAN AF- BOARDING OFF-RESERVATION FAIRS SCHOOLS FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1994 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:40 a.m., in room 485, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Inouye (chair- man of the committee) presiding. Present: Senators Inouye, Dorgan, Hatfield, and Conrad. STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. INOUYE, U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII, CHAIRMAN, commrrrEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS The CHAIRMAN. The committee convenes this morning to receive testimony on the subject of seven off-reservation boarding schools operated or funded by the BIA. These schools, located in five States in the Midwest and West, enroll children and youth from 229 tribes. Three of the schools are operated as grant schools by the tribal government or specially constituted multitribal boards. They are the Pierre Indian Learning Center in Pierre, SD, enrolling children in grades 1 through 8; Sequoyah Indian High School in Tahlequah, OK, enrolling youth in grades 9 through 12; and Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, ND, enrolling children in grades 2 through 8. The other four Federal schools are administered and staffed by BIA employees. They are the Chemawa Indian School in Salem, OR, enrolling youths in grades 9 through 12; Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, SD, enrolling youths in grades 9 through 12; and Riverside Indian High School in Anadarko, OK, enrolling chil- dren in grades 3 through 12; and the Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, CA, grades 9 through 12. Together, these seven schools enrolled 2,623 students when the current school year began. When the school year closed, only 1,557 were still in attendance. A dropout rate of such magnitude could be sufficient reason for this committee to have serious concerns about the performance of the schools. But there are additional rea- sons, some of which may account for the high dropout rate at most of the schools. Over the past 2 years, there has been a growing concern among persons associated with the boarding schools that at least some of the schools were facing ever more serious problems in providing courses of study and support services appropriate to their student (1) OA. 2 bodies. The number of court referrals was continuing to rise. An in- adequate level of funding was reportedly resulting in course can- cellations and preventing the hiring of needed counselors and staff. It was 25 years ago that a special subcommittee of the Senate reviewed the Bureau's off-reservation boarding school program and concluded: Off-reservation boarding schools have generally become dumping grounds for In- dian students with severe social and emotional problems. Unfortunately, there are also some students who are enrolled simply because there is no other school avail- able to them. It is highly questionable whether or not these two groups should be without any plan mixed together. The following year, consultants recommended that boarding schools be converted to special purpose institutions, some becoming academic high schools and others as remedial or special education centers rather than, in the words of the consultants: Continuing their roles as dumping grounds for children and youth not fitting into the community school program. Are the off reservation boarding schools still dumping grounds, What are the charac- or is this an inappropriate characterization? teristics of students attending the schools today? What are the mis- sions of the schools and what factors are affecting their accomplish- ments? Is the issue of special purpose institutions still being con- sidered? What is required to ensure that boarding schools are effec- tive components of the Bureau's educational program? These are the kinds of issues and others that the committee looks forward to reviewing today. Before I call the first panel, we have our very distinguished Sen- ator from Oregon, Senator Hatfield. Senator HATFIELD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to have my full statement placed in the record and then I would like to highlight it briefly. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, your prepared statement will appear in the record. STATEMENT OF HON. MARK 0. HATFIELD, U.S. SENATOR FROM OREGON Senator HATFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I don't think there could be by these any more important mission than that which is performed schools which are entrusted with 24 hours a day of care, training, help, assistance, and educating these young Americans. I think that we also recognize that it is something far more than just an educational curriculum and educational program to be pursued, but rather it is a matter that involves the entire studenthis environ- ment, his background, whether he has been mistreal,ed at home, neglected, emotional suffering he may be going through, problems of alcohol. In other words, we deal with multiple parts of the :ndi- vidual and not just the intellectual stimulation of education. The second point I would like to make is that we are not provid- ing the resources to take care of students in these schools, such as Chemawa in Salem, OR. I grew up in that community in my own youth. Let me just say that on these off-reservation bearding schools, $10,000 to my staff tells me that we are spending approximately $15,000 per year per student. To make a bit of a comparison, the 3 amount spent per child at private residential child-caring institu- tions range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month. It illustrates a little bit about the underfunding of our commitment to these students. I think also we must realize that about 2,600 students enter at the beginning of the school year and about 1,500 on the average are there at the end of the school yearmeaning that up to 50 per- cent drop out during the school year. This is one of those statistics that we cannot ignore. I would like to indicate also that we figure that about 15 percent of these student are what we would consider gifted students, stu- dents that should be given additional challenge and special chal- lenge. If we are paying this average amount per student, it is obvi- ous that we are looking at the lowest common denominator rather than each student as an individual to meet his or her particular needs. I am also very pleased to see that the administration is looking at establishing a new model for these schoolsthe therapeutic 'om- munity school modeland I ani very anxious to hear from the ad- ministration on this. Then, Mr. Chairman, as a fellow member of the Appropriations Committee, I want to note the evisceration by this administration of the budget request for fiscal year 1995 of account after account after account from Indian Health and many other Indian programs. It is unconscionable what the administration has done in stripping the resources down at the same time that we have these special programs that are being proposed to meet the needs of the Indian students. I think that I will cease my introductory remarks and I look for- ward to hearing from the witnesses. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [Prepared statement of Senator Hatfield appears in appendix.] The CHAIRMAN. 1 thank you very much, Senator. May I now call upon Senator Dorgan of North Dakota? Senator DORGAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you very much for holding this hearing. It is a hearing that is very timely. I listened with interest to Senator Hat- field's opening statement and your opening statement. I think the question before us is, What is the mission of these schools and how well are these schools working? If one looks at the changing roles of off -reservation boarding schools, one has to conclude that it is really time for us to reevalu- ate what we are doing and decide to do it right or do it differently. Senator Hatfield has talked about the number of students who start and the number of students who are there at the end of the school year. Interestingly enough, I think that relates to a funding mechanism. The funding is keyed on how many students you get in at the beginning. That determines how much money you get. There is probably an incentive to have as many there as possible at the beginning, then wash out a bunch so that you have more money to spread out over fewer students to try to accomplish some mission. One of the observations I have about these schoolsand this comes, incidentally, from the Wahpeton Indian School is that I think we have sort of mixed the mission. Often these schools are 4 the recipients of very trbubled children with very difficult back- grounds who have lived in very disurptive conditions. It is not un- usual even for the tribal courts to say to a youngster, "Well, we are going to send you to the boarding school." Then off they go and they have problems. The receiving boarding school now has a child for whom they have a responsibility not just to educate but to pro- vide a whole range of other kinds of social services to respond to difficult problems. The Wahpeton Indian School was slated to be closed by Secretary Jim Watt back in 1981. He precipitously decided that he was going to close it. I, without modesty, say that I played a significant role in deciding that that was not the thing to do. We have a lot of won- derful students and youngsters who need the opportunities these schools give them. But I must say that we have plenty of problems, .even in Wahpeton. In part, this is because of more troubled back- grounds. We have to decide what the mission is. How are we going to meet the more demanding needs of these kids. Are we going to send them there to get help fbr a lot of difficult challenges they face? If so, then let's have the resources to help them. If we are sending troubled kids to an institution and saying that the job of the institution is only to educate, that isn't going to work. You must do more than educate; you must respond to the myriad needs these children have. To do so, we must. provide therapeutic resources, redefine the mission of the schools, and oversee the man- agement of new missions. So I really think that this hearing is an excellent way to start this discussion. I want to say that we have a tribal chairman with us today, Richard LaFramboise, who is not only an excellent tribal chairman but a friend with whom I have worked on a lot of Indian issues. He is on the board of the Wahpeton Indian School and you will get an interesting perspective from him as well. I know that we have a vote in awhile. I am hoping that I will be here for the third panel, but I want to welcome Chairman LaFramboise. Again, Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. Now may I call upon the first panel, the director of the Office of Indian Education Programs of BIA, Dr. John Tippeconnic, who will be accompanied by Mr. William Mehojah, the Deputy Director of the Office of Indian Education Programs and Mr. Charles Geboe. Director, Elementary and Secondary Education, BIA; and Dr. Scott Nelson, Chief of the Mental Health Programs branch of the Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Soc,a1 Services. Dr. Tippeconnic, welcome, sir. UJ