WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-NM, today helped chair a Senate hearing to examine student safety at schools run by the Bureau of Indian Education, which has come under fire after massive health and safety deficiencies were revealed through federal reports and separate media investigations.
To watch Udall's remarks and hearing testimony, click here . To view photos, click here .
Udall, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, requested the hearing as part of his proposal to develop a "Marshall Plan" to eliminate the backlog in construction and maintenance at BIE schools and other Indian Country facilities. Currently, many schools within the BIA system - including dozens in New Mexico - have serious structural deficiencies, are not handicapped accessible, and are in violation of building and fire codes.
"The bottom line is that the federal government isn't living up to the promises it made to our nation's First Americans," Udall said. "The teachers and administrators of these schools are doing the best they can in an environment of dangerous disrepair. They need our help."
Udall chaired the hearing's second panel, which included testimony from Dr. Anthony Fairbanks, superintendent of the Pueblo of the Laguna Department of Education in New Mexico. Laguna Elementary School currently has 41 backlogged structural and safety deficiencies, including serious structural problems like cracks through the walls of the gymnasium and several classrooms.
Calling the needs of his schools "compelling and urgent," Fairbanks told committee members that "current funding for new school construction is simply not enough to meet the demands of the Laguna Elementary School, nor those within Native American communities throughout the United States. ...All children are entitled to have a safe and secure learning environment."
In addition to calling for the hearing, earlier this year Udall criticized BIA plans to cut more than $8 million in funding for future school construction and maintenance. In an effort to restore and increase funding for school construction, Udall and several of his colleagues sent a letter to the Budget Committee requesting that the Bureau of Indian Affairs Education Construction account be raised from the president's request of $53 million to the 2003 funding level of $293 million, one of the highest amount in the last seven years.
Also, Udall joined several of his Senate colleagues last year in sending a letter to President Obama with recommendations on funding levels for tribal infrastructure projects to be included in his recovery package. This included a recommended $658 million for construction at tribal schools and colleges.
"Native communities already face wide disparities when it comes to education and employment and economic development," Udall said. "If we're not providing the next generation of Native Americans with a safe environment where they can learn and grow, these disparities will never be overcome."
