WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland has announced the Bureau of Indian Education’s plan for disbursing $850 million provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, signed on March 11, 2021, by President Biden. The funds, which BIE has begun disbursing, will be provided to BIE-funded K-12 schools and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
“This much-needed financial support will aid our ability to help the tribal communities we serve recover more quickly from the pandemic’s wide-ranging impact on them,” said Bryan Newland. “ARP funds are vitally important for alleviating strains imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on BIE students and their families, as well as on teachers, administrators, and staff in our K-12 schools and at the TCUs.”
“While this past year has been a challenge given the conditions the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on our schools and students, our educators have remained dedicated to ensuring our students’ success,” said BIE Director Tony L. Dearman. “The ARP’s funds will go a long way to ensuring our students will not unduly bear the burden of the pandemic’s impact on their education. This funding will help support our schools locally as they devise and implement much-needed student learning recovery initiatives.”
According to the BIE’s allocation plan for the $850 million it received under the Act: $535.5 million will go to the 183 K-12 schools in its school system based on the Weighted Student Unit formula; $229.5 million will go to TCUs based on student count; and $85 million will be managed by BIE School Operations for investments, such as the build-out of a Learning Management System and facility ventilation improvement projects.
Congress and the Administration have provided schools across the United States nearly $200 billion in COVID-19 relief to date making the American Rescue Plan Act the third pandemic federal aid package for education.