Assistant Secretary Katie Ann Monaco presented the Legislative Education Study Committee with a plan to expand Indian education funding, including a $50,000,000 proposal intended to deliver recurring, multi-year allocations directly to Pueblo tribes and nations.

Monaco told the committee the division currently manages roughly $25,500,000 in Indian education funds and has used that budget for items ranging from virtual tutoring to language-and-culture teacher stipends. "Currently, we are sitting at $25,500,000," she said, and described quarterly check-ins staff have begun holding with grantees to support spending down awards and improve reporting.

The proposal Monaco described would: provide a recurring minimum three-year allocation, base tribal allocations on the previous school year's 120-day student counts, award funds to Pueblo tribes and nations without an application requirement, continue the application process for districts and charters, and increase per-student funding for those with individualized education plans (IEPs). She also said a small portion would be set aside to support Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) tribally controlled schools and that unspent tribal funds would not revert to the division at year-end.

Monaco and staff cited several existing appropriations and awards while answering members' questions: last fiscal-year appropriations included a $20,000,000 multi-year allocation and a $500,000 addition for artificial intelligence and STEM professional development; tribal capital outlay awards from ARPA and other appropriations included $5,000,000 with $4,000,000 allocated to the Navajo Nation and $1,000,000 to the Pueblo of Zuni, according to the presentation.

Committee members raised operational and coordination questions. Representative Herrera emphasized the burden of operating costs for new tribal libraries and asked who would pay ongoing expenses once a building is constructed; Herrera said, "for a little local library ... that operating budget is about 274,000 a year." Monaco replied that Pueblo tribes and nations would generally be responsible for operational costs but that division funds have been used to support salaries and other operating needs and that total annual operating obligations would vary by site.

Members also pressed for clarity about how additional special-education funding would coordinate with district IEP services and reporting. Monaco said tribes could use allocated funds to provide services within tribal communities or contract with districts, and that the division will provide guidance and reporting requirements to ensure accountability.

What happens next: Monaco said her team will continue quarterly grantee check-ins, release targeted applications where additional salary supplements are available, and continue tribal consultation on the $50 million proposal. She closed by standing for questions from committee members.