Taos board signs off on annual Impact Aid application and Indian Education procedures

Taos Municipal Schools’ board voted Jan. 21 to approve the district’s annual Impact Aid application and the accompanying Indian Education Program (IPP) procedures.

Heather Mayden, who presented the item, told the board the application had already received tribal government approval and the education and training division director’s signoff. She said the submission includes updated dates and minor procedural edits; the application documents and MOUs (data sharing, transportation, Tiwa language MOA) will be shared with tribal officials and the IEC parent committee prior to final submission.

Mayden asked the board to sign the application so she could have the signed packet at an IEC meeting the following evening. The superintendent and board members discussed continuity and the need to document and train successors for institutional knowledge related to Impact Aid administration.

Board member motion and a second were made and, during roll call, members voted yes; the board approved the application and directed staff to finalize signatures and submit the packet by the deadline.

The board did not change policy language; the approval was an operational authorization to submit the federally funded Impact Aid packet and maintain ongoing tribal consultation.

Next steps include distributing the final signed application to tribal partners and ensuring the IEC parent committee receives the materials at its scheduled meeting.