Naabik’iyati Committee is now listening to Report on the current State of Education by Jimmy Begay, Chairman Board of Education.

The Council’s Law & Order Committee has convened its meeting in the north conference room of the Council chamber.

COMMITTEE MEMBER/HEALTH, EDUCATION & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON JONATHAN HALE
The Health, Education & Human Services Committee asked for this report on Navajo education and Navajo opposition to Bureau of Indian Affairs realignment. Want report on current state of events of education, academic achievements, policies. this educational discussion, whether negative or positive, needs to occur. there is also possibility of Navajo Nation summit on education.

NAVAJO NATION BOARD OF EDUCATION CHAIRPERSON JIMMY BEGAY
We have 66 U.S. Burea of Indian Education funded schools. Based on reports from schools on the Navajo Reservation, which are based on test scores. So every two to four years, we receive reports. There were some school with insufficient audits but those have been corrected. Reauthorization that is based on audit. and if problems with audit then that school is reauthorized for only one year. Some schools are given two years. if finances are okay but academic scores low then reauthorized for only two years. some schools given four years and that is based on clean audits and academic scores achieved.

For example, Navajo Prep gets four years and returns to Board of Education for reauthorization.

Rock Point, Chilchinbeto, Wide Ruins Schools had audit and academic problems and so the Navajo Nation Board took over these schools and their school boards have been set to the side.

NNBOE CHAIRPERSON JIMMY BEGAY HAS A WRITTEN REPORT AND I’LL TRY TO OBTAIN OF COPY OF IT. I’M GOING TO CHECK OUT THE LAW & ORDER COMMITTEE, WHICH HAS A VERY INTERESTING AGENDA. I’LL RETURN TO NAABI TO HEAR AN ELECTION REPORT FROM NAVAJO ELECTION OFFICE DIRECTOR EDISON WAUNEKA.