| Message from the Director |
As the school year comes to a close and we move forward with redesigning the structure of the BIE, I am proud of recent accomplishments that the BIE and our partners have made towards ensuring that tribes have the skills and resources to assume control and operate BIE-funded schools in their communities. The recent announcement of the Tribal Education Department grant program and the historic flexibility given to the Miccosukee Indian School on academic standards reflects our commitment to tribal self-governance and self-determination in Indian education that will allow tribes to shape their vision for education and guarantee a bright future for their students.
Dr. Charles M. Roessel
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Miccosukee Indian School Receives Historic Flexibility to Meet Academic and Cultural Needs of Students
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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced on June 1, 2015 that the Miccosukee Indian School (MIS) has received flexibility from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), to use a different definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) that meets their students' unique academic and cultural needs. The Miccosukee Indian School in Florida is funded by BIE.
As part of the Obama Administration's Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) initiative to remove barriers to Native youth success, granting flexibility for the Miccosukee Indian School to define AYP specifically for their students is an important step in making the BIE work better to support individual tribal nations and Native youth. This is the first tribal school to be approved to use a definition of AYP that is different from the state in which it is located, and the flexibility is the first of its kind from the U.S. Department of Education. More information on this waiver and the ceremony can be found in the Department of the Interior News Release.
Related news articles: Washington Post, Huffington Post, Boston Herald, ED Week, Miami Herald
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| BIE Monthly Stakeholder Call |
Please join the BIE for our monthly stakeholder call on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 from 5:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. EDT. These stakeholder calls, held on the first Tuesday of each month, are part of BIE's effort to improve communication and create an ongoing dialogue among staff, school administrations, school boards, parents, tribal organizations and other interested parties about the restructuring of BIE. We welcome your questions and feedback as we move forward with the BIE reform and work together to improve educational opportunities for Native youth.
Date:
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Time:
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Conference call line:
888-455-9671
Participant passcode:
6153796
For more information, contact: Kim Vigue at
Kim.vigue@bie.edu.
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| Secretary Jewell Visits Riverside Indian School in Oklahoma |
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| Photo: Lawton Constitution |
On May 27, 2015, U.S Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell visited Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, Oklahoma to talk to students and school officials, tour the educational facilities, and host a roundtable discussion. This visit is part of the President's Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) initiative to remove barriers standing between Native youth and opportunities to succeed. This visit builds upon the White House Rural Council's efforts to reduce rural child poverty. Jewell was joined by U.S. Senator James Lankford, U.S. Representative Tom Cole, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn and BIE Director Dr. Charles "Monty" Roessel. Related news articles: Indian County Today, Lawton Constitution, OETV (video)
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| Introducing the Indian Affairs-Facilities Management System (Maximo) |
| The Indian Affairs-Facilities Management System (IA-FMS), also known as Maximo, is an IBM software suite of business applications and workflows that are interfaced with a core centralized maintenance management solution. The IA-FMS replaces the current Facilities Management Information System (FMIS) that had been in use for approximately 10 years. While referred to as Maximo, IA-FMS is much more. IA-FMS facilitates a proactive approach to Asset Management that includes:
- Data on the physical condition of assets;
- Standardized/centralized work management tool; and
- Information on the total cost of ownership, life cycle management, and resource requirements.
IA-FMS is shared by two organizations within Indian Affairs: 1) the Division of Facilities Management and Construction (DFMC) and 2) the Division of Water and Power (DWP).
The IA-FMS Training schedule has been set for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2015. For more information regarding training for IA-FMS, please contact Kevin Barton, Equipment Specialist at (505) 563-5459.
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Safety and Health Annual Workplace Inspections
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Safety inspections are used to identify hazardous conditions which can cause accidents. If hazards can be identified, they can be eliminated before they cause a problem. Hazards can be physical, or they can be a hazardous process or procedure. An Inspection is a comprehensive survey of all or part of a workplace to detect safety and health hazards. Annual inspections do not include routine day-to-day visits by safety personnel or routine surveillance of occupational health conditions.
All areas and operations of each workplace must be inspected at least once on an annual basis to ensure the safety and health of all students, employees, and the visiting public; or more frequently where there is an increased level of hazard. A Workplace is a physical location where the agencies work or operations are performed. Inspections are usually unannounced and are conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) respective Regional Safety Office.
After completion of the inspection, the BIA safety inspector will issue a Notice of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Conditions generated from the Indian Affairs Facilities Management System (IA-FMS), Safety and Condition Assessment Portal no later than 15 days for safety violations or no later than 30 days for health violations. Each notice must remain posted until the unsafe or unhealthful working condition has been abated, or for three working days, whichever is later.
For additional information or questions, contact the Division of Safety and Risk Management or appropriate BIA Regional Safety Office.
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| Native American Student Information System Training Schedule |
| Date |
Location |
Training |
| June 23-25, 2015 |
Albuquerque, NM |
NASIS Refresher & New Releases Training |
| July 7-9, 2015 |
Seattle, WA |
NASIS Refresher & New Releases Training |
| July 21-23, 2015 |
Minneapolis, MN |
NASIS Refresher & New Releases Training |
| July 21-23, 2015 |
Phoenix, AZ |
NASIS Refresher & New Releases Training |
| September 1-3, 2015 |
Phoenix, AZ |
New to NASIS Training |
| August 11-13, 2015 |
Seattle, WA |
New to NASIS Training |
| August 18-20, 2015 |
Albuquerque, NM |
New to NASIS Training |
| August 18-20, 2015 |
Minneapolis, MN |
New to NASIS Training |
| September 15-17, 2015 |
Albuquerque, NM |
NASIS - Special Education Training |
| September 15-17, 2015 |
Minneapolis, MN |
NASIS - Special Education Training |
| September 22-24, 2015 |
Phoenix, AZ |
NASIS - Special Education Training |
| September 22-24, 2015 |
Seattle, WA |
NASIS - Special Education Training |
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BIE conducts on ongoing webinar series on a range of topics from facilities management, student behavior health, to budget processes in order to better serve BIE staff and schools. These webinars along with supplemental resources are now available on the BIE's Webinar Series web page to view online. Please submit any training topics to be covered in BIE's webinar series to Kim Vigue at kim.vigue@bie.edu.
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Bureau of Indian Education | 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
| (202) 208-6123
www.bie.edu
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