{"id":33592,"date":"2021-10-16T02:02:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T07:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/local-involvement-in-jom-lacking\/"},"modified":"2021-10-16T02:02:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T07:02:57","slug":"local-involvement-in-jom-lacking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/local-involvement-in-jom-lacking\/","title":{"rendered":"Local involvement in JOM lacking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JOM sponsored children\u2019s program from Window Rock, AZ. (Photo courtesy Arizona JOM)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Retaining leadership in Johnson O\u2019Malley difficult<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

RAPID CITY\u2014Back in 1934 the Johnson-O\u2019Malley Act authorized federal funding for Native students enrolled in nontribal schools, whether public or private. This involves an education plan approved by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which according to the Johnson-O\u2019Malley (JOM) website \u201ceducational objectives to address the needs of eligible\u201d Native students. This program is localized to various regions around the country, but there has been a participation problem for Lakota tribes in our Region 4. The person that was there vacated,\u201d said Petra Wilson, a national JOM Region Seven representative (Nevada, Utah, California), and an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. \u201cThat\u2019s an open position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson says a prospective member will have to \u201cattend a caucus and fill out a form for candidacy.\u201d Candidates will receive a stipend but it is a volunteer position, which is often filled by those involved in JOM programs, or as in the case of Wilson herself, a parent advocate that has spent a couple of decades involved in JOM processes, and is self-educated on policy and procedure. : \u201cSouth Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska,\u201d Wilson said, \u201cwe typically have maybe one person show interest or nobody runs. This year nobody ran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson explains how she got involved with JOM: \u201cI started participating as a representative on an Indian Education committee, and then I moved into chair, and I served as chair for three terms in the Clark County School District (Nevada). During that time, I began to research what Johnson-O\u2019Malley was, what Indian Education was doing, just learning what I could do and what my part was in being a parent to Native American students. I taught myself how to understand federal regulations, the budgeting process with the school district, just whatever I could do to make sure our kids were being represented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concerning the difficulties of attracting and retaining leadership in JOM Region Four, Wilson said: \u201cConsidering how large (Region Four) is, the size of the tribes and the number of kids that are there for advocacy, the attendance at the conference is not as good as expected. \u201c<\/p>\n

Wilson stresses that even though Region Four is not her direct concern, \u201cif there are needs I hear from people from my own tribe, I will speak up for them. I do try to still help any tribe that approaches me.\u201d Because of that willingness to advocate outside her region, the lack of a Region Four representative has been alleviated, but informed, direct representation, given the depths of the bureaucracy of the BIE and Johnson-O\u2019Malley, over time, will be critical.<\/p>\n

According to the federal website: \u201cJohnson O\u2019Malley programs offered to American Indian and Alaska Native students vary and may include such programs as culture, language, academics and dropout prevention. Johnson-O\u2019Malley funds under this program may not be used for capital expenditures. Eligible applicants are tribal organizations, Indian corporations, school districts or States with eligible American Indian and Alaska Native children attending their schools or public school districts that have established Indian Education Committees to approve supplementary support programs that benefit American Indian and Alaska Native students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the JOM program was implemented, there has been an ongoing struggle to establish equitable parameters for which students are eligible for funding. For the longest time it was \u00bc blood quantum, but the latest change has been \u00bc blood quantum in lieu of evidence of direct descendancy or tribal enrollment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEligible American Indian and Alaska Native students,\u201d reads JOM\u2019s updated mission statement, \u201care enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe or at least one-fourth or more degree of Indian blood descendant of a member of a federally recognized Indian tribal government eligible for services from the Bureau. In addition, eligibility requires these children be between age 3 through grades 12, with priority given to children residing on or near an Indian reservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

JOM\u2019s current funding formula is easy to factor. For example, there are about 2,600 Native students in the Rapid City School District. You first take the average per pupil operating cost, either by the individual state, or the national average, whichever is higher, and if we assume Rapid City\u2019s average cost is lower, the national average is #13,000. This money is then multiplied by 25 percent and then multiplied by the number of students. Which means Rapid City would receive about $8.5 million in JOM funding.<\/p>\n

Given so much money is involved, concerned members of the Rapid City Indian Community should become involved enough to have an accounting of how the Rapid City School District allocates and spends JOM funds. Advocates can get started in much the same way Wilson did, on a local Indian Education committee. From there, attending JOM regional meetings, and familiarizing yourself with policy and procedure, can prepare you to file for candidacy and become the Region Four representative.<\/p>\n

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The post Local involvement in JOM lacking<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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JOM sponsored children\u2019s program from Window Rock, AZ. (Photo courtesy Arizona JOM) Retaining leadership in Johnson O\u2019Malley difficult RAPID CITY\u2014Back in 1934 the Johnson-O\u2019Malley Act authorized federal funding for Native students enrolled in nontribal schools, whether public or private. This involves an education plan approved by the Bureau of Indian <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> October 16, 2021<\/p>\n

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