SJUSD American Indian Education Program

Tribal Consultation on
Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Priorities

April 30, 2024 | 2–5 p.m. ET

Dear Tribal Leader,

On April 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) will conduct a Tribal Consultation on developing budget priorities for the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget for the Department. The purpose of this consultation will be to receive meaningful input from American Indian and Alaska Native communities to ensure that your views inform the FY 2026 budget development process. This consultation will advance the Department’s commitment to upholding the federal trust responsibility described in Executive Orders 13175 and 14112.

In accordance with OMB Circular A-11, the Department has identified grant programs with Tribal implications, though you are welcome to provide input on other programs also. While the following programs and/or program offices that directly impact Native American students may be of particular interest, because more than 93% of Native students attend our nation’s public schools, we would also like to know if any other Department programs are particularly important for your students (e.g., Title I, Part A; IDEA; TRIO, etc.).

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education:
• Office of Indian Education
• Indian Education Formula Grants Program
• Demonstration Grants for Indian Children and Youth
• Indian Education Professional Development Grant Program
• State Tribal Education Partnership Grant Program
• Native American Language Grant Program
• Rural, Insular, and Native Achievement Programs
• Alaska Native Education Program
• Impact Aid Program

Office of Postsecondary Education:
• Institutional Service
• American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH)
• Native American-Serving Nontribal Program (NASNTI)
• Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) Program

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services:
• Rehabilitation Services Administration
• American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS)

Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education:
• Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP)
• Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP)

Office of English Language Acquisition:
• Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program (NAM)
• National Professional Development (NPD)

The consultation will be conducted by the Office of Indian Education and facilitated by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities and other Department of Education officials.
Venue: ZoomGov
Date: April 30, 2024
Time: 2-5 p.m. ET

Register for the Tribal Consultation

Click the link above or copy the URL below into your browser and press enter:
https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItd-qtrT0qGeqaFk9Pw1uQHuGmRUut02I
Please follow the registration link above to participate in the consultation. To maintain online security, each attendee must register individually, and registration cannot be transferred to or used by others. Once you have completed registration, an individualized access link for the session will be sent to you with additional information.

Written Comment Period
In addition to the Tribal Consultation session, the Department will accept written comments by email sent to [email protected]. The comment period opens today March 29, 2024, and closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30, 2024. Written comments received prior to the scheduled Tribal Consultation will be provided to Department officials in preparation for the Tribal Consultation. The Department of Education remains steadfast in its commitment to honor the nation-to-nation relationship and advance Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

A Tribal government may designate information provided during the consultation as “sensitive” and request non-disclosure of the information to the public. Certain federal laws, including the Freedom of Information Act, may require the Department to disclose information provided during this Tribal Consultation even if it was designated as sensitive by a Tribal government. Questions about this notice can be sent to [email protected]. This Tribal Consultation is closed to the press.
Budget Information
As described in the introduction section of this notice, the purpose of this Tribal Consultation is to receive input from Tribal Leaders on the development of the Department’s budget for FY 2026, which begins on October 1, 2025, and ends on September 30, 2026. Detailed information about the Department’s budget development process is available on our website.

For background information, Tribal Leaders may review the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the Department on our website. In addition to this overall budget request, the Department also produces detailed budget justifications for Congress to explain the use and importance of the funds requested. These Congressional Budget Justifications for FY 2025 are also available on our website. The budget request for FY 2025, which begins October 1, 2024, and ends September 30, 2025, was informed by Tribal Consultation held last year.

We encourage Tribal Leaders to review the FY 2025 budget request and Congressional Budget Justifications as background information for this Tribal Consultation on the Department’s FY 2026 budget.
Consultation Questions
During the consultation, the Department will invite Tribal Leaders to provide input on the following questions related to the FY 2026 budget request and the Department’s budget consultation process more generally.

1. What are your Tribe's educational needs? Which Department programs meet, or attempt to meet, those educational needs (these programs may or may not be specifically targeted to Native American students)?
2. What are the greatest educational needs of Native American students? How can the Department prioritize meeting these needs in our budget?
3. Each year, the Department writes budget justifications for Congress to explain the use and importance of funding for the Department. Those summaries for FY 2025 are posted at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget25/justifications/index.html. Do these budget justifications for the FY 2025 budget adequately describe the use and importance of these funds? Are there changes that should be considered as the FY 2026 budget justifications are being written?
4. As the Department conducts annual budget consultation, what information would you need to be shared in advance for future consultations?
5. What budget development questions should the Department consider asking in future years?
6. What suggestions do you have regarding how we can improve the Department's presentation of budget information, particularly regarding funding programs with Tribal implications?

Thank you!

Naomi Miguel, MPAP (Tohono O’odham)
Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Education Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities

Office of the Secretary | U.S. Department of Education
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