Heinrich, Lummis Introduce Legislation to Improve Teacher Pay at Tribal Schools

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced the Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act, bipartisan legislation to help improve teacher pay at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. New Mexico is home to 45 BIE-funded schools, which serve students from the state's 23 federally recognized Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations.

BIE schools are funded by Congress and distributed to schools through the Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP) formula. Years of underfunding of ISEP have made it difficult for BIE schools - particularly in rural communities - to offer competitive salaries for teachers and staff. As a result, BIE teacher salaries lag behind the national average teacher salary of $71,985, making it harder for BIE schools to recruit and retain qualified educators.

The Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to study the ISEP formula and report to Congress on the changes needed to ensure educators and staff at BIE schools receive competitive pay comparable to their peers in non-federally funded schools.

"Every student deserves the best possible education, and that is built on the strength of our educator workforce. Unfortunately, pay for educators at Bureau of Indian Education schools just hasn't kept pace. That's short-changing students across Indian Country, and it's completely unacceptable," said Heinrich. "Our Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act is the first step in fixing this issue - looking at how we can make educator pay more competitive, to help schools recruit and retain talented teachers and give students at BIE schools the high-quality education they deserve."

"Tribal students across Wyoming deserve access to great teachers and educational opportunities, yet too many Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools struggle to recruit and retain qualified educators because they cannot offer competitive pay," said Lummis. "Senator Heinrich's and my bill takes an important first step in understanding what it will take to create compensation parity, strengthen our education workforce, and ensure our Native American students have access to the high-quality education they deserve."

The Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act is led in the House by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).

The legislation is endorsed by the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Navajo Preparatory School.

The full text of the bill is here.

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