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Published: 12 July 2018 12 July 2018

WASHINGTON — Today, July 12, at 2:30 p.m. ET, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will join tribal leaders, tribal organizations, and administration officials for a roundtable discussion on the infrastructure needs of schools serving students in Indian Country.
 
Panelists will comment on issues restricting school infrastructure development in Indian Country, including federal resource and capital access barriers. Udall will highlight the need for better management of federal infrastructure resources, citing the Department of the Interior (DOI)'s mismanagement of fire safety system repairs at Pine Hill Bureau of Indian Education Schools in New Mexico, which has left the school without a working system for years, as an example of the need for more oversight.

The roundtable is part of Udall's ongoing work to engage in dialogue with tribal stakeholders about needs, best practices, and innovations that should inform the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs' work.
 
Panelists will include:
Mr. Tony Dearman, Director, Bureau of Indian Education, DOI
Mr. Darryl LaCounte, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, DOI
Ms. Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director, Government Accountability Office
Dr. Aaron Payment, 1st Vice President, National Congress of American Indians; Chairman, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Mich.)
Dr. Brent Gish, Executive Director, National Indian Impacted Schools Association (Minn.)
Dr. David Yarlott, Chair, American Indian Higher Education Consortium; President, Little Big Horn College (Mont.)
Mr. Timothy Benally, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education (NM)
Mr. Kevin Shendo, Director, Tribal Education Department, Pueblo of Jemez (NM)
Mr. CJ Clifford, Council Member, Oglala Sioux Tribe (SD)

Thursday, July 12, 2018
WHAT: Udall to join tribal leaders, tribal organizations, and administration officials in a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs roundtable on school infrastructure needs.
TIME: Approximately 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: 628 Dirksen Senate Office Building.