Interior Assistant Secretary Forrest Gerard has announced that public hearings will be held at seven locations between March 28 and April 13 on proposed formulas for distributing Johnson-O'Malley Act funding to schools serving Indian students.
Six alternative proposed formulas were published in the Federal Register March 9 for review and comment. The formulas will be revised according to comments received by May 1 and submitted to a vote of the tribes. The formula chosen by the tribal vote will be published as a final rule.
The 1978 Education Amendments Act (P.L. 95-561) requires that the distribution formula be established as a regulation in this manner.
The Johnson-O'Malley funds are used to provide supplemental programs for Indian students in public schools and other non-Federal education programs. In fiscal year 1979 the appropriation for this purpose, serving approximately 171,000 students, was $31,675 1 000.
The current distribution formula is based on the number of eligible Indian students for whom funds are sought, multiplied by a national average per-pupil expenditure and a weighting factor which is intended to take into account the differences in education costs among the states.
The public hearings will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, March 28-29; Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 29; Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 6-7; Sulphur, Oklahoma, April 9-10; Fort Hall, Idaho, April 6-7; San Diego, California, April 9-10; and Nashville, Tennessee, April 12-13.
For additional information contact Judith Zundel, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior; 18th and C Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240 (202 343-4576).
Written comments on the proposed formulas should be sent to the above address for the attention of Deputy Assistant Secretary Rick Lavis.
