Interior Assistant Secretary Forrest Gerard announced today that an agreement has been reached with the All Indian Pueblo Council to transfer the senior high programs (10th, 11th and 12th grades) of the Albuquerque Indian School (AIS) to the campus of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe.
Gerard said that the IAIA program would be continued at Santa Fe this year, under its own separate administration, for returning second year students only. This would allow the post-secondary school's students to complete their normal two-year program. No new students would be enrolled.
According to the agreement with AIPC, AIS programs for approximately 200 students in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades would remain at the Albuquerque campus this school year.
Gerard said that he would establish a review team to analyze the educational programs of the Institute and its future location.
The art institute, established in 1962, had been a high school with a post-secondary art program. The high school program, however, had been phased out and enrollment at the junior college level had remained low. This spring the school was operating at less than half of capacity with consequent high per student costs.
The Albuquerque Indian School, started in 1881, was operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an off-reservation boarding school for Indians from various tribal groups, mostly from the Southwest. Since 1977 the school has been operated by the All Indian Pueblo Council under contract with the Bureau and has served a predominantly Pueblo student body. The buildings and facilities on the Albuquerque campus are generally quite old and would need replacement or renovation if the school were to continue operations there.
CORRECTION CORRECTION CORRECTION
The second paragraph of the press release issued July 11 announcing that the Institute of American Indian Art and the Albuquerque Indian School would share the facilities and campus at Santa Fe contained inaccurate information.
The Institute of American Indian Art will continue its normal two year postsecondary program in 1979-80 and will recruit and enroll new students as it has in the past.
Senior high school programs of the Albuquerque Indian School will be transferred to the Santa Fe campus. The two schools will maintain separate faculties and administrations
