Conrad Supports Quality Education for Tribal Children

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Senator Tours Ojibwa Indian School on Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation

November 23, 2009 -- Belcourt – Senator Kent Conrad today met with administrators, instructors, and students at the new Ojibwa Indian School. The Ojibwa Indian School is a tribally controlled Bureau of Indian Education grant school that enrolls approximately 255 students in grades K-8.

“Education is one of the most important elements in a child’s life, and we must do everything we can to support efforts to provide a quality education,” Senator Conrad said. “Here at the Ojibwa School, they are providing a positive learning environment for students. The faculty and staff here take pride in adhering to the academic excellence our state so often achieves.”

The Ojibwa Indian School had been located on the property of St. Ann’s Parish, but the buildings were in disrepair and not conducive to a constructive learning environment. In 2001 Senator Conrad, along with Senator Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy, helped secure funds to replace the school. Construction of the new facilities began in 2004, and the school opened for classes in the fall of 2008.

The Ojibwa Indian School provides an educational program that promotes the academic, spiritual, cultural, social, emotional and physical development of students who reside on or near the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation. It has been recognized as a school of academic excellence and multicultural enrichment.

Senator Conrad, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, is a long-time advocate for public education and for Indian Country. Earlier this year he supported the Strengthening Indian Education program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The legislation provides Tribes funding for Head Start, Early Head Start and Special Education (IDEA) programs. Additionally, Tribes will benefit from the $100 million for Impact Aid. The economic recovery plan also provides funding for construction and improvements to tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools.

Source: Senator Kent Conrad