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GAO-24-106844 1 (2023-12-07)

handle is hein.gao/gaopov0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Key Takeaways The Johnson-O'Malley (JOM) program provides academic and cultural supports to meet the specialized and unique educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students enrolled in public schools and select tribal schools.' The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), within the Department of the Interior, contracts with Tribes, tribal organizations, states, public school districts and others who provide JOM services to eligible students. Since 1995, BIE has relied on the same count of eligible students who received services that year to determine its budget allocation for the program, according to agency officials. In 2018, Congress passed the Johnson-O'Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act (the JOM Modernization Act or the act) to update and modernize the program.2 The act includes provisions for BIE to conduct and report on two student counts: a one-time count to estimate the number of AI/AN students potentially eligible for JOM program services and a separate, reoccurring annual count of students currently receiving services. In addition, the act includes a provision for us to review BIE's process for conducting these student counts. This report includes information on the steps BIE took, or plans to take, to estimate the number of students potentially eligible for JOM services, count students currently receiving services, and distribute JOM funds to contractors based on the number of students they serve. * BIE determined that an estimated 578,070 AI/AN students were potentially eligible for services through the JOM program, based on Census's American Community Survey data BIE obtained from the Department of Education. BIE published this estimate in July 2023, more than 3 years after the deadline required by the act. BIE officials told us that disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the agency's understanding of the act's requirements contributed to delays in publishing its estimate. BIE took several steps to estimate the number of students potentially eligible for JOM services, according to agency documentation. For example, BIE consulted JOM contractors, including Tribes and tribal organizations, states, and public schools, about estimating the number of students who may be eligible for the program. The agency also assessed the strengths and weaknesses of several data sets for estimating the number of students potentially eligible for JOM services. BIE has delayed plans to determine the total number of students currently receiving JOM services until the end of fiscal year 2024. The act requires that contractors submit their annual report with a count of students they serve in the academic year following BIE's publication of its student estimate. Because BIE published its estimate of potentially eligible students late, it will Page 1 GAO-24-106844 Johnson-O'Malley Program Student Count

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