JOHNSON O'MALLEY ACT PROMOTES NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATION Darrell Watchman, Navajo Division of Education
Forum v17 n6, Fall 1994 The Johnson-O'Malley (JOM) Act of April 16, 1934, was a basic federal aid program specifically designed to provide funds to local off-reservation communities and other Indian-owned, tax exempt land areas where Indian tribal life was largely broken up and Indians were mixed with the general population. Funds were primarily earmarked for education but could be used for other purposes such as education, medical attention, agricultural assistance, and social welfare. In 1958, when P.L. 81-874 was amended to include assistance for educating Indian children, the JOM program became a supplemental aid program. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Education Programs(BIA-OIEP)
The BIA-OIEP Branch of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the JOM program through contracts with tribes, tribal organizations, school districts, and state education agencies (SEAs). Indian students from age 3 through twelfth grade, except those enrolled in BIA or sectarian schools, are eligible for benefits under the JOM contract if they are 1/4 or more Indian blood. In FY 94, the BIA funded 324 JOM contracts in 32 states, including Alaska, and serving 259,037 students nationwide. In FY 94, the Navajo Nation JOM program provided supplemental funding to meet the unique and special education needs of 51,108 eligible Indian students in preschool and grades K-12 in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. This was pursuant to P.L. 93-638 Prime Contract which the Navajo Nation subcontracts with 26 public school districts, five Indian corporations, and one tribal organization (Head Start). | |
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