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HR 9973

Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act of 2026 (II)

119th Congress Introduced by Melanie Stansbury

The bill aims to achieve per-pupil funding parity for Indigenous students by updating the ISEF and securing full annual funding for the ISEP, including salary alignment with top st

Introduced in House
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Bill Summary · HR 9973

Summary of HR 9973 — Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act of 2026 (II)

Purpose and overall intent

  • Establishes reforms to the Indian School Equalization Formula (ISEF) and Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP) administered by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), with the goal of ensuring fairer and more adequate funding for schools serving American Indian and Alaska Native students.
  • Seeks to achieve “per-pupil parity” and provide robust funding to support salaries and operating costs at BIE-operated schools and Tribally controlled schools.

Key provisions and changes

  1. Definitions (Section 2)

    • Clarifies terms used in the Act, including the Assistant Secretary (for Indian Affairs), the ISEF, the ISEP, Indian Tribe, and Secretary (of the Interior).

  2. Updating the Indian School Equalization Formula (Section 3)

    • The Secretary, within one year of enactment, must update the ISEF in coordination with the Assistant Secretary and the BIE Director.
    • Develop alternative methods for equitable distribution, informed by specified factors.
    • Factors to consider:
      • Provide sufficient funding to adequately fund BIE-operated schools.
      • Align salaries (teachers, principals, leadership, and staff) with average state-by-state salaries, aiming to match the highest quartile.
    • Requirements for the update:
      • Ensure the revised formula funds salaries commensurate with the above standards.
      • Consider weights/ratios for: (i) tribally controlled schools, (ii) schools with fewer than 100 students, (iii) rural-location schools.
      • Ensure Havasupai Elementary School receives an additional cost factor of 12.5 Weighted Student Unit (WSU).
    • A required accompanying report to Congress assessing:
      • Adequacy of the ISEF/ISEP for BIE and tribally controlled schools.
      • Recommendations for adjusting factors to improve the formula.

  3. Establishing Per-Pupil Parity for Indigenous Students (Section 4)

    • Creates a requirement to request full funding for the ISEP in the annual President’s budget, starting with the first fiscal year after the ISEF update and annually thereafter.
    • When determining the needed funding:
      • Use the updated ISEF.
      • Consult the latest National Advisory Council on Indian Education report.
      • Adjust for changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) over the prior year.
      • Treat certain costs as fixed:
      • Funding increases to match the salary schedule of the Department of Defense Education Activity.
      • Pay increases for all non-teacher employees at tribally controlled schools at the same rate as federal employee pay increases, per applicable law (Indian Self-Determination and Education Act and Tribally Controlled Schools Act).

Who would be affected

  • Students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools and tribally controlled schools.
  • Salaries and compensation for teachers, principals, leadership positions, and non-teaching staff at these schools.
  • Administrative and budgetary processes for the Interior Department, specifically the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs and the BIE Director.
  • Havasupai Elementary School would receive a specified additional cost factor, influencing its funding allocation.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Enactment date: July 2026 (as introduced).
  • Section 3(a) requires the updated ISEF within 1 year of enactment.
  • Section 4 anticipates annual budget requests, beginning with the first fiscal year after the ISEF update.
  • The bill directs reporting to Congress (Section 3) on formula adequacy and recommendations.
  • The act includes coordination and consultation with tribes and national organizations representing Indian students.

Notable details

  • Specific target to align compensation with the top quartile of state average salaries for relevant school staff.
  • A targeted adjustment for Havasupai Elementary School (12.5 Weighted Student Unit).
  • Fixed-cost provisions require matching DoD Education Activity salary schedules and parity in pay increases for non-teacher staff with federal employee increases, ensuring ongoing funding stability.

Sponsorship

  • Primary sponsor: Ms. Stansbury (co-sponsor: Melanie Stansbury).

This summary covers the bill’s aims to modernize funding formulas, ensure full annual appropriations for ISEP, and establish salary and operating parity for Indigenous students’ schools, with explicit attention to rural, small, and tribally controlled institutions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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