AASB Board of Directors in partnership with State Tribal Education Compact (STEC) Pilot Tribes
To better understand the impact of HB 59 and to continue to support local governance of education, the AASB is featuring a monthly Question & Answer series in partnership with the State Tribal Education Compact (STEC) Pilot Tribes.
Each month, we address specific questions submitted by our school board members at our annual conference. These are direct responses from the five (STEC) Pilot Tribes. We value this collaborative effort to build a shared understanding of Tribal Compacting for Education in Alaska.
What is the difference between tribal compacting and school boards with tribal members on the board?
- A tribal member (or tribal citizen) on a school board is an elected or appointed member of a community who serves on the governing body, representing that community.
- A tribal member on a school board may have working knowledge of their local tribal government, but they do not represent the local tribe(s) unless the school board has a designated seat or position for a designated tribal representative that is authorized by the local tribe.
- HB 59 recognizes tribes as governments, not stakeholder groups, and creates a government‑to‑government agreement rather than advisory participation.
- A tribal compact is possible through the sovereign authority for the local tribal government to operate a tribal public school.
Where does the money come from? Is the compact still dependent on state funding or are the tribes contributing a portion of the money?
- Funding comes from state education appropriations via the foundation formula calculation, not tribal revenue.
- Tribes’ governments may choose to invest additional resources in a school district through existing legal grant-making or MOA processes, which many already do in early learning, language, and youth programs.
- Tribal education departments often braid federal, state, and tribal funds to enhance services, but public education remains a state responsibility, and the primary funder is the state.
- Tribes continue a trust responsibility relationship with the federal government, and it is possible that tribes could receive federally allocated funds for pre-K-12 education if Congress were to change federal law.
Have any tribal education compacts been created since the legislation?
- HB 59 is a pilot project, and the final compact agreements will be negotiated after passage. Currently, there are no state-tribal compacted schools in Alaska.