Richelle Montoya, vice president of the Navajo Nation, told state lawmakers on the Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee on Thursday her community is concerned about its schools in the face of federal funding cuts.
Montoya said specifically she’s worried about money that comes from the Johnson-O’Malley Program, which was created in 1934 to offer things like cultural, language, academic, and dropout prevention programs. The Navajo Nation requested around $32,500 from the program for this school year.
“The funds have not yet been released to our schools as of what I've heard as of this morning, and our schools are now looking to us, Navajo Nation, within the Navajo Nation schools, to take over that cost,” she said.
Montoya said she’s heard from principals who were told to cut 20% of their staff and programs to ensure that they can stay afloat.
“So the cuts are already in talks within the schools, and it's already a concern by our staff and our administration there,” she said.
Montoya said the Navajo Nation’s Washington office is keeping track of any updates to that funding and will keep the New Mexico representatives informed of any changes.
The Navajo Nation encompasses over 27,0oo miles of land across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee was created earlier this year to address the impact of funding cuts on the state.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
