GAO Testimony: Bureau of Indian Education: Status of GAO Recommendations and High-Risk Issues

Opening Statement by Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director, GAO's Education, Workforce, and Income Security team to the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee The Bureau of Indian Education supports and oversees schools for 46,000 students on or near reservations. Since 2013, we've reported numerous problems with the Bureau's work--safety hazards in schools and weak oversight of spending, for example. We testified that the Bureau has taken key steps toward improvement and addressed 28 of our 38 recommendations. But serious underlying issues remain. For example, the Bureau's workforce plan is outdated, and staff capacity is not aligned with current needs for monitoring special education and spending. The Bureau must remain focused on resolving these underlying issues to effectively serve its students.