WASHINGTON - Acting Office of Indian Education Programs Director Edward Parisian today announced that the OIEP will hold its 2005 Tribal Consultation Meetings on August 29 and 30 to obtain oral and written comments on potential issues concerning Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools under authority provided by Public Law 95-561, the Education Amendments Act of 1978. The BIA published a notice on the 2005 Tribal Consultation Meetings in the Federal Register on August 8.

The consultation meetings scheduled for August 29 will be held in Phoenix, Ariz., Gallup, N.M., Portland, Ore., and Minneapolis, Minn. The August 30 meetings will be held in Aberdeen, S.D., Albuquerque, N.M., and Nashville, Tenn.

The OIEP will be accepting both verbal and written comments from interested parties on several proposed topics: a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Education regarding education programs for BIA-funded schools, a proposed restructuring of the Office of Indian Education Programs, and a draft policy of the Office of Facilities Management and Construction (OFMC) establishing standards for "high risk" grantees seeking construction grants in excess of $100,000. The OIEP also will be accepting recommendations for additional topics to be discussed during the consultation session.

The Office of Indian Education Programs oversees the BIA school system which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children in 184 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states. Two-thirds of the schools are tribally-operated under BIA contracts or grants and one-third are Bureau-operated.

WHO:	Office of Indian Education Programs 2005 Tribal Consultation Session.
WHAT:	The OIEP will hold tribal consultation meetings on several topics concerning BIA- funded schools.
WHEN:	August 29 and 30, 2005
WHERE:	Monday, August 29 - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (local time): Bureau of Indian Affairs Western Regional Office 400 N. 5th St., 2 Arizona Ctr. [12th Floor Conference Room] Phoenix, AZ 85001 (602) 379-6600 Holiday Inn 2915 W. 66th Gallup, NM 87301 [Take I-40 exit 16] (505) 722-2201 Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel 8235 N.E. Airport Way Portland, OR 97220 (503) 281-2500 Bureau of Indian Affairs Whipple Federal Building One Federal Dr. Ft. Snelling, MN 55111 (612) 713-4400 ext. 1090 Tuesday, August 30 - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (local time): Ramkota Hotel 1400 8th Ave., N.W. Aberdeen, SD 57401 (605) 229-4040 Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern Pueblos Agency 1001 Indian School Rd., N.W. [Conference Rm. #133] Albuquerque, NM 87104 (505) 563-3692 Sheraton Music City Hall 7777 McGavock Pike Nashville, TN 37214 (888) 627-7060
CREDENTIALS:	This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to these events.