Eligibility requirements for a federal grant the Lawrence school district’s Native American Student Services utilizes has changed to allow more students to be served, the program coordinator told the Lawrence school board Tuesday.
NASS is a resource for the district’s American Indian and Alaska Native students and an advocate for families. Coordinator David Farve, Mississippi Choctaw, updated the school board on the program’s progress so far this semester.
Approximately 8% of the district’s students, or 831, include both individuals who have been verified with the federal Bureau of Indian Education and self-identified individuals, according to the report Farve gave.
Students who represent 73 federally recognized tribal nations are currently attending Lawrence Public Schools. That compounded with the presence of Haskell Indian Nations University shows Native culture is vibrant in Lawrence, Farve said.
“I will say that we cover from Alaska to Florida, from New York to California and everything in between,” Farve said. “So we are very diverse in our own communities, our own styles of relationships and kinships. And so the beauty part of Haskell, of having all of these great nations and great people together, applies to our own school district.”
NASS is funded through federal grants with requirements that must be met for students to benefit from services, such as assistance obtaining school supplies and paying school fees.
There are currently 376, or approximately 5% of the district’s student population, who are eligible for services through two grant programs.
The Johnson O’Malley Act of 1934 provides funding per student. Recently, JOM eligibility was loosened to allow students with a living or deceased parent or grandparent who’s a federally recognized tribal member to qualify for services.
“Typically, we’re all federally recognized students or people, so you have to be a quarter or more blood quantum or be a member of a federally recognized tribe,” Farve said. “It has always left lots of people out in the cold as far as funding for services, because they don’t follow traditional descendancy in most cases.”
Farve said thanks to NASS intern Shaye White’s paperwork trail, the 242 verified students at the end of last school year has increased to 376 since the eligibility change. He gave a “conservative” estimate that around 150 more will be verified by the end of the school year, allowing more students to be served.
Students who are newly verified this year are part of next year’s funding cycle, according to Farve.
Tutoring sessions, which are funded through Title VI, this semester are being held at the NASS office at the former Broken Arrow Elementary School as well as West Middle School. Two sessions are held per week, and Farve said around 10 students come regularly, which is an improvement from last year. And he said staff are considering adding an additional evening session for high schoolers.
Staff also follow up with individual students regarding academics, extracurriculars and behavior concerns.
NASS programming and mentorship are welcome to all Native students, regardless of federal verification. In the past, NASS has hosted basket weaving workshops, dancing, visits with U.S. Olympian Billy Mills, community service opportunities, trips to colleges and more.
Both high schools and Billy Mills Middle School currently have intertribal clubs. Farve said this semester, NASS has rolled out the first elementary school intertribal club in the district, which is at Cordley. Hillcrest Elementary School just got a sponsor, and West Middle School and Schwegler Elementary School hope to be next.
Farve works alongside NASS Administrative Assistant Shayla Chickaway, enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The two this semester have also welcomed White for her social work internship as she works toward her graduate degree in the University of Kansas social welfare program.
Adding White to the team has been a “big help,” Farve said. But the load is still heavy as he and his staff juggle student needs and still have 10 more schools in the district they need to make their rounds to.
Board President Kelly Jones said it’s time the board considers increasing NASS’ staffing as part of 2025-26 budget planning. She requested more information from the district administration on how White’s position is funded and how there could be more money funneled into NASS.
“I would like for the board to consider increasing staffing at NASS, and it might require general funds allocated in that direction, so that in January and February, when we’re making budgetary decisions, I would like the district to consider that, given our goals around increasing opportunities for Indigenous students in our district,” Jones said.
“I just don’t see how you can make the kind of impact the board would like you to make without additional support.”
In other business:
• Appointment to state convention: The board on Tuesday voted to appoint board Vice President GR Gordon-Ross to represent the cohort at the annual Kansas Association of School Boards business meeting. As delegate, Gordon-Ross is set to cast the board’s votes at the convention. Board member Anne Costello will be the alternate.
This year’s convention is set for November in Wichita. Major issues being discussed at the state level this year include financing public education over private, local control, fully funding special education, universal free meals, teacher recruitment and retention and more.
Jones said those align well with the board’s 2025 legislative priorities, approved Tuesday as part of the board’s consent agenda.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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