Budget bill includes $18.5M for new BIA school in Maine

Thursday, January 16, 2014  

The 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill includes $18.5 million for a new Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Maine.

The Beatrice Rafferty School on the Pleasant Point Reservation. It's more than 30 years old and is in desperate need of repair due to structural issues, mold and other hazards.

“It’s not just one thing,” assistant principal Dana Mitchell told The Bangor Daily News. “It’s a collision of conditions.”

The project is the only Indian school construction item in the budget. Congress has balked at funding new BIA schools due to cost and management concerns.

The House passed the appropriations bill on Wednesday. It's expected to pass the Senate by the end of the week.

Get the Story:
Federal budget bill includes $18.5 million to replace aging Passamaquoddy school (The Bangor Daily News 1/16)

Relevant Documents:
FY14 Omnibus Text & Joint Explanatory Statement | Detailed Omnibus Summary | Subcommittee Allocations

Related Stories:
Budget measure offers modest increases for BIA and IHS (1/14)