Three Nation Schools – Three Substandard Buildings

By Kaniehtonkie.

Last week, three school district superintendents gathered at the St. Regis Mohawk School for a press conference. There, they made their plea to take their substandard school buildings similar to those found in countries with less than robust education systems. They want to renovate the school buildings to modern safe standards. They are the only three school districts in New York State that have Native American schools on Native American land: The Salmon River Central School District, the LaFayette Central School District and the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District.

In total, the schools serve roughly 650 Native American students and each school is operated by a nearby district: The Tuscarora Nation School is overseen by the Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District near Niagara Falls, the St. Regis Mohawk School is run by the Salmon River Central School District and the Onondaga Nation School is part of the Lafayette Central School District.

But because they are state-owned facilities, the State of New York is financially responsible for building improvements and renovations when they are needed. Capital projects for district school buildings not on Native American land, are funded by taxpayers and New York State based on the districts aid ratio. When something needs repairing or replacement, they devise a plan, the plan goes to the school board, the school board approves the plan, then local taxpayers vote in a referendum for the 'capital project'. Salmon River just finished this process. Not one dollar will go to the St. Regis Mohawk School. That wasn't part of the capital plan project and never will be.

All three school leaders of the Onondaga Nation School, Tuscarora Nation School, and St. Regis Mohawk School are asking for $60 million in state money to renovate their school buildings. $20 million for each school. All three have a school building which is crumbling, leaking, prone to flooding, substandard electrical systems, substandard security systems, substandard fire safety systems, substandard HVA systems (if one exists) – and have to share less than two million dollars to repair or upgrade three school buildings.

"Our Native populations are being treated inequitably when it comes to capital project work at all three school districts," Daniel Ljiljanich, the superintendent of Niagara Wheatfield Central School District, said last Friday.

The Tuscarora Indian School is covered in crumbling bricks, leaking ceilings and cracked windows.

Dr. Stanley Harper, Salmon River Central School District superintendent, said, "It's not fair and by God it's wrong to see these buildings and the conditions in which the kids go to school here but yet within the same school district in the public buildings, they're up to date, modernized and safe. They're modernized for educational demands for today. That building is not."

LaFayette Central School District Superintendent Jeremy Belfield said the Onondaga Nation School is in poor condition and desperately needs to be upgraded – the fire alarm systems need replacing, doors and windows need to be replaced, a new roof is needed, security systems necessitate improvements, and the plumbing and electrical systems require upgrades.

The three superintendents all reiterated the same message – New York State has made significant investments in the upkeep of public-school buildings, but not in Native American schools.

There is one pot of money, approximately $3 million annually, for the 3 Nation Schools and 11 buildings serving the schools for the blind and deaf in NYS.

Funding is approved with the NYS Budget.

Thus, approximately 14 buildings share $3 million annually. The total spent by NYS on three nation schools is $9,662,474. The total spent in all other district schools in the same three districts is $187, 902,918.

All three superintendents are calling on NYS Governor Hochul for $20 million for each Native American school for capital work in the 2022 – 2023 budget – if not sooner. They are also asking for a separate budget line for the three (3) Native Schools on Native Lands with an initial budget of $6 million.

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