1). This office is responsible for developing policies  and providing technical assistance and funding to Bureau of Indian  Affairs (BIA) regions and BIE schools to address their facility needs. Once funding for school  construction and repair is approved, Indian Affairs offers three main  project management options. Indian Affairs Does Not Effectively Track School Conditions, and Persistent Challenges Affect Facilities at Selected Schools Indian Affairs’ Information on School Conditions Continues to Be Incomplete or Inaccurate, Which Reduces Its Effectiveness in Identifying Problems and Targeting Limited Funds

Our past work and other research pointed to a variety of persistent  challenges Indian Affairs has encountered in maintaining complete and  accurate data on the condition of BIE school facilities. The Committee attributed the problems to a lack  Our ongoing work suggests that issues with the quality of data on school  conditions—such as inconsistent data entry by schools and insufficient  quality controls—continues to make it difficult to determine the actual  number of schools in poor condition, which impedes Indian Affairs’ ability  to effectively track and address school facility problems. Interior’s Inspector General has recently found similar challenges with  data entry at several other schools, and it continues to monitor this issue. A Variety of Challenges Adversely Affect the Condition of Schools

During our ongoing work, we visited schools in three states that reported  facing a variety of facility-related challenges, including remoteness of their  locations, aging buildings and infrastructure, limited funding, and  problems with the quality of new construction, which we believe could  affect their ability to provide safe, quality educational environments for  students. (See fig.2.) 4.) Systemic Management Challenges Impede Oversight of and Support for School Facilities

Preliminary results from our work indicate that key challenges at Indian  Affairs are impeding effective management of BIE school facilities. Limited Staff Capacity to Address School Facility Needs

Our ongoing work suggests that the capacity of BIA regional facilities and  BIE school staff to address school facility needs is limited due to steady  declines in staffing levels, gaps in technical expertise, and limited  institutional knowledge. recommended that Indian Affairs revise its strategic workforce plan. Indian Affairs agreed to  implement the recommendation but has not yet done so. Inconsistent Accountability for School Construction

Our preliminary results suggest that Indian Affairs has not provided  consistent oversight of some school construction projects, including  projects it managed itself and projects managed by tribes. For example, at one  BIE-operated school we visited, Indian Affairs managed a project in which  a contractor completed a $3.5 million project to replace roofs in 2010, but  the roofs have leaked since their installation, according to agency  documents. These leaks have led to mold in some classrooms and  numerous ceiling tiles having to be removed throughout the school. Poor Communication with Schools Regarding Roles and Responsibilities of Different Indian Affairs Offices

Our preliminary results also suggest that unclear lines of communication  and confusion among BIE schools about the roles and responsibilities of  the various Indian Affairs’ offices responsible for facility issues hamper  efforts to address school facility needs. BIE and tribal officials at some  schools we visited said they were unclear about what office they should  contact about facility problems or to elevate problems that are not  addressed. As a result, students and staff at the elementary school went  without hot water for about a year. This situation is inconsistent with  federal internal control standards that call for effective internal  communication throughout an agency. - - - - -  In conclusion, the federal government, through the Department of the  Interior, has a trust responsibility for the education of Indian students,  including building and maintaining school facilities.
Why GAO Did This Study

BIE oversees 185 elementary and secondary schools that serve approximately 41,000 students on or near Indian reservations in 23 states. In 2014, Interior's Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs funded the operations, maintenance, construction, and repair of about 1,785 educational and dormitory buildings, which are worth an estimated $4.2 billion. Recent reports have raised concerns about the physical condition of these facilities and their effect on Indian students' educational outcomes. Several studies indicate that better school facilities are associated with better student outcomes.
This testimony reports on ongoing GAO work related to the conditions of BIE schools. A full report will be issued later this year. Based on GAO's preliminary findings, this testimony focuses on: (1) what is known about the conditions of selected BIE schools and (2) the extent to which Indian Affairs effectively oversees and supports BIE school facilities.
For this work, GAO is reviewing agency data and documentation, and relevant federal laws and regulations; interviewing agency officials; and has conducted site visits to schools in three states, which were selected based on their geographic diversity and other factors.

What GAO Found

Information on the physical condition of Bureau of Education (BIE) schools is not complete or accurate as a result of longstanding issues with the quality of data collected by the Department of the Interior's (Interior) Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs (Indian Affairs). GAO's preliminary results indicate that issues with the quality of data on school conditions—such as inconsistent data entry by schools and inadequate quality controls—make determining the number of schools in poor condition difficult. These issues impede Indian Affairs' ability to effectively track and address school facility problems. While national information is limited, GAO's ongoing work has found that BIE schools in three states faced a variety of facility-related challenges, including problems with the quality of new construction, limited funding, remote locations, and aging buildings and infrastructure (see figure below).
GAO's ongoing work also indicates that several key challenges at Indian Affairs are impeding effective management of school facilities. Specifically, GAO found declines in staffing levels and gaps in technical expertise among facility personnel in Indian Affairs. Further, GAO found that Indian Affairs did not provide consistent oversight of some school construction projects. At a school GAO visited, Indian Affairs managed a $3.5 million project to replace school roofs. Yet the replacement roofs have leaked since they were installed in 2010, causing mold and ceiling damage in classrooms. Indian Affairs has monitored this situation but has not addressed problems with the roofs. Indian Affairs' facility management is also hindered by poor communication with schools and tribes and confusion about whom to contact to address facility problems. Poor communication has led to some school facility needs not being met. For example, school officials submitted a request for funding to address their school's lack of hot water almost a year before GAO visited the school, but Indian Affairs facility officials were unaware of this until notified by GAO. GAO's preliminary results indicate that these persistent challenges diminish Indian Affairs' capability to oversee and support facilities and provide technical assistance to schools. They also run counter to federal internal control standards and leading practices on workforce planning and construction project accountability.