Melanie Stansbury (D-NM)
Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act of 2026 (II)
A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act of 2026 aims to improve the Indian School Equalization Formula and the Indian School Equalization Program. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to update the equalization formula within one year to ensure sufficient funding for Bureau of Indian Education schools. This update includes considerations for teacher and staff salaries that match the highest state-by-state quartiles. The Act also mandates a report to Congress regarding the adequacy of current funding and recommendations for improvements. Additionally, it establishes requirements for the Assistant Secretary to request full funding for the program in annual federal budget requests.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +10
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
The bill provides significant enhancements to funding and salary parity for Native American education systems.
- Scored +9
Does this put more money into public schools?
The act mandates updated formulas and full funding requests for Bureau of Indian Education schools.
- Scored +8
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?
The bill promotes equity for Native American communities through improved school funding and salary parity.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved School Funding: The Secretary must update the formula to ensure it provides sufficient funding to adequately fund schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (Section 3(a)(1) and 3(a)(2)(A)).
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Competitive Staff Salaries: The updated formula aims to support salaries for all employees at a rate commensurate with the highest quartile of average state-by-state salaries for teachers, principals, and other school staff (Section 3(a)(2)(B) and 3(a)(3)(A)).
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Support for Specific School Types: The formula update must consider weights or ratios for schools controlled by Indian Tribes, schools with fewer than 100 students, and schools in rural areas (Section 3(a)(3)(B)).
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Targeted Support for Havasupai Elementary School: This specific school is to be awarded an additional cost factor of 12.5 Weighted Student Unit (Section 3(a)(3)(C)).
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Pay Parity for Tribal School Employees: The budget request requirements include pay increases for all non-teacher employees at schools controlled by Indian Tribes at the same rate as pay increases for Federal employees (Section 4(b)(4)(B)).
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Salary Matching for Defense Education: The budget will include funding increases to match the salary schedule of the Department of Defense Education Activity (Section 4(b)(4)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill provides significant enhancements to funding and salary parity for Native American education systems. Would children be better off under this? — The bill aims to improve the quality of education and funding for students in Indian schools. Would students be better off under this? — The bill directly improves the resources available to students in Bureau of Indian Education schools. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill includes weighted factors to support schools located in rural areas.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — The act mandates updated formulas and full funding requests for Bureau of Indian Education schools.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill promotes equity for Native American communities through improved school funding and salary parity.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill includes specific considerations for schools in rural areas.
- 7/27/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Introduced in House