§2327 Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions

Summary

Provides grants, when money is available, to tribally controlled postsecondary career and technical schools that are not already getting federal help under title I of the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act or the Navajo Community College Act. The money must pay for career and technical programs and for running those programs. That includes classroom and special instruction (including for students with disabilities), materials, student costs and stipends, administrative costs, housing and transportation, student services, daycare and family support, minor building repairs and upkeep, equipment repair and upgrades, and other institutional support. Schools must apply to the Secretary in the way the Secretary requires and must give a yearly, detailed accounting of their operating and maintenance costs. If program funds are too small to pay every approved school in full for a year, returning grantees get, first, 100% of the prior year’s per‑student amount times their current Indian student count, plus any actual inflation-driven increases beyond the school’s control. The per‑student amount equals the money available divided by the total Indian student counts. The Secretary will compute student counts using the best data available. The Secretary cannot force a restricted indirect cost rate on these grants. Getting these grants does not stop a school from getting other federal higher education or career-education money. Grant amounts cannot be reduced because a school gets money from section 13 of title 25, and a school may not be denied a contract or needed contract support when a tribe designates part of its section 13 funds for the school. The Secretary must create a complaint process for grant decisions after consulting the schools. Definitions: “Indian” and “Indian Tribe” follow the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act. “Indian student count” is the total Indian student credit hours (counted at the third week of fall and spring terms) divided by 12, with summer credits counted in the next fall; credits for students without a high school diploma count if the school admits them based on ability to benefit; continuing education credits count if converted to credit hours. Authorized funding: $9,762,539 for FY2019; $9,899,215 for FY2020; $10,037,804 for FY2021; $10,178,333 for FY2022; $10,320,829 for FY2023; and $10,465,321 for FY2024.