Tribal Council OKs agreement with state Department of Education to implement statewide Native curriculum

Tribal Council approved an agreement with the Oregon Department of Education at its Wednesday, Aug. 22, meeting that will allow the Grand Ronde Tribe to participate in the implementation of a statewide Native American curriculum required by the passage and signing of Senate Bill 13 in 2017.

Senate Bill 13 was approved during the 2017 Oregon Legislature and calls upon the state Department of Education to develop a statewide curriculum relating to the Native American experience in Oregon.

Gov. Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 13 into law on Sept. 18, 2017.

The statewide curriculum will cover such topics as Tribal history, sovereignty, culture, treaty rights, government, socioeconomic experiences and current events.

The bill allocates $200,000 to each of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes to create individual Tribal curriculums.

Education Northwest is coordinating with the nine Tribes regarding their individual history curriculums.

Education Department Manager Leslie Riggs said during the Tuesday, Aug. 14, Legislative Action Committee hearing that the Grand Ronde Tribe is “well ahead of the game” considering it has already created curriculums to teach Grand Ronde history to fourth- and eighth-graders. The curriculum is currently being used by more than 90 schools, he added.

Riggs said that each Tribe’s history will be integrated into a statewide curriculum.

Tribal Council also approved the agenda for the Sunday, Sept. 9, General Council meeting that will be held in the Tribal Community Center in Grand Ronde. Spirit Mountain Casino will be the subject of the main presentation.

In other actions, Tribal Council:

• Approved the Tribe’s annual application for $118,845 in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that provides home energy assistance to low-income Tribal households in a seven-county service area. In 2017, the program served 166 households. Planning & Grants Manager Kim Rogers said the Tribe has been receiving the funding for more than a decade.

• Declared Friday, Sept. 14, as the next per capita payment date.

• Appointed Joann Mercier as an alternate to the Election Board with a term expiring in March 2020. She was one of 11 applicants for the position on the Election Board.

• Approved the Plankhouse Thin Logging Unit that is estimated to bring the Tribe $32,807 in revenue.

• Approved including the King, Fort Yamhill and Nicoll properties in the 2013-22 Natural Resources Management Plan. Natural Resources Department Manager Michael Wilson said the Bureau of Indian Affairs will not approve timber sales on lands that are not included in an approved management plan.

• And approved a lease agreement with the Indian Health Service for the Tribal Health & Wellness Center that will net the Tribe an additional $479,804 in health funding.

Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez also announced that there will be a membership update on the former Multnomah Greyhound Park property in Wood Village on Tuesday, Aug. 28. More details will be announced soon.

The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video.