Murkowski moves to shield the offices funding Alaska Native and special education

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is leading an effort to keep the federal offices that fund Alaska Native education and special education from being moved to other agencies — a restructuring she says the Education Department pursued without consulting tribes.

A Senate committee advanced her bipartisan bill Thursday. It would bar the department from transferring several of its offices — including the Office of Indian Education, which runs the formula grants supporting Alaska Native students, and the office overseeing special education — to any other federal agency.

Both offices reach Alaska schools directly. The Office of Indian Education helps schools, tribes, and colleges meet the educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students; the special education office funds programs for children with disabilities. Where those offices sit shapes how their grants and oversight flow to Alaska, and a transfer could change that.

Murkowski's central objection was the lack of tribal consultation. "I have a large Native population in my state. Alaska Natives are quite concerned about this. There was no Tribal consultation before any transfer was allowed," she said.

She said the senators weren't blocking everything — "this was not a carte blanche" — and didn't object to every transfer the department requested, only the education offices. Education Secretary Linda McMahon had asked for more time to prove out the agreements.

The bill cleared committee 13-9. It is not yet law and now awaits a vote by the full Senate.