OCR Text |
Show 6 COMMISSIONERIN DIAN AFFAIRS. COOPEFATION WITH STATE AUTHORITIBS. For the intermediate types, various forms of cooperation with the public schools have been employed in order to provide educational facilities for Indian children, the office having in mind not only the affording of educational opportunities, but also lending of aid only to the extent that it seemed necessary and in such manner that it could be withdrawn easily as soon as the Indian finds himself able to do without this assistance. In some cases the buildings and grounds of Government Indian schools have been turned over to the public-school authorities for use on condition that they enroll on equal terms with white children all Indian children of the district; in others the buildings are owned by the public-school authorities and a part of the teaching force employed by the Indian O5ce; in others, the schools are consolidated public-school districts, the Indian Office furnishing transportation for Indian children to and from school daily; at others, where a few white pupils attend a school largely made up of Indian pupils, the State authorities are allowed to sup-plement the salary of the teacher employed by the Indian Office. In order to effect enrollment in public schools of Indian children who reside outside the public-school district, tuition has been paid in ac-cordance with the requirements g- overnin-g the enrollment of a11 non-resident pupils PAYMENT OF TUITION. Until recently the office paid tuition in order to procure the en-rollment of Indian children in public schools where their parents were not taxpayers. It became necessary to modify this plan, how-ever, for the Comptroller of the Treasury, in a decision of October 22, 1913, ruled that the Federal Government was not authorized to pay tuition of Indian children legally entitled to attend the State public schools. For example, in the State of California all children born therein are citizens of the State, and entitled to public-school facilities. A contract in which the Federal Government agreed to pay for their enrollment in the public schools would be illegal, lack ing consideration, the State doing only what it was legally under obligation to do. In a Montana case it was held that if Indian parents paid taxes their children were entitled to public-school facili-ties and a contract for the payment of tuition would be void. BENEFITS OF PUBLIC-SCHOOL TRAINING. The typical Indian reservation represents the most satisfactory condition in which to bring about the assimilation of the Indian race. After allotments have been made the Indians are encouraged to im-prove them; allotments soon become available for purchase, and white settlers begin building homes among those of the Indians. |