The project is expected to take three-and-a-half years and will represent a total investment of more than $200 million in modernizing facilities for Many Farms High School students.
Chinle, Arizona — On Wednesday, December 4, Bureau of Indian Education Director Tony Dearman joined a celebration to break ground on a campus modernization project at Many Farms High School funded by the Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. This historic project, which is anticipated to provide more than $200 million to modernize and improve educational facilities at Many Farms High School, is among the largest investments to date from this fund.
Many Farms High School serves students in grades 9-12 in the Navajo Nation. The project is expected to take three-and-a-half years and will consolidate current education programs and improve current facilities, such as the main building entrance, campus security systems, perimeter fencing, and employee housing. The project will also help to improve safety, reduce annual operating costs, improve Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, and enhance a positive environment that is conducive to learning.
“The project at Many Farms High School, located in the heart of Navajo Nation, embodies BIE’s mission to provide Indian Students with a quality education and safe learning environment. Through the Great American Outdoors Act, we are investing in Native communities and paving the way for student success,” said Dearman.
Signed into law on August 4, 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act provided approximately $1.62 billion per year to U.S. Department of the Interior bureaus from 2021 through 2025 to address priority deferred maintenance on infrastructure at public lands and BIE-funded schools. As part of this historic program, BIE receives up to $95 million of funding each year for infrastructure projects including campus replacements, faculty and staff housing improvements, and demolition of outdated, unused buildings. This has enabled transformational, long-lasting improvements to facilities and infrastructure at BIE-funded schools necessary to provide safe, sustainable, and engaging learning environments that students need to excel.
The Bureau of Indian Education implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools serving approximately 40,000 students. BIE oversees the operation of two postsecondary schools, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and Haskell Indian Nations University. BIE administers grants for 29 Tribally controlled colleges and universities and two Tribal technical colleges. For more information, visit the BIE website at https://www.bie.edu/.
