Federal lawmakers from Kansas have introduced a bill that would shift control of Haskell away from the federal government to its Board of Regents. Kansas Republican Congressional Representatives Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tracey Mann first proposed the bill in December. The legislation would take control of Haskell away from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education. The bill would reclassify Haskell as a federally chartered corporation that would continue to receive federal funding. Proponents of the bill have said it would strengthen Haskell by removing it from the control of the federal government. Opponents say it is a way for the government to shirk its responsibility to support Native American education and could affect Haskell’s culture.
Haskell has endured a turbulent few months. About three dozen Haskell employees were fired in February due to action from the Trump Administration gutting the federal workforce. Many of the fired employees have since been reinstated.
