American Indian Leadership in a Time of Fiscal Crisis: Tackling the Sequestration Cuts in Indian Country

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Abstract

In the Spring of 2013, the budget sequestration automatically reduced federal spending, and while a majority of school districts in the United States were not affected, American Indian school districts were forced to make drastic budgetary changes. Approximately 1,300 school districts nationwide receive federal Impact Aid, and a large majority of these school districts educate American Indian students. Given these circumstances, this research project explores how an American Indian superintendent not only manages the aftermath of dire financial cuts, but also leads from an American Indian leadership perspective. This study seeks to bring attention to how the sequestration cuts have impacted a severely underprivileged population of students, and acknowledge the efforts of an American Indian superintendent to address these issues.

Author

• Eryka Charley, Pennsylvania State University