School Facilities: Reported Condition and Costs to Repair Schools Funded by Bureau of Indian Affairs

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO presented information on the physical condition of Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) schools, focusing on the: (1) amount of funding that BIA reports is needed to repair educational facilities; (2) condition of BIA school buildings and building features; (3) adequacy of school environmental conditions; and (4) extent to which schools are physically capable of meeting the functional requirements of education reform and computer and communications technology.

BIA reports that the cost of the total inventory of repairs needed for BIA education facilities is $754 million. This includes the cost of repairs to all school buildings, including dormitories for students and employee housing. Data from our 1994 National School Facilities Survey show that, compared with other schools nationally, responding BIA schools (1) are generally in poorer physical condition, (2) have more unsatisfactory environmental factors, (3) more often lack key facilities requirements for education reform, and (4) are less able to support computer and communications technology.