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Department of Interior announces new education center on Coeur d’Alene Reservation

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks Wednesday at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C. (Orion Donovan-Smith/The Spokesman-Review)
By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland on Wednesday announced the creation of a new Office of Strategic Partnerships that will team up to launch new outdoor education centers in Tribal communities, including the Coeur d’Alene Reservation.

According to a press release issued by the department, the new Office of Strategic Partnerships will work with the Bureau of Indian Education and the Trust for Public Lands to create nine community school yards in 2023.

The schools will be outdoor multipurpose centers where physical activity, education, Native languages and cultural heritage can be combined. One of the nine community schools will be the new Coeur d’Alene Tribal School in De Smet, Idaho, Department of Interior officials said.

The other community schools include the following:

  • Crazy Horse School in Wanblee, South Dakota.
  • John F. Kennedy Day School, White River, Arizona.
  • Menominee Tribal School, Neopit, Wisconsin.
  • Northern Cheyenne Tribal School, Busby, Montana.
  • Pine Ridge School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
  • Rock Creek Grant School, Bullhead, South Dakota.
  • Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  • Wingate Elementary School, Ft. Wingate, New Mexico.

The news release indicated the nine schools would be funded in 2023, but it did not disclose the costs, budgets or timelines for completion. Haaland made the announcement during the remarks during the White House Tribal National Summit in Washington, D.C.