The origins of the position of Indian education consultant within the Department of Public Instruction are not documented in the records. It is clear, however, that a position with the title of Supervisor of Indian Education existed as early as the mid 1930's and that this position had some responsibility for inspection of schools in Wisconsin attended by American Indians and for recommending solutions for dealing with the educational problems encountered by Indians. During this time the education of Indians was a responsibility of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Indians residing on non-taxable federal lands either attended boarding schools operated by the federal government or local public schools with their tuition paid by the BIA.
The position of Supervisor of Indian education changed dramatically in 1947 when the Department of Public Instruction agreed to assume responsibility for Indian education in Wisconsin, and all Indian lands were regarded as part of their local school districts. Because of the tax exempt status of the federal lands the BIA provided reimbursement to DPI with funds authorized by the Johnson-O'Malley Act of 1934. DPI in turn reimbursed eligible local school districts.
Initially, the DPI only reimbursed local districts for basic educational services, transportation, and student lunches. In order to be eligible for these funds, local school districts had to have ten or more Indian students who were of one quarter or more Indian blood. As other federal aid became available and the BIA no longer claimed financial responsibility for basic educational services, the DPI began to apply JOM funds to special programs for Indian pupils that were developed and implemented by local Indian education committees. Such programs included home-school coordinators, tutors, teachers' aides, study centers, curriculum expansion, remedial education, summer schools, parental cost reimbursement, and transportation to school functions. JOM funds also supported state-level programs such as the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council Education Committee, annual workshops for teachers of Indian education, training programs for home-school coordinators, regional conferences, and the development of curricula incorporating Indian history and culture.
Although the existence of local school district Indian education committees was mentioned as early as the program's 1949-1950 annual report, it was not until 1972 that the JOM Act was amended to require their participation. Instigated by the desire of the local committees for even more Indian involvement in decision making, the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council Education Committee created the JOM Sub-Committee (1972-1975) as an advisory committee whose major function was determining statewide programming and the evaluation of all proposals submitted for funding. In 1973 members of the JOM Sub-Committee also formed part of a planning committee to prepare for the proposed assumption of the administration of the Johnson-O'Malley program by the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council. In 1975 the JOM State Advisory Committee, which consisted of representatives from all contracting school districts and local Indian education committees, assumed the subcommittee's functions.
In 1975 the JOM Act was amended to allow for direct contracts between individual tribes and the BIA. Beginning in the 1977-1978 school year the various tribal councils in Wisconsin elected to administer the program in that way. As a result the head of the planning committee became an assistant Indian education consultant at the DPI in order to facilitate the transfer of administrative responsibilities.
The college scholarship program which began in Wisconsin in 1956 was an outgrowth of the Johnson-O'Malley program. In that year all Indian high school graduates in Wisconsin who continued their education received a federal grant of $300.00 per year. Funding was gradually increased and eventually Wisconsin also contributed money to the program. In 1971 responsibility for this program was transferred to the Higher Education Aids Board. About 1970 the functional responsibility for Indian Education within DPI was reorganized, and the position of supervisor was renamed Indian education consultant in the Indian Education section.
