Johnson-O’Malley Program

The basic purpose of the Johnson-O’Malley (JOM) program is to provide supplementary financial assistance to meet the unique and specialized education needs of Indian children.  The Northern Ute Tribe contracts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to receive the JOM funds.  The two main requirements under the JOM Act to assure parent participation and control are the establishment of an Indian Education Committee and the JOM Educational Plan.  The Indian Education Committee is established by the Indian community and works with the Tribe’s Education Department in developing programs submitted in the JOM Educational Plan and approves all programs and budgets funded by JOM.  The JOM Educational Plan is a written document which outlines the plans for providing programs to meet the unique and specialized educational needs of Indian students.  It is developed in coordination with the Education Department and the Education Committee.  The Plan identifies needs of the Indian students, the goals and objectives to be accomplished, procedures to be followed, methods to be used in evaluating the program as well as the proposed budget.

The JOM yearly budget supports three tutor/mentors and the Northern Ute tribe supports an additional 11 tutor/mentors and a van driver.  The Tribal matching funds for the additional tutor/mentors are spent in the hopes that the jobs will encourage tribal members to pursue higher education opportunities.  The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all school paraprofessionals have two years of study at an institution of higher education.  The Education Department hopes that this federal requirement will encourage more JOM tutor/mentors to work toward a two year degree and then choose to move into the Teacher Training program.

The major goals of the JOM program include improving the achievement of Native American children; to alleviate absenteeism and tardiness; to promote academic, cultural, and personal growth; and to increase parental involvement.  To meet these goals JOM personnel host a Recognition/Graduation banquet, assist parents and grandparents with graduation travel expenses, conduct home visits and contacts throughout the school year, and arrange for on-campus visits for high school seniors and recent graduates.

The JOM staff is working toward establishing a Youth Council in the three high schools: Union, Uintah, and Uintah River.  These Youth Councils will provide Tribal youth with leadership training and opportunities to influence decisions that impact them.