General Information: La Conner School District benefits greatly from strong involvement from the Swinomish Tribe. Each grade has its own dedicated Education Support Advocate. You can find their names here on our educational partners page. ESA's are supervised by Email Loran James. Loran is part of the Swinomish Education Department, with Michael Vendiola as the director. Loran and Michael meet with district administration regularly. In addition, the district and the tribe have agreed to have three consultations per year. (See the Indian Policies and Procedures under Impact Aid below.)
Impact Aid: Because the Swinomish Reservation is within the boundaries of our school district, we qualify for impact aid. To qualify for Impact Aid we need to have public Indian Policies and Procedures. See our most recent document here.
Indian Education Grant (Title VI): When students register at La Conner School District parents fill out an ED506 form from the United States Department of Education. Students who have at least a grandparent who is an enrolled tribal member of a federally recognized tribe are counted to qualify for this Title VI grant.
This grant is used to fund the Lushootseed Language and Culture Class, and other cultural activities, such as our indigenous science class, Between Two Worlds.
Migrant (Title Ic): The majority of migrant-qualified students in La Conner School District are Native American students. These students qualify for fishing, crabbing, or berry picking for economic reasons that take them beyond the school district boundaries. Email Erica John is our Migrant Student Advocate and recruiter. If you think you might qualify, or if you have an issue with the school you think she might be able to help with, please contact her. Erica also recruits for programs like Native Voices and Dare to Dream, an early summer college experience for high school students.
Native American Parent Advisory Council (NAPAC): A group of Native American Parents meet monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 12:00PM. A leadership team often meets briefly in between these meetings. All meetings are held in person at the Swinomish Boys and Girls Club and via Zoom. Information is available on the district calendar.
