Rocky Boy superintendent elected at-large director of NAFIS Board

Press release

WASHINGTON - The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools - NAFIS - has announced that Voyd St. Pierre, Superintendent of Rocky Boy School District 87 in Montana, has been re-elected to the NAFIS Board of Directors as an at-large director.

As a member of the NAFIS Board of Directors, St. Pierre serves as a national leader advocating for school districts that receive Impact Aid. He also helps guide NAFIS public policy work and oversee plans for the association.

Impact Aid reimburses school districts for the loss of revenue caused by the presence of nontaxable federal property, including military installations; Indian Trust, Treaty and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Lands; Federal low-income housing facilities; and national laboratories and other Federal buildings and property. It helps ensure students who attend schools on or near federal property have access to a quality education.

St. Pierre is completing his 17th year as Superintendent of Rocky Boy. He has dedicated nearly 33 years to the district, where he started in 1990 as a high school business teacher, coach and athletic director.

Impact Aid makes up approximately half of the district's annual budget. It supports administrative, certified, classified, and extracurricular positions within the district; provides instructional programs for students; enhances food service, transportation, and operations management departments; allows the district to complete minor building and facilities maintenance projects; and supports all K-12 extracurricular programs.

St. Pierre has served on the NAFIS Board for seven years. He is also a longstanding member of the Board of Directors of the National Indian Impacted Schools Association (NIISA, a NAFIS subgroup), which he has served in many roles, including as President.

"I am fortunate with the confidence provided me by the NAFIS membership through their support of another term on the Board of Directors. I remain a staunch advocate for Indian Lands children and districts who rely heavily upon Impact Aid to accomplish the day-to-day work of educating children. It is my responsibility to address, support, and initiate actions that further educate the public on the many critical issues that Indian Lands schools face," St. Pierre said. "I am eager to continue my collaboration with fellow NAFIS board members representing the four NAFIS subgroups and making decisions based on what is best for children in the 1,100+ Impact Aid schools across the country."

"The NAFIS Board plays a critical role in ensuring students in federally impacted school districts have access to the same quality education as their peers across the nation," NAFIS Executive Director Nicole Russell said. "Voyd's experience and insights into the needs of these school districts, their students and their communities will continue to strengthen NAFIS advocacy. His dedication to the Impact Aid program and his vision for its future will help guide NAFIS forward."

St. Pierre's term will last for two years.