North Dakota's tribal colleges and universities are the stepchildren of education.

Often ignored, they have been left to fend for themselves. Through federal funding and donations they have been able to grow, filling an important role in the education of American Indians.

The five schools in the state are Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates; United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck; Fort Berthold Community College, New Town; Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt; and Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten.

While the focus of the schools remains the education of Indians, they also serve others. Students also are non-enrolled Indians and are non-Indians from the surrounding communities.

They are called nonbeneficiary students because the colleges don't receive federal funding for them.

But the colleges welcome them. They provide diversity for the campuses. And the education they receive make them more valuable members of their communities.

At the moment there are 175 nonbeneficiary students attending the five colleges. According to the colleges, last year they received about $5,000 per Indian student from the federal government.

The colleges would like the state to provide them help in educating the nonbeneficiary students. They are asking, through House Bill 1395, for $700,000 over the next two years to help defray the costs of the nonbeneficiary students.

This isn't the first time the Legislature has been asked to help. But in the past, the requests were rejected.

The colleges argue the bill isn't a precedent-setter. Since the nonbeneficiary students aren't covered by federal funding, the schools absorb the costs of educating them.

If these students were attending other state schools, those schools would be coverng the costs.

The costs involve the number of staff and supplies needed by the schools.

Some argue the state shouldn't get involved in Indian schools. That they are separate, like Jamestown College and the University of Mary.

However, the Indian schools don't fit the same mold.

While they receive federal funding, there are strings attached. One of the strings says nonbeneficiary students aren't covered.

And the funding they receive isn't automatic.

Every year, UTTC goes through a dance with the Bush administration to get funds included in the budget for the school.

That dance is going on right now.

It's unsettling for a school to never know how much, if any, money it will receive each year.

HB1395 would provide a little reassurance to the five schools providing an education for their communities. An education that hopefully should help lift the areas out of the economic doldrums.

The bill will be heard at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Pioneer Room by the House Education Committee.

Lawmakers should give it serious consideration and a do-pass recommendation.