Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 13365 

Act; National Marine Sanctuaries Act; 

Fishery Conservation Act; Marine 

Mammal Protection Act; Executive 

Order 12898, Environmental Justice in 

Minority Populations and Low-Income 

Populations; Executive Order 13045, 

Protection of Children from 

Environmental Health Risks and Safety 

Risk (among other Executive Orders); 

and Ports and Waterways Safety Act. 

7. Preliminary Identification of 

Environmental Issues: The following list 

of nine environmental issues has been 

tentatively identified for analysis in the 

EIS. This list, which was developed 

during preliminary internal scoping, has 

been included with the permit 

application filed for the proposed 

project. This list (and information from 

similar projects) is neither intended to 

be all inclusive nor a predetermined set 

of potential impacts, but is presented to 

facilitate public comment on the 

planned scope of the EIS. Additions to 

or deletions may occur as a result of the 

public scoping process. Preliminary 

identified environmental issues include 

but are not limited to the loss of aquatic 

resource (impact to potential submerged 

and shoreline aquatic habitat); water 

quality, coastal zone consistency, 

hydrodynamic modeling, threatened 

and endangered species (including 

critical habitat and essential fish and 

shellfish habitat), air quality, 

alternatives, secondary and cumulative 

impacts, socioeconomics, and 

mitigation. 

8. Scoping meeting: To ensure that all 

of the issues related to this proposed 

project are addressed, the USACE will 

conduct a public scoping meeting in 

which agencies, organizations, and 

members of the general public are 

invited to present comments or 

suggestions with regard to the range of 

actions, alternatives, and potential 

impacts to be considered in the EIS. The 

scoping meeting will be held at the 

Fleming Education Center Auditorium 

at the University of Southern 

Mississippi’s Gulf Park Campus, 730 

East Beach Boulevard, Long Beach, 

Mississippi, on March 31, 2011. The 

scoping meeting will begin with an 

informal open house from 5:30 p.m. to 

6:30 p.m. followed by a formal 

presentation of the proposed action and 

a description of the NEPA process. 

Comments will be accepted following 

the formal presentation until 8 p.m. 

Displays and other forms of information 

about the proposed action will be 

available, and the USACE, the MSPA 

and the MDA personnel will be present 

at the informal session to discuss the 

proposed project and the EIS Process. 

The USACE invites comments on the 

proposed scope and content of the EIS 

from all interested parties. Verbal 

transcribers will be available at the 

scoping meeting to accept verbal 

comments following the formal 

presentation until 8:00 p.m. A time limit 

will be imposed on verbal comments. 

9. DRAFT EIS: It is anticipated that a 

DRAFT EIS will be made available for 

public review in late calendar year 2011 

or early 2012. 

Dated: February 24, 2011. 

Craig J. Litteken, 

Chief, Regulatory Division. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5672 Filed 3–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Credit Enhancement for Charter 

School Facilities Program; Office of 

Innovation and Improvement; 

Overview Information; Credit 

Enhancement for Charter School 

Facilities Program; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2011 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.354A. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 11, 

2011. 

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: 

April 4, 2011 at 9:00 a.m., Washington, 

DC time. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 10, 2011. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 9, 2011. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: This program 

provides grants to eligible entities to 

permit them to enhance the credit of 

charter schools so that the charter 

schools can access private-sector and 

other non-Federal capital in order to 

acquire, construct, and renovate 

facilities at a reasonable cost. Grants 

awarded under this program will be of 

sufficient size, scope, and quality to 

enable the grantees to implement 

effective strategies for reaching this 

objective. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

one competitive preference priority and 

one invitational priority that are 

explained in the following paragraphs. 

In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(ii), the competitive 

preference priority is from the 

regulations for this program (34 CFR 

225.12). 

Competitive Preference Priority: For 

FY 2011 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition, this priority is a 

competitive preference priority. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to 

an additional 15 points to an 

application, depending on how well the 

application meets this priority. 

This priority is: 

The capacity of charter schools to 

offer public school choice in those 

communities with the greatest need for 

school choice based on— 

(1) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to geographic 

areas in which a large proportion or 

number of public schools have been 

identified for improvement, corrective 

action, or restructuring under Title I of 

the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA); 

(2) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to geographic 

areas in which a large proportion of 

students perform below proficient on 

State academic assessments; and 

(3) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to communities 

with large proportions of students from 

low-income families. 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2011 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an invitational priority. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not 

give an application that meets this 

priority a competitive or absolute 

preference over other applications. 

This priority is: 

Applications that propose a grant 

project that uses competitive market 

forces to obtain the best rates and terms 

on financing for charter schools in order 

for the charter schools to acquire, 

construct, and renovate facilities while 

using the least amount of grant funds. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7223– 

7223j. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The 

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 225. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration’s budget request for FY 

2011 does not include funds for this 


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program. In place of this and several 

other, sometimes narrowly targeted, 

programs that seek to expand 

educational options for students and 

families, the Administration has 

proposed to create, through the 

reauthorization of the ESEA, a broader 

initiative, Expanding Educational 

Options, that would address the need to 

increase the supply of high-quality 

public educational options available to 

students. Funds under this proposed 

program would be available for 

competitive grants to help ensure that 

charter schools have access to adequate 

facilities. However, we are inviting 

applications at this time under the 

current Credit Enhancement for Charter 

School Facilities program to allow 

enough time to complete the grant 

process if Congress appropriates funds 

for the program. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards later in 

FY 2011 and in FY 2012 from the list 

of unfunded applicants from this 

competition. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: From the start date 

indicated on the grant award document 

until the Federal funds and earnings on 

those funds have been expended for the 

grant purposes or until financing 

facilitated by the grant has been retired, 

whichever is later. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: (a) A public 

entity, such as a State or local 

governmental entity; (b) A private, 

nonprofit entity; or (c) A consortium of 

entities described in (a) and (b). 

Note: Under 20 U.S.C. 7223a(b)(2), the 

Secretary makes, if possible, at least one 

award in each of the three categories of 

eligible applicants. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Other: The charter schools that a 

grantee selects to benefit from this 

program must meet the definition of a 

charter school in section 5210(1) of the 

ESEA. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the Credit Enhancement for Charter 

School Facilities program, some 

applications may include proprietary 

financial or confidential commercial 

information whose disclosure could 

reasonably be expected to cause 

substantial competitive harm. Upon 

submission of an application, applicants 

should identify any information 

contained in their application that they 

consider to be confidential commercial 

information or financial information. 

Doing so will assist the Department in 

making any future determination 

regarding public release of the 

application. Applicants are encouraged 

to identify only the specific information 

that the applicant considers to be 

proprietary and list the page numbers 

on which this information can be found 

in the appropriate Appendix section of 

their application. In addition to 

identifying the page number on which 

that information can be found, eligible 

applicants will assist the Department in 

making determinations on public 

release of the application by being as 

specific as possible in identifying the 

information they consider proprietary. 

Please note that, in many instances, 

identification of entire pages of 

documentation would not be 

appropriate. 

2. Address To Request Application 

Package: Ann Margaret Galiatsos, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., room 4W259, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. 

Telephone: (202) 205–9765 or by e-mail: 

ann.galiatsos@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person or 

team listed under Accessible Format in 

section VIII of this notice. 

3. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Each Credit Enhancement 

for Charter School Facilities program 

application must include the following 

specific elements: 

(a) A statement identifying the 

activities proposed to be undertaken 

with grant funds (the ‘‘grant project’’), 

including a description of how the 

applicant will determine which charter 

schools will receive assistance and how 

much and what types of assistance these 

schools will receive. 

(b) A description of the involvement 

of charter schools in the application’s 

development and in the design of the 

proposed grant project. 

(c) A description of the applicant’s 

expertise in capital markets financing. 

(Consortium applicants must provide 

this information for each of the 

participating organizations.) 

(d) A description of how the proposed 

grant project will leverage the maximum 

amount of private-sector financing 

capital relative to the amount of 

government funding used and otherwise 

enhance credit available to charter 

schools. 

(e) A description of how the applicant 

possesses sufficient expertise in 

education to evaluate the likelihood of 

success of a charter school for which 

facilities financing is sought. 

(f) In the case of an application 

submitted by a State governmental 

entity, a description of past, current, 

and planned State funding actions, 

including obtaining other forms of 

financial assistance, that ensure that 

charter schools within the State receive 

the funding they need to have adequate 

facilities. 

Additional requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

program. 

Page Limit: We have found that 

reviewers are able to conduct the 

highest-quality review when 

applications are concise and easy to 

read. Applicants are encouraged to limit 

their applications to no more than 40 

double-spaced pages (not including the 

required forms and tables), using the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

Furthermore, applicants are strongly 

encouraged to include a table of 

contents that specifies where each 

required part of the application is 

located. 

4. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 11, 

2011. 

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: The 

Department will hold a pre-application 

meeting for prospective applicants on 

April 4, 2011 at 9:00 a.m., Washington, 

DC time, at the U.S. Department of 

Education, room 1W128, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in this meeting to discuss the 

purpose of the program, priorities, 


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selection criteria, application 

requirements, submission requirements, 

and reporting requirements. Interested 

parties may participate in this meeting 

either by conference call or in person. 

This site is accessible by Metro on the 

Blue, Orange, Green, and Yellow lines at 

the Seventh Street and Maryland 

Avenue exit of the L’Enfant Plaza 

station. After the meeting, program staff 

will be available from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 

p.m. on that same day to provide 

information and technical assistance 

through individual consultation. 

Individuals interested in attending 

this meeting are encouraged to preregister by e-mailing their name, 

organization, and contact information 

with the subject heading PRE– 

APPLICATION MEETING to 

ann.galiatsos@ed.gov. There is no 

registration fee for attending this 

meeting. 

For further information about the preapplication meeting, contact Ann 

Margaret Galiatsos, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 4W259, Washington, DC 20202– 

5970. Telephone: (202) 205–9765 or by 

e-mail: ann.galiatsos@ed.gov. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities at the Pre-Application 

Meeting 

The meeting site is accessible to 

individuals with disabilities. If you will 

need an auxiliary aid or service to 

participate in the meeting (e.g., 

interpreting service, assistive listening 

device, or materials in an alternate 

format), notify the contact person listed 

in this notice at least two weeks before 

the scheduled meeting date. Although 

we will attempt to meet a request we 

receive after that date, we may not be 

able to make available the requested 

auxiliary aid or service because of 

insufficient time to arrange it. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 10, 2011. 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV.8. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 9, 2011. 

5. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

program. 

6. Funding Restrictions: (a) Reserve 

accounts. Grant recipients, in 

accordance with State and local laws, 

must deposit the grant funds they 

receive under this program (other than 

funds used for administrative costs) in 

a reserve account established and 

maintained by the grantee for this 

purpose. Amounts deposited in such 

account shall be used by the grantee for 

one or more of the following purposes 

in order to assist charter schools in 

accessing private-sector and other nonFederal capital: 

(1) Guaranteeing, insuring, and 

reinsuring bonds, notes, evidences of 

debt, loans, and interests therein. 

(2) Guaranteeing and insuring leases 

of personal and real property. 

(3) Facilitating financing by 

identifying potential lending sources, 

encouraging private lending, and other 

similar activities that directly promote 

lending to, or for the benefit of, charter 

schools. 

(4) Facilitating the issuance of bonds 

by charter schools or by other public 

entities for the benefit of charter 

schools, by providing technical, 

administrative, and other appropriate 

assistance (including the recruitment of 

bond counsel, underwriters, and 

potential investors and the 

consolidation of multiple charter school 

projects within a single bond issue). 

Funds received under this program 

and deposited in the reserve account 

must be invested in obligations issued 

or guaranteed by the United States or a 

State, or in other similarly low-risk 

securities. Any earnings on funds, 

including fees, received under this 

program must be deposited in the 

reserve account and used in accordance 

with the requirements of this program. 

(b) Charter school objectives. An 

eligible entity receiving a grant under 

this program must use the funds 

deposited in the reserve account to 

assist charter schools in accessing 

capital to accomplish one or both of the 

following objectives: 

(1) The acquisition (by purchase, 

lease, donation, or otherwise) of an 

interest (which may be an interest held 

by a third party for the benefit of a 

charter school) in improved or 

unimproved real property that is 

necessary to commence or continue the 

operation of a charter school. 

(2) The construction of new facilities, 

or the renovation, repair, or alteration of 

existing facilities, necessary to 

commence or continue the operation of 

a charter school. 

(c) Other. Grantees must ensure that 

all costs incurred using funds from the 

reserve account are reasonable. The full 

faith and credit of the United States are 

not pledged to the payment of funds 

under such obligation. In the event of a 

default on any debt or other obligation, 

the United States has no liability to 

cover the cost of the default. 

Applicants that are selected to receive 

an award must enter into a written 

Performance Agreement with the 

Department prior to drawing down 

funds, unless the grantee receives 

written permission from the Department 

in the interim to draw down a specific 

limited amount of funds. 

In accordance with 34 CFR 

80.36(b)(3), grantees must maintain and 

enforce standards of conduct governing 

the performance of their employees, 

officers, directors, trustees, and agents 

engaged in the selection, award, and 

administration of contracts or 

agreements related to this grant. The 

standards of conduct must mandate 

disinterested decision-making. 

A grantee may use not more than 0.25 

percent (one quarter of one percent) of 

the grant funds for the administrative 

costs of the grant. 

The Secretary, in accordance with 

chapter 37 of title 31, United States 

Code, will collect all or a portion of the 

funds in the reserve account established 

with grant funds (including any 

earnings on those funds) if the Secretary 

determines that (a) the grantee has 

permanently ceased to use all or a 

portion of the funds in such account to 

accomplish the purposes described in 

the authorizing statute and the 

Performance Agreement or, (b) if not 

earlier than two years after the date on 

which the entity first receives these 

funds, the entity has failed to make 

substantial progress in undertaking the 

grant project. 

(d) Unallowable costs. We specify 

some unallowable costs in 34 CFR 

225.21. 

We reference additional regulations 

outlining funding restrictions in the 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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Applicable Regulations section in this 

notice. 

7. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and Central Contractor 

Registry: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the Central Contractor 

Registry (CCR), the Government’s 

primary registrant database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active CCR registration 

with current information while your 

application is under review by the 

Department and, if you are awarded a 

grant, during the project period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one business day. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The CCR registration process may take 

five or more business days to complete. 

If you are currently registered with the 

CCR, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your CCR 

registration on an annual basis. This 

may take three or more business days to 

complete. 

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3- 

Step Registration Guide (see http:// 

www.grants.gov/section910/ 

Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). 

8. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically unless you qualify for an 

exception to this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

Applications for grants under the 

Credit Enhancement for Charter School 

Facilities program, CFDA number 

84.354A, must be submitted 

electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, 

you will be able to download a copy of 

the application package, complete it 

offline, and then upload and submit 

your application. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the Credit Enhancement 

for Charter School Facilities program at 

www.Grants.gov. You must search for 

the downloadable application package 

for this program by the CFDA number. 

Do not include the CFDA number’s 

alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search 

for 84.354, not 84.354A). 

Please note the following: 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by Grants.gov 

are date and time stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted and must be date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. When we retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov, we will 

notify you if we are rejecting your 

application because it was date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors, 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this program to 

ensure that you submit your application 

in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 

system. You can also find the Education 

Submission Procedures pertaining to 

Grants.gov under News and Events on 

the Department’s G5 system home page 

at http://www.G5.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must attach any narrative 

sections of your application as files in 

a .PDF (Portable Document) format only. 

If you upload a file type other than a 

.PDF or submit a password-protected 

file, we will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. (This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department.) The 

Department then will retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov and send a 

second notification to you by e-mail. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to 

your application). 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice and provide an 

explanation of the technical problem 

you experienced with Grants.gov, along 

with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number. We will accept your 

application if we can confirm that a 

technical problem occurred with the 

Grants.gov system and that that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. The 

Department will contact you after a 

determination is made on whether your 

application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

the Grants.gov system because— 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevent you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. 

If you mail your written statement to 

the Department, it must be postmarked 

no later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Ann Margaret Galiatsos, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W259, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. FAX: 

(202) 205–5630. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.354A), 

LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202– 

4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.354A) 

550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, 

Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, 

DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

notification within 15 business days from the 

application deadline date, you should call 

the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 

225.11 and are listed in the following 

paragraphs. The maximum score for all 

of the selection criteria is 100 points. 

The maximum score for each criterion is 

indicated in parentheses. Each criterion 

also includes the factors that the 

reviewers will consider to determine 

how well an application meets the 

criterion. We encourage applicants to 

make explicit connections to the 

selection criteria and factors in their 

applications. 

A. Quality of project design and 

significance. (35 points) 

In determining the quality of project 

design and significance, the Secretary 

considers— 

(1) The extent to which the grant 

proposal would provide financing to 

charter schools at better rates and terms 

than they can receive absent assistance 

through the program; 

(2) The extent to which the project 

goals, objectives, and timeline are 

clearly specified, measurable, and 

appropriate for the purpose of the 

program; 

(3) The extent to which the project 

implementation plan and activities, 

including the partnerships established, 

are likely to achieve measurable 

objectives that further the purposes of 

the program; 

(4) The extent to which the project is 

likely to produce results that are 

replicable; 

(5) The extent to which the project 

will use appropriate criteria for 

selecting charter schools for assistance 


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13370 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 

and for determining the type and 

amount of assistance to be given; 

(6) The extent to which the proposed 

activities will leverage private or publicsector funding and increase the number 

and variety of charter schools assisted in 

meeting their facilities needs beyond 

what would be accomplished absent the 

program; 

(7) The extent to which the project 

will serve charter schools in States with 

strong charter laws, consistent with the 

criteria for such laws in section 

5202(e)(3) of the ESEA; and 

(8) The extent to which the requested 

grant amount and the project costs are 

reasonable in relation to the objectives, 

design, and potential significance of the 

project. 

B. Quality of project services. (15 

points) 

In determining the quality of the 

project services, the Secretary 

considers— 

(1) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the project reflect the 

identified needs of the charter schools 

to be served; 

(2) The extent to which charter 

schools and chartering agencies were 

involved in the design of, and 

demonstrate support for, the project; 

(3) The extent to which the technical 

assistance and other services to be 

provided by the proposed grant project 

involve the use of cost-effective 

strategies for increasing charter schools’ 

access to facilities financing, including 

the reasonableness of fees and lending 

terms; and 

(4) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed grant 

project are focused on assisting charter 

schools with a likelihood of success and 

the greatest demonstrated need for 

assistance under the program. 

C. Capacity. (35 points). 

In determining an applicant’s 

business and organizational capacity to 

carry out the project, the Secretary 

considers— 

(1) The amount and quality of 

experience of the applicant in carrying 

out the activities it proposes to 

undertake in its application, such as 

enhancing the credit on debt issuances, 

guaranteeing leases, and facilitating 

financing; 

(2) The applicant’s financial stability; 

(3) The ability of the applicant to 

protect against unwarranted risk in its 

loan underwriting, portfolio monitoring, 

and financial management; 

(4) The applicant’s expertise in 

education to evaluate the likelihood of 

success of a charter school; 

(5) The ability of the applicant to 

prevent conflicts of interest, including 

conflicts of interest by employees and 

members of the board of directors in a 

decision-making role; 

(6) If the applicant has co-applicants 

(consortium members), partners, or 

other grant project participants, the 

specific resources to be contributed by 

each co-applicant (consortium member), 

partner, or other grant project 

participant to the implementation and 

success of the grant project; 

(7) For State governmental entities, 

the extent to which steps have been or 

will be taken to ensure that charter 

schools within the State receive the 

funding needed to obtain adequate 

facilities; and 

(8) For previous grantees under the 

charter school facilities programs, their 

performance in implementing these 

grants. 

D. Quality of project personnel. (15 

points) 

In determining the quality of project 

personnel, the Secretary considers— 

(1) The qualifications of project 

personnel, including relevant training 

and experience, of the project manager 

and other members of the project team, 

including consultants or subcontractors; 

and 

(2) The staffing plan for the grant 

project. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 

74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may 

impose special conditions on a grant if 

the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has 

not fulfilled the conditions of a prior 

grant; or is otherwise not responsible. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may notify you informally, 

also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: (a) Applicants selected 

for funding will be required to submit 

to the Department an annual report that 

includes the information from section 

5227(b) of the ESEA and any other 

information the Secretary may require. 

Grantees must also cooperate and 

assist the Department with any periodic 

financial and compliance audits of the 

grantee, as determined necessary by the 

Department. The specific Performance 

Agreement between the grantee and the 

Department may contain additional 

reporting requirements. At the end of 

your project period, you must submit a 

final performance report, including 

financial information, as directed by the 

Secretary. The Secretary may also 

require more frequent performance 

reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). 

(b) If you apply for a grant under this 

competition, you must ensure that you 

have in place the necessary processes 

and systems to comply with the 

reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 

170 should you receive funding under 

the competition. This does not apply if 

you have an exception under 2 CFR 

170.110(b). 

4. Performance Measures: The 

performance measures for this program 

are: (1) The amount of funding grantees 

leverage for charter schools to acquire, 

construct, and renovate school facilities 

and (2) the number of charter schools 

served. Grantees must provide this 

information as part of their annual 

performance reports. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: Ann 

Margaret Galiatsos, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 4W259, Washington, DC 20202– 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 13371 

5970. Telephone: (202) 205–9765 or by 

e-mail: ann.galiatsos@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 

this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available via the 

Federal Digital System at http:// 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 

Dated: March 2011. 

James H. Shelton, III, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and 

Improvement. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5702 Filed 3–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; Personnel Development 

To Improve Services and Results for 

Children With Disabilities— 

Paraprofessional Preservice Program 

Improvement Grants; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2011 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.325N. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 11, 

2011. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 25, 2011. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 24, 2011. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

this program are to (1) help address 

State-identified needs for highly 

qualified personnel—in special 

education, related services, early 

intervention, and regular education—to 

work with infants, toddlers, and 

children with disabilities; and (2) 

ensure that those personnel have the 

necessary skills and knowledge, derived 

from practices that have been 

determined through scientifically based 

research and experience, to be 

successful in serving those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute or otherwise authorized in the 

statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2011 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities—Paraprofessional 

Preservice Program Improvement Grants 

(84.325N). 

Background: 

Paraprofessionals provide important 

services to children with disabilities 

ages birth through 21 and their families. 

In early intervention (EI) programs, 

preschools, and elementary, middle, 

and high schools, paraprofessionals 

provide instructional support, modify 

instructional materials, implement 

behavioral management plans, assist in 

the implementation of postsecondary 

education transition plans, and collect 

data to monitor children’s development 

and learning (Kellegrew, Pacifico-Banta, 

& Stewart, 2008; Mikulecky & Baber, 

2005; Shkodriani, 2003). Kellegrew, 

Pacifico-Banta, and Stewart (2008) and 

Shkodriani (2003) note that 

paraprofessionals have become 

increasingly responsible for other 

activities involving children with 

disabilities, such as participating in the 

development of their Individualized 

Family Service Plans and 

Individualized Education Programs; 

providing direct services to children 

and their families, including small 

group instruction and one-on-one 

tutoring; and assisting with classroom 

management. Westat (2002) reported 

that the average paraprofessional works 

in five different classes per week and 

serves 21 students, 15 of whom have 

disabilities; consequently, it is 

important that paraprofessionals are 

prepared to meet professional 

qualifications that will enable them to 

provide effective services to all 

children, including students with 

disabilities. 

Section 635(a)(9) of Part C of IDEA, 

section 612(a)(14)(B) of Part B of IDEA, 

and 34 CFR 300.156(b)(1) of the IDEA 

Part B regulations require States to 

provide assurances that they have 

established paraprofessional 

qualifications that are consistent with 

State-approved or State-recognized 

certification, licensing, registration, or 

other comparable requirements that 

apply to the professional discipline in 

which those personnel are providing 

early intervention, special education, or 

related services. In a 2004 survey of 

coordinators for the Part C infants and 

toddlers program under IDEA, half of 

the respondents indicated that their 

State had added or created new 

professional categories, particularly at 

the paraprofessional level, such as EI 

associates and EI assistants (Center to 

Inform Personnel Preparation Policy 

and Practice in Early Intervention and 

Preschool Education, 2004a). 

Additionally, many States are trying to 

identify preservice preparation 

opportunities for paraprofessionals in EI 

or are working on strategies to increase 

the quality of preservice programs 

(Kellegrew et al., 2008). 

Despite these efforts and the critical 

roles that paraprofessionals play in the 

lives of children with disabilities, 

overall scant attention has been paid to 

ensuring that early childhood or K 

through 12 paraprofessional preservice 

programs adequately prepare 

paraprofessionals to serve children with 

disabilities and their families. 

Coordinators for the Part B, section 619 

preschool program under IDEA have 

expressed concern about the adequacy 

of paraprofessionals’ preparation, 

particularly to work with young 

children with disabilities and their 

families (Center to Inform Personnel 

Preparation Policy and Practice in Early 

Intervention and Preschool Education, 

2004b). Although national professional 

organizations (e.g., the Division for 

Early Childhood of the Council for 

Exceptional Children and the National 

Association for the Education of Young 

Children) have personnel standards that 

could be used to guide the preparation 

of paraprofessionals working with 

young children with disabilities and 

their families, many of the certificate or 

associate degree programs that prepare 

paraprofessionals have not yet met these 

standards or do not offer practicum 

experiences in working with children 

with disabilities and their families 

(Chang, Early, & Winton, 2005). Further, 

according to Giangreco (2010), 

paraprofessionals in elementary and 

secondary special education settings are 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES