Department of Education

OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Appropriations Language..............................................................................................................1

Amounts Available for Obligations ................................................................................................2

Obligations by Object Classification..............................................................................................3

Summary of Changes ...................................................................................................................4

Authorizing Legislation..................................................................................................................5

Appropriations History...................................................................................................................6

Significant Items in FY 2023 Appropriations Reports ...................................................................7

Activity:

Office for Civil Rights ................................................................................................................8
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Appropriations Language

For expenses necessary for the Office for Civil Rights, as authorized by section 203 of the

Department of Education Organization Act, [$140,000,000] $177,600,000. (Department of 

Education Appropriations Act, 2023.)

 
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Amounts Available for Obligations

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation and Adjustments 2022 2023 2024

Discretionary appropriation $135,500 $140,000 $177,600

Unobligated balance expiring -116 0 0

 Total, direct obligations $135,384 $140,000 $177,600
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Obligations by Object Classification

(dollars in thousands)

Object class number Object Class

2022

Actual

2023

Estimate

2024

Request

Change 

from 2023

to 2024

11.10 Full-time permanent $69,616 $72,729 $97,056 $24,327

11.31 Full-time temporary 1,333 1,047 1,100 53

11.32 Part-time 1,049 916 962 46

11.33 Consultants 4 0 0 0

11.51 Overtime 61 60 60 0

11.52 Awards 823 1,306 1,336 30

11.8 Other Compensation 0 0 0 0

Subtotal Row

 Compensation subtotal 72,886 76,058 100,514 24,456

12.00 Benefits 25,651 27,994 37,086 9,092

13.1 Benefits for former personnel 0 0 0 0

Subtotal Row

 Comp/benefits subtotal 25,651 27,994 37,086 9,092

21.00 Travel 79 378 509 131

23.10 Rental payments to GSA 10,498 10,338 9,880 (458)

23.31 Communications 10 10 10 0

23.32 Postage/fees 0 3 3 0 

Subtotal Row

 Subtotal 23 10,508 10,351 9,893 (458)

24.00 Printing & reproduction 2 5 5 0 

25.1

Advisory and assistance

services 0 0 0 0 

25.21 Other services 2,938 1,286 1,061 (225)

25.22 Training/tuition/contracts 163 437 518 81

25.30 Goods/services from Federal 

sources 2,087 2,821 3,110 289

25.40 Operations/maint of facilities 0 0 0 0 

25.71 Operations/maint of equipment 0 1 1 0

25.72 IT services/contracts 20,260 20,139 24,373 4,234

Subtotal Row

 Subtotal 25 25,448 24,684 29,063 4,379

26.00 Supplies 15 41 52 11

31.10 IT equipment/software 435 489 478 (11)

31.30 Other Equipment 0 0 0 0 

Subtotal Row

 Subtotal 31 435 489 478 (11)

32.00 Building Alterations 211 0 0 0 

Total 

Row Total, Obligations 135,235 140,000 177,600 +37,600
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Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands) 

2023 $140,000

2024 177,600

Net Change +37,600

Increases: 2023 Base

Change 

from Base

Built in

Built in: Increase in salaries and benefits for an increase of 

150 FTE, projected benefits increase, and a 5.2 

percent pay raise.

$102,746 +$33,518

Program: 

Program Increase in awards. 1,306 +30

Program Increase in travel. 378 +131

Program Increase in training. 437 +81

Program Increase in goods and services from government. 2,821 +289

Program Increase in IT services mainly for CRDC, case 

management modernization, and central IT services. 20,139 +4,234

Program Increase in supplies. 41 +11

Subtotal, increases +38,294

Decreases:

2023 Base 

Change 

from base

Built-in:

Decrease in rent to GSA $10,338 -$458

Program: 

Decrease in other services 1,286 -225

Decrease in IT equipment/software 489 -11

Subtotal, decreases -694

Net Change +$37,600
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2023

Authorized

2023 

Appropriation

2024

Authorized

2024

Request

Civil Rights (DEOA) Indefinite $140,000 Indefinite $177,600

Total appropriation 140,000 177,600
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFootnote

20151 102,000 N/A 102,000 100,000

20162 130,691 $100,000 100,000 107,000

20173 137,708 100,000 110,000 108,500

20184 106,797 108,500 117,000 117,000

20195 107,438 117,000 125,000 125,000

20206

125,000 130,000 125,000 130,000

20217 130,000 132,000 130,000 131,000

20228 144,000 144,000 144,000 135,500

20239 161,300 151,300 161,300 140,000

2024 177,600

1 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action; Senate allowance reflects 

Senate Subcommittee action only. 2 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular 2016 appropriations bill, which proceeded 

in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and Senate Committee. 

3 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 

appropriations bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Act, 2017.

4 The level for the House allowance reflects floor action on the Omnibus appropriation bill; the Senate allowance 

reflects Committee action on the regular annual 2018 appropriations bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141). 

5 The levels for the House and Senate Allowance reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2019 appropriations 

bill; the Appropriation reflects enactment of the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and 

Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245).

6 The Senate Allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects the Further Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94). The level for the House allowance reflects subcommittee action. 

7 The level for the Senate Allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects Division H of the FY 

2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-260). 

8 The House allowance reflects floor action on the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act; the Senate allowance 

reflects the Chairman’s mark; and the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-

103).

9 The House allowance reflects the regular annual FY 2023 appropriation, which was introduced on the floor; the 

Senate allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; and the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2023 (P.L. 117-328).
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Significant Items in FY 2023 Appropriations Reports

OCR The State of Desegregation Orders

House: The Committee is concerned by research from the UCLA Civil Rights Project 

indicating that schools and school districts are becoming increasingly racially and 

socioeconomically segregated across the country. At the same time, there is no 

clear or accurate reporting or transparency on the number of Federal 

desegregation orders, the status of these orders, or the impact they have had on 

segregation in districts. The Committee, therefore, continues to urge OCR to 

make a report publicly available on the Department’s website, detailing a 

comprehensive list of all existing Federal desegregation orders in the United 

States, their principal requirements, and the status of the affected districts’ 

compliance with these orders.

Response: The Department of Justice secures and is responsible for federal desegregation 

orders and would be best positioned to provide comprehensive information.

OCR Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools

House: The Committee looks forward to receiving the report the Department was 

directed to complete in House Report 117–96.

Response: The Department is working on a report on these issues and looks forward to 

briefing the committees when the report is completed.
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OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

(Department of Education Organization Act, Section 203)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2024 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority:

Annual Fund 2023 

Appropriation

2024 

Request Change

Personnel Compensation 

and Benefits Costs $104,052 $137,600 +$33,548

Non-Personnel Costs 35,948 40,000 +4,052

Total $140,000 $177,600 +37,600

FTE 571 721 +150 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The mission of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is to ensure equal access to education and to 

promote educational excellence throughout the Nation through vigorous enforcement of civil 

rights laws. This mission is in alignment with the Department’s mission to promote educational 

excellence and ensure equal access. 

OCR ensures that schools and other institutions that receive financial assistance from the 

Department for education programs and activities comply with the Federal civil rights laws 

enacted by Congress. Specifically, OCR fulfills its mission by enforcing six civil rights laws and 

their implementing regulations which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, sex, disability, age, and ensure equal access to school facilities for certain youth groups. 

These laws are:

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., implementing regulation at 

34 C.F.R. Part 100 (prohibiting race, color, and national origin discrimination);

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq., implementing 

regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 (prohibiting sex discrimination);

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, implementing regulation at 

34 C.F.R. Part 104 (prohibiting disability discrimination);

• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 1231 et seq., 

implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. Part 35 (prohibiting disability discrimination by public 

entities, whether or not they receive Federal financial assistance);

• The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. § 6101 et seq., and its implementing 

regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 100 (prohibiting age discrimination); and
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• The Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. § 7905, implementing 

regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 108 (prohibiting public elementary and secondary schools, local 

education agencies, and State education agencies from denying equal access or a fair 

opportunity to meet, or discriminating against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy 

Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed as a patriotic society in Title 36 of the 

United States Code).

The six civil rights laws for which OCR has enforcement responsibility extend to a wide range of 

entities, including: all State educational agencies; local educational agencies; postsecondary 

institutions, including proprietary schools and community colleges; State vocational 

rehabilitation agencies and their sub-recipients; as well as libraries, museums, and correctional 

institutions. Under Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and the Age Discrimination Act, OCR has 

jurisdiction over institutions that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department and 

institutions for which OCR has been delegated authority from other Federal agencies. Under 

Title II, OCR has jurisdiction over public elementary and secondary education systems and 

institutions, public institutions of higher education and vocational education (other than schools 

of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health-related schools), and public libraries, 

regardless of whether these institutions receive Federal financial assistance.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) Footnotes

2019 $125,000 $

2020 130,000

2021 131,000

2022 135,500

2023 140,000

FY 2024 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2024, the Administration requests $177.6 million for OCR, $37.6 million more 

than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. Funds would support a full time equivalent (FTE) level of 

721 and provide resources necessary for OCR to deliver on its statutory and regulatory 

mandates.

• The Personnel Compensation and Benefits (PC&B) request is $137.6 million,

$33.6 million more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The fiscal year 2024 request will 

support PC&B costs for 721 FTE, which includes 13 FTE for centralized FTE costs (e.g., 

human resources support, facilities management). The request also incorporates a 

proposed 5.2 percent pay raise effective January 2024 and projected benefits increases. 

The 150 additional FTE included in this request will assist OCR in fulfilling its mission of 

ensuring that our Nation is a place where all students attend and participate in school free 

from discrimination. While the bulk of the additional FTE will largely staff enforcement 

positions, OCR’s ongoing policy development and commitment to transparency and

improved customer engagement may also necessitate added staffing for OCR’s policy,

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and customer service teams.
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• The Non-Personnel Costs (excluding Departmental Centralized Services) request of 

$10.3 million is $1.6 million more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The largest 

portion of OCR non-personnel funds, $6.2 million, supports the Civil Rights Data 

Collection (CRDC). Other investments include $1.5 million for Case Management 

Modernization, $509,000 for travel, $747,000 for software support to operate OCR’s Case 

and Activity Management System (CAMS), and $345,000 for the Online Discrimination 

Complaint Form and Back-end Database.

• OCR’s fiscal year 2024 request covers its share of the Department’s Centralized Services 

(i.e., overhead) totaling $29.4 million, $2.4 million more than the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. The increase is mostly due to the Enterprise Cybersecurity program 

mandatory requirements and security rent charges.

The chart below shows the funding level by category percentage share of the Fiscal Year

2024 request.

FY 2024 Budget by Category

(dollars in millions)

Total: $177.6 

FTE: 721

*Non-Personnel:

Travel

Communications

Printing

Copier rentals

Training

Supplies

Non-IT equipment/ 

furniture

Technology

PC&B

$137.6 M

77% 

(Includes 

Overtime & 

Awards)

Centralized 

Services

$29.4 M 

17%

*NonPersonnel

$10.3 M 

6%
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Organizational Structure and Staffing 

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2024 Headquarters and Regional Enforcement Office Locations and Staffing

The Office for Civil Rights is headed by an Assistant Secretary who is appointed by the 

President and confirmed by the Senate. The staff in the immediate office of the Assistant 

Secretary include a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, a Deputy Assistant Secretary 

for Policy and Development, a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and 

Outreach, a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs, and a Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Management and Planning. 

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement manages the overall operations of the 

12 regional enforcement offices that are responsible for ensuring that recipients of Federal 

assistance and other covered entities comply with the Federal civil rights laws prohibiting 

discrimination. Most of OCR’s staff members work in the agency’s 12 regional enforcement 

offices. Their main function is to investigate complaints from the public that allege a violation of 

Regional Enforcement Offices: 613 FTE

Headquarters: 108 FTE

Total Staff Level: 721 FTE
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one or more of the statutes that OCR enforces and to determine the compliance status of 

recipients. Time and resources permitting, employees launch proactive investigations of 

recipients, which is described in more detail below under the Personnel Compensation and 

Benefits (PC&B) Costs section. Enforcement staff also monitor recipients’ compliance with 

voluntary resolution agreements. In addition, they develop and provide technical assistance to 

foster greater understanding of the statutes that OCR enforces.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs advises the Assistant Secretary on legal 

matters, supports the policy development and strategic planning activities of OCR, and executes 

assignments on matters of special concern to the Assistant Secretary.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy oversees the Headquarters Program Legal Group 

that provides a range of legal services including developing policy guidance, technical 

assistance materials, consulting on novel cases from the regional enforcement offices, 

regulation development, and helping to ensure that civil rights issues are appropriately 

addressed within the Department’s programs and initiatives and among Federal Agencies. The 

Program Legal Group also has responsibility for administration of the Civil Rights Data 

Collection.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach leads OCR’s strategic 

and operational planning, establishing and maintaining effective collaboration with other 

components of the Department, and ensuring effective outreach and communication between 

OCR and external stakeholders and the public.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Planning oversees the planning, 

development, and implementation of budget, operational, and administrative policies for OCR. 

The Chief of Staff, working on behalf of the Assistant Secretary, coordinates activities related to 

human resources, budget, operations, communications and outreach, and policy development.

OCR consists of a headquarters office located in Washington, DC and 12 regional enforcement 

offices. The regional offices are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Kansas 

City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC (co-located with 

headquarters.)

Personnel Compensation and Benefits (PC&B) Costs

OCR accomplishes its mission primarily by responding to complaints and initiating proactive 

investigations, both of which require significant investments in human capital. Proactive 

investigations include compliance reviews and directed investigations. OCR initiates compliance 

reviews to assess the practices of recipients and determine whether the practices comply with 

civil rights laws and regulations. OCR initiates directed investigations when OCR has 

information that indicates a possible failure to comply with the laws and regulations enforced by 

OCR, the matter warrants attention, and the compliance concern is not currently being 

addressed through OCR’s complaint, compliance review, or technical assistance activities. The 

statutes and implementing regulations enforced by OCR require recipients of Federal financial 

assistance to ensure nondiscrimination in their programs and activities. The regulations require 

OCR “to make a prompt investigation whenever a compliance review, report, complaint, or any 

other information indicates a possible failure to comply” with laws protecting students from 
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discrimination in academic institutions that receive Federal funding. Therefore, PC&B costs 

historically have been the largest component of OCR’s budget and a key factor in OCR’s ability 

to fulfill its mission. 

For the fiscal year 2024 Request, PC&B costs are 77 percent of the request, or $137.6 million, 

$33.6 million more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The 2024 request provides a 5.2

percent pay raise effective January 2024 and supports 721 FTE, 150 more than the fiscal year 

2023 appropriation. Of the 721 FTE, 708 are OCR staff. The remaining 13 FTE cover FTE costs

for the department’s centralized support services (e.g., human resources support, facilities 

management). 

The FTE Usage vs. Complaints Received chart below shows trends in FTE levels and caseload. 

The FTE levels depicted below exclude the 13 FTE OCR funded for the Office of Finance and 

Operations, Human Resources support and Facilities Management services in fiscal years 2021

through 2024 and 1 FTE funded for the Office of General Counsel in fiscal year 2023.

The chart above indicates that OCR’s volume of complaints received has increased significantly 

since 1982 while the FTE levels have decreased considerably in the same period. From fiscal 

year 2012 to fiscal year 2022, OCR’s FTE decreased by 6 percent, from 582 FTE to 546 FTE. 

At the same time, the number of complaints received increased by 140 percent, from 7,833

complaints in fiscal year 2012 to 18,798 in fiscal year 2022, which is the highest number of 

1982 1992 2002 2012 2015 2018 2021 2022 2023* 2024*

FTE 976 848 698 582 540 529 571 546 557 708

Complaints Received 1,840 4,432 5,019 7,833 10,392 12,432 8,684 18,798 10,501 10,501

976

848

698

582 540 529 571 541 557

708

1,840 

4,432 5,019 

7,833 10,392 

12,432 

8,684 

18,798 

10,501 10,501 

 -

 3,000

 6,000

 9,000

 12,000

 15,000

 18,000

 21,000

 24,000

 27,000

 30,000

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Complaints Recieved

FTE Usage

FTE Usage vs Complaints Received

Fiscal Years 1982-2024 (FY 2023 - FY 2024 are estimates*)
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complaints received on record.1 Excluding the thousands of complaints filed by one 

complainant, OCR received 11,459 complaints in fiscal year 2022, an increase of 32 percent

over the fiscal year 2021 total. OCR anticipates receiving 10,501 complaints through fiscal year 

2024, which is a slight decrease from the remaining 11,459 complaints received in fiscal year 

2022. The 150 additional FTE requested for fiscal year 2024 will improve OCR’s ability to 

efficiently respond to the increased volume of complaints anticipated through fiscal year 2024. 

Of the total additional 150 FTE, at least 135 staff will work directly on investigations. OCR’s perinvestigative staff caseload has increased markedly over the last decade. More manageable 

caseloads would enhance OCR’s ability to resolve cases in a timely manner and improve OCR’s 

capacity to engage in directed investigations and compliance reviews. Table A below indicates 

that the average caseload per staff has increased 80 percent; from 20 cases in 2012 to 36

cases in 2022. 

Table A: Caseload per Staff in FY 2012, FY 2021, and FY 2022

Caseload per Staff FY 2012 FY 2021 FY 2022 

Number of Attorneys/Equal Opportunity 

Specialists (excluding managers) 385 334 318

Complaints Received & Proactive Investigations 

Launched 7,839 8,938 11,229

# of cases per staff 20 27 36

As depicted in Table B, based on the projected complaint volume for fiscal year 2024, the 

additional FTE requested would reduce the average caseload per investigative staff from 36 to 

23, which is a more manageable level.

Table B: Impact of Additional FTEs per Investigative Staff Based on 10,501 Cases 

Projected in FY 2024 

Staff Level 2024

Request

Projected number of Attorneys/Equal Opportunity Specialists (excluding 

managers) in FY 2023 328

Increased number of Attorneys/Equal Opportunity Specialists +135

Projected Total for FY 2023 463

# of cases per investigative staff 23

Investing in Enforcement Staff 

1 The 18,798 complaints received in fiscal year 2022 includes 7,399 complaints that were filed by one 

complainant. OCR received 16,720 complaints in fiscal year 2016, which was the previous record high. 

The fiscal year 2016 complaint total includes more than 6,000 complaints filed by a single complainant. 

OCR excludes their complaints from this calculation of caseloads per staff.
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OCR’s enforcement staff is responsible for the following: (1) resolving complaints of 

discrimination; (2) conducting directed investigations and compliance reviews; and (3) providing 

technical assistance to help recipients achieve voluntary compliance with federal civil rights 

laws.

Awards and Overtime

The Administration is requesting $1.3 million for awards and $60,000 for overtime, which is 

$123,000 more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The request will cover mandated 

performance awards for the eligible Senior Executive Service staff and performance-based 

awards for general schedule employees. 

Non-Personnel Costs – Non-Centralized Services

The total request for Non-Personnel activities in fiscal year 2024, excluding Departmental 

Centralized Services, is $10.3 million, $1.6 million more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. 

The requested Non-Personnel funds would provide program support to resolve complaints of 

discrimination filed by the public and ensure that institutions receiving Federal financial 

assistance comply with the civil rights laws enforced by OCR. The fiscal year 2024 request will 

also support the maintenance, monitoring, enhancement, and hosting of OCR’s database 

investments (i.e., CRDC, CAMS and Online Discrimination Complaint Form), as well as a 

comprehensive Case Management Modernization project.

Information Technology (IT) Non-Personnel Costs

Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 

The Administration requests $6.2 million for fiscal year 2024, a decrease of $261,000 from the 

fiscal year 2023 appropriation level. The savings is mainly due to OCR’s decision to return to a 

biennial collection as noted below. The amount requested will be sufficient to support tasks 

related to the CRDC. Specifically, this funding request will support data file creation and 

reporting tasks for the 2021-22 CRDC, and collection activities for the 2023-24 CRDC. This 

request also supports basic operations and maintenance for the collection, and enhancements, 

including enhanced data visualizations, and web hosting for the CRDC reporting website; 

preparation of topic-specific reports on civil rights areas of interest; and execution of key 

research and evaluation tasks. 

OCR administers the CRDC, a mandatory survey of all public school districts and schools that 

receive Federal financial assistance from the Department in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., 

and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition to public schools and districts, long-term 

secure juvenile justice facilities, charter schools, alternative schools, and schools that focus 

primarily on serving students with disabilities must report data to the CRDC. Since 1968, the 

Department has collected civil rights data related to access and barriers to educational 

opportunity from early childhood through grade 12, including student enrollment, access to 

courses, programs and school staff, and school climate factors, such as bullying, harassment 

and student discipline. Most data collected by the CRDC are disaggregated by race, ethnicity, 

sex, disability, and English Learner status.
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Other Department offices and federal agencies also benefit from the valuable data within the 

CRDC to increase awareness around key issues and provide a source of national, state, school 

district, and school-level data. Furthermore, under Section 1111(h)(1)(c)(viii) of the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act 

(ESSA), as of December 31, 2018, state and educational agencies (SEAs) that receive Title I 

funds are required to include certain CRDC data in their state and local report cards. 

Specifically, ESSA requires that SEA and public school district report cards include information 

on measures of school quality, climate, and safety, such as information on: (1) in-school 

suspensions; (2) out-of-school suspensions; (3) expulsions; (4) school-related arrests; (5) 

referrals to law enforcement; (6) incidents of violence, including harassment or bullying; and (7) 

chronic absenteeism. Under ESSA, information must be reported at the state, school district, 

and school levels. 

From December 2021 to April 2022, OCR administered the 2020–21 CRDC, and is currently 

completing post-collection tasks to publicly release the data in 2023. In addition, on August 13, 

2021, OCR announced the administration of the 2021–22 CRDC, marking the first time that 

OCR has conducted a collection, including all public school districts and their schools, for two 

school years in a row—2020–21 and 2021–22. Additionally, the Department plans to resume 

the biennial collection of CRDC data beginning with the 2023-24 school year.

There are several major tasks associated with the administration of the CRDC that would be 

supported by the budget request. Each CRDC collection cycle consists of four major phases: 

I. Planning & Improvement: This phase includes the implementation of high-priority 

enhancements to the submission system, the facilitation of training and support, and the 

preparation and enhancement of technical assistance resources.

II. Pre-Collection: Tasks executed during this phase include defining the CRDC universe of 

schools and LEAs; communicating survey changes and updates to LEAs and the 

general public, including through any information collection request process; and 

implementing submission system enhancements.

III. Collection: This phase includes the collection of data, providing technical support to 

LEAs and SEAs, monitoring system performance and data submissions, and performing 

data file extracts for data quality analysis.

IV. Post-Collection: This phase includes the evaluation of submission system business 

rules, and data quality reviews of the final data.

In addition, the CRDC completes tasks that include Data File Creation and Reporting related 

to the creation of the public- and restricted-use data files, CRDC national and state estimates, 

and informational reports as well as the application of privacy protections to the public-use data 

files. Other major work includes CRDC Research and Evaluation, which includes projects 

related to the improvement of the quality, usability, and administration of the CRDC.

Over the last few CRDC cycles, OCR has used these funds to make substantial improvements 

in both the quality and the usability of the data. For example, OCR has developed analytic 

reports to assist LEAs in reducing errors, used data to improve submission system business 

and validation rules, and boosted support provided to LEAs throughout the collection cycle. 

OCR has also made the data more accessible and user-friendly for the general public, 

researchers, and policymakers. 
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The budget also includes funding for the CRDC Reporting Website (https://ocrdata.ed.gov), 

which hosts the public-use data file, CRDC reports, data analytic tools, and other relevant 

information for stakeholders. Currently, OCR is undergoing modernization efforts to the website, 

which includes updates to the user interface, the modernization of data analytic tools, and the 

inclusion of enhanced data visualizations. The website enhancements are aligned with the

requirements of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, P.L. 116-336, which aim to 

improve the digital experience of those using federal public websites.

Operation and maintenance tasks are needed to sustain the website’s current capabilities, 

including compliance and management. Development, modernization, and enhancements 

improve the capability and performance of the website, including the development of innovative 

data tools and visualization improvements.

The CRDC budget table below provides an overview of the CRDC budget for fiscal years 2022, 

2023, 2024.

SCHOOL 

YEAR ACTIVITY FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024

2020-21 CRDC

2020-21 Data File Creation and Reporting $183,655

2021-22 CRDC

2021-22 Planning and Improvement Phase $1,470,856

2021-22 Pre-collection Phase $920,938

2021-22 Collection Phase $2,262,385

2021-22 Post-collection Phase $1,706,412

2021-22 Data File Creation and Reporting $330,822 $357,288

2023-24 CRDC

2023-24 Planning and Improvement Phase $1,766,978

2023-24 Pre-collection Phase $888,067 $974,042

2023-24 Collection Phase $1,542,028

2023-24 Post-collection Phase $1,779,622

CRDC Research and Evaluation

N/A Data Quality Projects $236,345 $255,253

CRDC Reporting Website

N/A Operation and Maintenance $184,965 $188,479 $192,063

N/A

Development, Modernization, and 

Enhancement $938,312 $1,267,110 $1,023,962

N/A Web Hosting $56,240 $55,115 $54,013

Total CRDC $6,017,351 $6,439,328 $6,178,271

Case Management Modernization (CMM) 

The Administration is requesting $1.5 million for CMM – previously referred to as IT 

Modernization. This is an increase of $1.5 million from the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The 

request will support the modernization of OCR’s complaint management system by addressing 
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the inefficiencies in the current disparate legacy systems, to include the Case and Activity 

Management System (CAMS) and the Online Complaint Form. This request will also provide 

funding to create a single platform solution for complaint filing, tracking, and management that 

will benefit both internal and external users. The funding will cover the development of a 

prototype model and of the final system solution, including software development, systems 

engineering, cloud storage management, as well as data transition from the existing systems to 

the new, one-stop-shop case management solution. 

CAMS was developed in 2002, and the Online Complaint Form was developed in 2003. Since 

then, various patches and short-term fixes have kept the two systems functioning at a basic 

level. The current systems are not synched, and the compliant life-cycle process is not 

seamless from start to finish. The filing of a civil rights complaint is currently inefficient with 

manual processes that include submitting complaint information online, and subsequently 

printing the electronically submitted information to manually upload into CAMS. Generally, end 

users experience CAMS as two separate systems – a case docketing/activity log system and a 

document management system. The system does not have sufficient functionality to operate as 

an official electronic case repository and is currently not accessible for people with disabilities, 

as required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Modernization of OCR’s complaint management system would improve efficiency and 

effectiveness, automate many of the complaint processing activities, provide electronic solutions 

to reduce paper waste, limit cybersecurity risks, and ensure compliance with Section 508.

Moreover, OCR anticipates that the CMM project will yield future cost savings once CAMS and 

the Online Complaint form are retired. 

Case Activity Management System (CAMS)

The Administration requests $747,000 for CAMS, $75,000 more the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. CAMS is an electronic tracking system used to record the status of past, ongoing, 

and upcoming cases and store the documents associated with each case. It uses a combination 

of three software applications: Case Management System, Activity Management System, and 

Open Text Document Management System with Record Management function.

The funding for this project provides for: (a) enhancements to apply business process changes 

and improve the usage of these core applications, (b) compliance with up-to-date departmental 

IT environment, and (c) software subscription services to maintain version upgrades and 

technical phone support on the Open Text products and Matrix Logic add-on modules, and (d) 

server hosting services. OCR continues to enhance these essential applications for critical 

unmet needs identified by CAMS’ core users. The requested increase supports contractual 

increases for operations and maintenance, and enhancements.

Information Technology Services: Support for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for 

Online Complaint Form and Back-End Database Project

The Administration is requesting $345,000, $83,000 less than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation.

Of this request, $278,000 covers two subtasks in support of the maintenance and general web 
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operations contracting task: (a) General O&M to support OCR’s publicly accessible website1

and database; and (b) the OCR Web Based Collection System document upload project that 

allows the public to search for and access OCR enforcement resolution letters and agreements 

entered on or after October 1, 2013. The remaining $67,000 will cover the support required for 

website hosting.

• For subtask (a), O&M covers both the electronic pre-complaint and online complaint forms. 

The pre-complaint form is an online screening process tool that walks potential 

complainants through several considerations prior to their submission of a discrimination 

complaint to OCR. The Online Discrimination Complaint Form is a public facing tool. 

Therefore, OCR will need to invest in cybersecurity measures to manage the risks of cyber 

threats to provide the Online Complaint form process in a non-Cold-Fusion software support 

environment. 

• For subtask (b), the OCR Web Based Collection System document upload project involves 

contracting IT services to upload OCR resolution letters and agreements, policy documents, 

and other information to the OCR website to provide transparency to the public about OCR 

enforcement and compliance activities. 

Non-IT Costs

Travel

The Administration requests a travel budget of $509,000, $131,000 more than the fiscal year

2023 appropriation. The request assumes a return to normal travel post-pandemic. The 

increase will support travel costs associated with the additional 150 FTE. The overwhelming 

majority of OCR’s travel funds are used to investigate complaints. This request will also support 

travel for conducting proactive investigations, providing technical assistance, monitoring 

corrective action plans, and training. OCR often uses video teleconference technology to enable 

communications and conferencing between the enforcement offices and headquarters to reduce 

the need for costly travel.

Printing

The Administration is requesting $5,000 for printing, which is consistent with the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. The request will cover necessary printed items such as pamphlets highlighting 

OCR activities in various languages, reports, fact sheets, business cards, and letterhead.

Training

The Administration requests a training budget of $350,000, $100,000 more than fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. The increase will support training cost associated with the additional 150 FTE.

OCR leadership recognizes its success depends on the quality of its staff across all levels of the 

organization. The request will support the training needs for staff opportunities to participate in 

leadership programs, supervisory training, policy conferences, and continuing legal education to 

1 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html
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fulfill OCR’s mission. OCR will also utilize its professional and technical training online when 

appropriate and cost-effective.

Communications and Equipment Repairs and Maintenance 

The Administration is requesting $11,000 in fiscal year 2024 for communications and equipment 

repairs and maintenance, which equals the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. These funds are 

needed for overnight shipping costs and maintenance of copiers and other equipment.

Other Services

The Administration requests $174,000, in fiscal year 2024 for other services, $50,000 more than 

the fiscal year 2023 appropriation level. The request supports $120,000 for the reimbursement 

of attorneys’ bar dues; $42,000 for translation and interpretation services (i.e., translating 

documents and pamphlets into several languages which is different than the printing of 

documents in different languages); and $12,000 for advertisement and short-term contractual 

services. The increase supports the bar dues for the additional investigative staff.

Goods/Services from the Government

The fiscal year 2024 request includes $336,000, $50,000 more than the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. This request primarily supports $298,000 for legal research. OCR’s legal 

research service contract provides an automated full-text legal information system that offers 

online access to Federal and State case law, statutes of all 50 States, legal publications, and 

law reports. The fiscal year 2024 will cover the annual escalation in the cost per user and the 

licenses for the additional investigative staff.

The request also supports Education publications (ED Pubs) totaling $15,000, and General 

Services Administration-leased vehicles and equipment totaling $23,000.

Supplies

The Administration is requesting $50,000, $10,000 more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. 

The request will cover the costs for general supplies, as well as periodical subscriptions relating 

to law, disabilities, and news.

IT Equipment/ Software

The Administration is requesting $42,000, $20,000 less than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. 

This request supports a contract for an online survey tool that is used to measure customer 

satisfaction with OCR’s complaint process and the effectiveness of technical assistance 

activities.

Departmental Centralized Support – Non-Personnel Costs

Approximately 74 percent of the total Non-Personnel budget request will cover OCR’s share of 

the Department’s centralized services. The request provides $29.4 million for centralized 

services, $2.4 million more than the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. 
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The 2024 request will cover the costs of services such as rent; departmental training; personnel 

security; records information management support services; interagency agreements for 

administrative services provided by other Federal Agencies, such as payroll processing, 

overtime utilities, training coordination and career counseling; IT security; telecommunications; 

computers and related hardware; smartphones; IT processing services; and network support.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

The following chart shows the number of OCR’s complaint receipts and resolutions since fiscal 

year 2012. Actual data are shown for fiscal years 2012-2022, and estimates are shown for fiscal 

years 2023-2024.

Complaint Receipts and Resolutions (FY 2012 – FY 2024)

*Estimate 

In fiscal year 2022, total complaint receipts increased by 10,114 compared to the previous year. 

The significant increase is primarily attributed to an individual that filed nearly 7,500 complaints. 

Through fiscal year 2024, complaint receipts are projected to decrease in comparison with the 

record high level from 2022; they will likely, however, remain above the fiscal year 2021 level 

because the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated preexisting inequities in our nation’s 

schools. These inequities could potentially raise civil rights concerns. OCR also anticipates an 

uptick in complaint receipts as students return to the classrooms.

2012 2015 2018 2021 2022 2023* 2024*

Receipts 7,833 10,392 12,432 8,684 18,798 10,501 10,501

Resolutions 8,163 9,235 14,069 8,036 16,515 10,421 10,421

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

18,000

21,000

24,000

27,000

30,000
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The FY 2022 Complaint Caseload by Jurisdiction pie chart displays the fiscal year 2022 

complaint caseload by jurisdiction. In fiscal year 2022, sex discrimination complaints comprise 

the largest percentage of complaints with OCR, followed by disability discrimination complaints. 

Sex discrimination represents the largest share of complaints primarily due to one complainant 

that filed 7,339 sex discrimination complaints. In general, disability discrimination has historically 

constituted the greatest share of OCR’s complaint caseload.

The following table provides the number of cases received by jurisdiction during the past 

11 years, fiscal years 2012 through 2022. 

Complaint Caseload by Jurisdiction

(Fiscal Years 2012 – 2022) 

Jurisdiction FY 2012 FY 2015 FY 2018 FY 2021 FY 2022 

Race 1,267 1,143 1,368 1,117 1,507 8%

Sex 686 2390 2,773 595 8,595 46%

Disability 3,683 4,052 4,818 3,410 4,567 24%

Age 134 147 97 550 97 1%

Multiple 1,192 1,399 1,800 1,426 1,994 10%

Other 871 1,261 1,576 1,586 2,038 11%

TOTAL 7,833 10,392 12,432 8,684 18,798 100%

Race/National Origin, 

1,507 (8%)

Sex Discrimination, 

8,595 (46%)

Disability,

4,597 (24%)

Age,

97 (1%)

Multiple Allegations, 

1,994 (10%)

Other Complaints, 

2,038 (11%)

FY 2022 Complaints Caseload by Jurisdiction

Total Complaints - 18,798
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, 

program goals, measures, and performance targets and data. Achievement of program results 

is based on the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for the program as well as 

the resources and efforts invested by those served by this program. 

OCR’s GPRA measures are designed to assess the efficiency and accessibility of the complaint 

resolution process. Hiring additional enforcement staff through fiscal year 2024 request should 

have a positive impact on performance. 

Current performance measures for complaint workload:

The first two performance measures below encompass OCR’s entire complaint workload, which 

together hold OCR accountable for efficient case resolution. The first table measures the 

percentage of complaints received within a fiscal year that were resolved within 180 days, while 

the second table measures the percentage of complaints 180 days or older from prior years.

Measure: Percentage of complaints resolved within 180 days.

Fiscal Year Target Actual

2019 80% 92%

2020 80 90

2021 80 87

2022 80 79

2023 80 -

2024 80 -

Measure: Percentage of complaints pending over 180 days.

Fiscal Year Target Actual

2019 < 25% 60%

2020 < 25 61

2021 < 25 50

2022 < 25 54

2023 < 25 -

2024 < 25 -

Additional information: OCR will continue to prioritize the timely processing of complaints (i.e.,

resolution of complaints within 180 days) and expects that it will continue to meet this 

performance measure in fiscal year 2024 for newly filed complaints. The additional requested

FTE are necessary to meet the anticipated growth in complaints in fiscal year 2024 and beyond.
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OCR has not yet met the second performance measure related to the percentage of complaints 

pending over 180 days but has made progress toward meeting this metric in the fiscal year 

2022. OCR continues to strive for quality and timeliness, while upholding its mission to 

vigorously enforce civil rights laws.

Measure: Mean score of customer satisfaction survey.

Fiscal Year Target Actual

2019 3.66 3.60

2020 3.66 3.75

2021 3.66 3.35

2022 3.66 3.46

2023 3.66 -

2024 3.66 -

Additional information: OCR’s third performance measure looks at customer satisfaction, on a 

scale of 1 through 5, through a survey that is distributed to both complainants and recipients 

after case resolution. The survey measures courteous and considerate treatment of 

complainants and recipients by OCR staff; prompt, clear, and responsive communication (oral 

and written); and whether the customer is kept informed about his or her case.