[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 22 (Thursday, February 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8191-8193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02351]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2021; Small, Rural School 
Achievement Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, 
Assistance Listing Number 84.358A, the U.S. Department of Education 
(Department) awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local 
educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school 
districts. In this notice, we establish the deadline and describe the 
submission procedures for fiscal year (FY) 2021 SRSA grant 
applications. This notice relates to the approved information 
collection under OMB control number 1810-0646.
    All LEAs eligible for FY 2021 SRSA funds must submit an application 
electronically via the process described in this notice by the deadline 
in this notice.

DATES: Applications Available: February 10, 2021.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 16, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Hitchcock, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E-218, Washington, DC 
20202. Telephone: (202) 401-0039. Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#deacbbbfae9ebbbaf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d6a4b3b7a696b3b2f8b1b9a0">[email protected]</span></a>.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Award Information

    Type of Award: Formula grant.
    Available Funds: $93,920,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $0-$60,000.

    Note:  Depending on the number of eligible LEAs identified in a 
given year and the amount appropriated by Congress for the program, 
some eligible LEAs may receive an SRSA allocation of $0 under the 
statutory funding formula.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 4,200.

[[Page 8192]]

II. Program Authority and Eligibility Information

    Under what statutory authority will FY 2021 SRSA grant awards be 
made?
    The FY 2021 SRSA grant awards will be made under title V, part B, 
subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (ESEA).
    Which LEAs are eligible for an award under the SRSA program?
    For FY 2021, an LEA (including a public charter school that meets 
the definition of LEA in section 8101(30) of the ESEA) is eligible for 
an award under the SRSA program if it meets both the criteria below:
    (a) The total number of students in average daily attendance at all 
of the schools served by the LEA is fewer than 600; or each county in 
which a school served by the LEA is located has a total population 
density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile; and
    (b) All of the schools served by the LEA are designated with a 
school locale code of 41, 42, or 43 by the Department's National Center 
for Education Statistics (NCES) or the Secretary has determined, based 
on a demonstration by the LEA and concurrence of the State educational 
agency, that the LEA is located in an area defined as rural by a 
governmental agency of the State.
    The Department provides an eligibility spreadsheet containing each 
LEA eligible for FY 2021 SRSA grant funds, which is available on the 
Department's website at: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/small-rural-school-achievement-program/.
    If an LEA on the Department's list of LEAs eligible to receive an 
FY 2021 SRSA award will close prior to the 2021-2022 school year, that 
LEA is no longer eligible to receive an FY 2021 SRSA award and should 
not apply.

    Note: The ``Choice of Participation'' provision under section 
5225 of the ESEA gives an LEA eligible for both SRSA and the Rural 
and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized under title V, part 
B, subpart 2 of the ESEA the option to participate in either the 
SRSA program or the RLIS program. An LEA eligible for both SRSA and 
RLIS is henceforth referred to as a ``dual-eligible LEA.''

    Which eligible LEAs must submit an application to receive an FY 
2021 SRSA grant award?
    Under 34 CFR 75.104(a), the Secretary makes a grant only to an 
eligible entity that submits an application.
    In FY 2021, each LEA eligible to receive an SRSA award is required 
to submit an SRSA application in order to receive SRSA funds, 
regardless of whether the LEA received an award or submitted an 
application in any previous year. This includes each dual-eligible LEA 
that chooses to participate in the SRSA program instead of the RLIS 
program, and each SRSA-eligible LEA that is a member of an educational 
service agency (ESA) that does not receive SRSA funds on the LEA's 
behalf. In the case of an SRSA-eligible LEA that is a member of an 
SRSA-eligible ESA, the LEA and ESA must coordinate directly with each 
other to determine which entity will submit an SRSA application on the 
LEA's behalf, as both entities may not apply for or receive SRSA funds 
for the LEA. Additionally, pursuant to section 5225 of the ESEA, a 
dual-eligible LEA that applies for SRSA funds in accordance with these 
application submission procedures will not be considered for an RLIS 
award.
    As a reminder, each applicant must apply with its own unique Data 
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. We also note that a separate 
application must be submitted for each eligible LEA. For example, if a 
rural community has two distinct LEAs--one composed of its elementary 
school(s) and one composed of its high school(s)--each distinct LEA 
would have to submit its own SRSA application with the LEA's own unique 
DUNS number.
    An LEA eligible to receive FY 2021 SRSA funds that fails to submit 
an FY 2021 SRSA application in accordance with the application and 
submission information below is at risk of not receiving an FY 2021 
SRSA award. Such an LEA may receive an award only to the extent funds 
become available after awards are made to all eligible LEAs that 
complied with the application procedures.

III. Application and Submission Information

    Electronic Submission of Applications Using Max.gov:
    The Department will send each LEA eligible for FY 2021 SRSA grant 
funds an email with a uniquely identifiable application link on 
February 10, 2021. The email will include customized instructions for 
completing the electronic application via the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) Max Survey platform.
    An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via OMB Max 
Survey by April 16, 2021, to be assured of receiving an FY 2021 SRSA 
grant award. The Department may consider applications submitted after 
the deadline to the extent practicable and contingent upon the 
availability of funding.
    Please note the following:
    <bullet> We estimate that it will take 30 minutes to submit an 
application. However, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until 
the application deadline date to begin the application process.
    <bullet> To better ensure applications are processed in a more 
timely, accurate, and efficient manner, if an LEA has not submitted an 
application by March 1, 2021, we will send the LEA a reminder email to 
submit its application.
    <bullet> An application received by OMB Max Survey is date and time 
stamped upon submission and an applicant will receive a confirmation 
email after the application is submitted.
    <bullet> Once an application is submitted via OMB Max Survey, the 
applicant must contact the REAP program staff at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4d3f282c3d0d2829632a223b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="087a6d6978486d6c266f677e">[email protected]</span></a> to update 
any information in the application if necessary.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
With OMB Max Survey:
    If you are unable to submit an application by April 16, 2021 
because of problems with OMB Max Survey, contact the REAP program staff 
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#23514642536346470d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d0a2b5b1a090b5b4feb7bfa6">[email protected]</span></a> within five business days and provide an explanation of 
the technical problem you experienced. We will accept your late 
application as having met the deadline if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the OMB Max Survey system and that the 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by the 
application deadline date. As noted above, if you submit your 
application after the deadine and the late submission is not due to a 
technical issue about which you have notified the REAP program staff, 
the Department may consider your application to the extent practicable 
and contingent upon the availability of funding.

IV. Other Procedural Requirements

    System for Award Management:
    To do business with the Department, you must register in the System 
for Award Management (SAM), the Government's primary registrant 
database, using the following information:
    a. DUNS number.
    b. Legal business name.
    c. Physical address from your Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) record.
    d. Taxpayer identification number (TIN).
    e. Taxpayer name associated with your TIN.
    f. Bank information to set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 
(i.e.,

[[Page 8193]]

routing number, account number, and account type (checking/savings)).
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be created within one to two 
business days. Entities must have an active DUNS registration 
throughout the grant performance period in SAM.
    Information about SAM is available at: www.SAM.gov. For further 
information on obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, please refer to SAM's Non-
Federal User Guide: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/SAM_Non_Federal_User_Guide.pdf.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. 
Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial 
assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow 
sufficient time to register with SAM.
    If you are currently registered with SAM, you may need to update 
your DUNS registration. Please make certain that the TIN associated 
with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to 
update your DUNS registration if it has expired or will expire prior to 
when you expect to receive a SRSA award. A DUNS number will expire 
every 12 months after it has been updated.
    You can check your DUNS registration status by using the SAM Status 
Tracker at: https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/samStatusTracker.jsf. 
Updating your DUNS may take three or more business days.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency (including an LEA), 
institution, or organization, you can find your taxpayer name and TIN 
in tax documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (such as a 
1099 or W-2 form) or obtain one from the IRS.

V. Acessibility Information and Program Authority

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an 
accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an 
accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text 
format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at: https://www.govinfo.gov/. At this site you can 
view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department 
published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format 
(PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.
    Program Authority: Sections 5211-5212 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7345-
7345a.

Mark Washington,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 2021-02351 Filed 2-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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