[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3315-3316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1505]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Submission of Data by State Educational Agencies

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of dates of submission of State revenue and expenditure 
reports for fiscal year 1997 and of revisions to those reports.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education announces dates for the submission 
by State educational agencies (SEAs) of expenditure and revenue data 
and average daily attendance statistics on ED Form 2447 (the National 
Public Education Financial Survey) for fiscal year (FY) 1997. The 
Secretary sets these dates to ensure that data are available to serve 
as the basis for timely distribution of Federal funds. The U.S. Bureau 
of the Census is the data collection agent for the Department's 
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The data will be 
published by NCES and will be used by the Secretary in the calculation 
of allocations for FY 1999 appropriated funds.

DATES: The date on which submissions will first be accepted is March 
15, 1998. The mandatory deadline for the final submission of all data, 
including any revisions to previously submitted data, is September 8, 
1998.

ADDRESSES: SEAs may mail ED Form 2447 to: Bureau of the Census, 
ATTENTION: Governments Division, Washington, DC 20233-6800.
    Alternatively, SEAs may hand deliver submissions to: Governments 
Division, Bureau of the Census, 8905 Presidential Parkway, Washington 
Plaza II, Room 508, Upper Marlboro, MD, by 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday 
through Friday.
    If an SEA's submission is received by the Bureau of the Census 
after September 8, in order for the submission to be accepted, the SEA 
must show one of the following as proof that the submission was mailed 
on or before the mandatory deadline date:
    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.
    If the SEA mails ED Form 2447 through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Secretary does 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.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, an SEA should check with 
its local post office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Lawrence R. MacDonald, Chief, 
Bureau of the Census, ATTENTION: Governments Division, Washington, DC 
20233-6800. Telephone: (301) 457-1574. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to: Frank Johnson, National Center for Education 
Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., 
Room 410E, Washington, DC 20208-5651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of section 404(a) of the 
National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9003(a)), which 
authorizes NCES to gather data on the financing of education, NCES 
collects data annually from SEAs through ED Form 2447. The report from 
SEAs includes attendance, revenue, and expenditure data from which NCES 
determines the average State per pupil expenditure (SPPE) for 
elementary and secondary education.
    In addition to using the SPPE data as useful information on the 
financing of elementary and secondary education, the Secretary uses 
these data directly in calculating allocations for certain formula 
grant programs, including Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America's Schools 
Act of 1994 (Title I), Impact Aid, and Indian Education. Other programs 
such as the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Technology Literacy 
Challenge Fund, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program 
under Title VII of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program, and the Safe and 
Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program make use of SPPE data 
indirectly because their formulas are based, in whole or in part, on 
State Title I allocations.
    In January 1998, the Bureau of the Census, acting as the data 
collection agent for NCES, will mail to SEAs ED Form 2447 with 
instructions and request that SEAs submit data to the Bureau of the 
Census on March 15, 1998, or as soon as possible thereafter. SEAs are 
urged to submit accurate and complete data on March 15, or as soon as 
possible thereafter, to facilitate timely processing. Submissions by 
SEAs to the Bureau of the Census will be checked for accuracy and 
returned to each SEA for verification.
    Having accurate information, on time, is critical to an efficient 
and fair allocation process, as well as the NCES statistical process. 
To ensure timely distribution of Federal education funds based on the 
best, most accurate data available, NCES establishes, for allocation 
purposes, September 8, 1998,

[[Page 3316]]

as the final date by which ED Form 2447 must be submitted. However, if 
an SEA submits revised data after the final deadline that results in a 
lower SPPE figure, its allocations may be adjusted downward or the 
Department may request the SEA to return funds. SEAs should be aware 
that all of these data are subject to audit and that, if any 
inaccuracies are discovered in the audit process, the Department may 
seek recovery of overpayments for the applicable programs. If an SEA 
submits revised data after September 8, the data may also be too late 
to be included in the final NCES published dataset.

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9003(a).

    Dated: January 15, 1998.
Ricky T. Takai,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 98-1505 Filed 1-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P