Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 140 /Wednesday, July 22, 1998 / Notices 39281

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

Request by an individual to determine

if DNFSB–7 contains information about

him/her should be directed to the

Privacy Act Officer, Defense Nuclear

Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana

Avenue, NW., Suite 700, Washington,

DC 20004–2901. Required identifying

information: Complete name, social

security number, and date of birth.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURE:

Same as Notification procedure above,

except individual must show official

photo identification, such as driver’s

license, passport, or government

identification before viewing records.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURE:

Same as Record Access procedure.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Subject individuals.

SYSTEM EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS

OF THE ACT:

None.

Dated: July 16, 1998.

John T. Conway,

Chairman.

[FR Doc. 98–19461 Filed 7–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3670–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.282A]

Public Charter Schools Program

(PCSP); Notice Inviting Applications

for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY)

1998

Purpose of Program: A major purpose

of the Public Charter Schools grant

program is to increase understanding of

the charter schools model by providing

financial assistance for the design and

initial implementation of charter

schools.

Who May Apply: (a) State educational

agencies (SEAs) in States with laws

authorizing the establishment of charter

schools. The Secretary awards grants to

SEAs to enable them to conduct charter

schools programs in their States. SEAs

use their PCSP funds to award subgrants

to ‘‘eligible applicants,’’ as defined in

this notice, for planning, program

design, and initial implementation of a

charter school.

(b) Under certain circumstances, an

authorized public chartering agency

participating in a partnership with a

charter school developer. Such a

partnership is eligible to receive funding

directly from the U.S. Department of

Education if—

(1) The SEA in its State elects not to

participate in this program; or

(2) The SEA in its State does not have

an application approved under this

program.

If an SEA’s application is approved in

this competition, applications received

from non-SEA eligible applicants in that

State will be returned to the applicants.

In such a case, the eligible applicant

should contact the SEA for information

related to its subgrant competition.

Note: The following States currently have

approved applications under this program:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,

Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana,

Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New

Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania,

Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and

Wisconsin. In these States, only the SEA is

eligible to receive an award under this

competition. Eligible applicants in these

States should contact their respective SEAs

for information about participation in the

State’s charter school subgrant program.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: August 20, 1998.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

review: September 21, 1998.

Applications Available: July 22, 1998.

Available Funds: $55,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

State educational agencies: $250,000–

$5,000,000 per year.

Other eligible applicants: $25,000–

$150,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

State educational agencies: $3,000,000

per year.

Other eligible applicants: $75,000 per

year.

Estimated Number of Awards:

State educational agencies: 10–15.

Other eligible applicants: 5–10.

Note: These estimates are projections for

the guidance of potential applicants. The

Department is not bound by any estimates in

this notice.

Project Period: State educational

agencies: Up to 36 months. Other

eligible applicants: Up to 36 months.

Note: Grants awarded by the Secretary

directly to non-SEA eligible applicants or

subgrants awarded by SEAs to eligible

applicants will be awarded for a period of up

to 36 months, of which the eligible applicant

may use—

(a) Not more than 18 months for

planning and program design; and

(b) Not more than two years for the

initial implementation of a charter

school.

Applicable Regulations and Statute:

The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR Parts 75 (except § 75.210), 77,

79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86. Title X, Part

C, Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C.

§ 8061–8067.

Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)

the Secretary is particularly interested

in applications that meet the following

invitational priority. However, an

application that meets this invitational

priority does not receive absolute or

competitive preference over

applications that do not meet the

priority:

Invitational Priority—Empowerment

Zones and Enterprise Communities

Projects that address linkages between

charter school initiatives and

comprehensive educational

improvement strategies undertaken in

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities designated by the

Departments of Agriculture or Housing

and Urban Development.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of

wider education reform efforts to

strengthen teaching and learning,

charter schools can be an innovative

approach to improving public education

and expanding public school choice.

While there is no one model, public

charter schools are exempted from most

statutory and regulatory requirements in

exchange for performance-based

accountability. They are intended to

stimulate the creativity and

commitment of teachers, parents,

students, and citizens and contribute to

better student academic achievement.

Information regarding the required

contents of applications, diversity of

projects, and waivers are provided in

the application package for this

program.

The following definitions, selection

criteria, and allowable activities are

taken from the Public Charter Schools

statute, in Title X, Part C, of the

Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965, as amended. They are

being repeated in this application notice

for the convenience of the applicant.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to

this program:

(a) Charter school means a public

school that—

(1) In accordance with an enabling

State statute, is exempted from

significant State or local rules that

inhibit the flexible operation and

management of public schools, but not

from any rules relating to the other

requirements of this definition;

(2) Is created by a developer as a

public school, or is adapted by a

developer from an existing public

school, and is operated under public

supervision and direction;

(3) Operates in pursuit of a specific

set of educational objectives determined

by the school’s developer and agreed to
39282 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 140 /Wednesday, July 22, 1998 / Notices

by the authorized public chartering

agency;

(4) Provides a program of elementary

or secondary education, or both;

(5) Is nonsectarian in its programs,

admissions policies, employment

practices, and all other operations, and

is not affiliated with a sectarian school

or religious institution;

(6) Does not charge tuition;

(7) Complies with the Age

Discrimination Act of 1975, title VI of

the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of

the Education Amendments of 1972,

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of

1973, and part B of the Individuals With

Disabilities Education Act;

(8) Admits students on the basis of a

lottery, if more students apply for

admission than can be accommodated;

(9) Agrees to comply with the same

Federal and State audit requirements as

do other elementary and secondary

schools in the State, unless the

requirements are specifically waived for

the purposes of this program;

(10) Meets all applicable Federal,

State, and local health and safety

requirements; and

(11) Operates in accordance with

State law.

(b) Developer means an individual or

group of individuals (including a public

or private nonprofit organization),

which may include teachers,

administrators and other school staff,

parents, or other members of the local

community in which a charter school

project will be carried out.

(c) Eligible applicant means an

authorized public chartering agency

participating in a partnership with a

developer to establish a charter school

in accordance with this program.

(d) Authorized public chartering

agency means a State educational

agency, local educational agency, or

other public entity that has the authority

under State law and is approved by the

Secretary to authorize or approve a

charter school.

Selection Criteria for SEAs

The maximum possible score for all of

the criteria in this section is 100 points.

The maximum possible score for each

criterion is indicated in parentheses

following each criterion. In evaluating

an application from an SEA, the

Secretary considers the following

criteria:

(a) The contribution that the charter

schools grant program will make in

assisting educationally disadvantaged

and other students to achieve State

content standards, State student

performance standards, and, in general,

a State’s education improvement plan

(20 points).

(b) The degree of flexibility afforded

by the SEA to charter schools under the

State’s charter schools law (20 points).

(c) The ambitiousness of the

objectives for the State charter schools

grant program (20 points).

(d) The quality of the strategy for

assessing achievement of those

objectives (20 points).

(e) The likelihood that the charter

schools grant program will meet those

objectives and improve educational

results for students (20 points).

Selection Criteria for Non-SEA Eligible

Applicants

The maximum possible score for all of

the criteria in this section is 120 points.

The maximum possible score for each

criterion is indicated in parentheses

following each criterion. In evaluating

an application from an eligible

applicant other than an SEA the

Secretary considers the following

criteria:

(a) The quality of the proposed

curriculum and instructional practices

(20 points).

(b) The degree of flexibility afforded

by the SEA and, if applicable, the local

educational agency to the charter school

(20 points).

(c) The extent of community support

for the application (20 points).

(d) The ambitiousness of the

objectives for the charter school (20

points).

(e) The quality of the strategy for

assessing achievement of those

objectives (20 points).

(f) The likelihood that the charter

school will meet those objectives and

improve educational results for students

(20 points).

Allowable Activities

An eligible applicant receiving a grant

or subgrant under this program may use

the grant or subgrant funds for only—

(a) Post-award planning and design of

the educational program, which may

include—

(1) Refinement of the desired

educational results and of the methods

for measuring progress toward achieving

those results; and

(2) Professional development of

teachers and other staff who will work

in the charter school; and

(b) Initial implementation of the

charter school, which may include—

(1) Informing the community about

the school;

(2) Acquiring necessary equipment

and educational materials and supplies;

(3) Acquiring or developing

curriculum materials; and

(4) Other initial operating costs that

cannot be met from State or local

sources.

For Applications or Information

Contact: John Fiegel, U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue,

SW, Room 4512, Portals Building,

Washington, DC 20202–6140.

Telephone (202) 260–2671. Internet

address: JohnlFiegel@ed.gov.

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 document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) upon

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph. Individuals

with disabilities may obtain a copy of

the application package in an alternate

format, also, by contacting that person.

However, the Department is not able to

reproduce in an alternate format the

standard forms included in the

application package.

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.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8061–8067.

Dated: July 17, 1998.

Gerald N. Tirozzi,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and

Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 98–19548 Filed 7–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P