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[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13312-13315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5922]

      

[[Page 13311]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part III

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration

Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
_______________________________________________________________________

School-to-Work Opportunities Act, State Implementation Grants; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 47 / Friday, March 10, 1995 / 
Notices 
[[Page 13312]] 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

School-to-Work Opportunities Act; State Implementation Grants

AGENCIES: Department of Labor and Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed selection criteria and a proposed definition 
of administrative costs for School-to-Work Opportunities State 
Implementation Grants to be made in fiscal year 1995 and succeeding 
years.

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SUMMARY: The Departments of Labor and Education jointly propose 
selection criteria to be used in evaluating applications submitted 
under the School-to-Work Opportunities State Implementation Grant 
(State Implementation Grants) competition in fiscal year (FY) 1995 and 
succeeding years, authorized under section 212 of the School-to-Work 
Opportunities Act of 1994 (the Act). State Implementation Grants will 
enable States to implement their plans for offering young Americans 
access to programs designed to prepare them for a first job in high-
skill, high-wage careers and for further education and training. The 
Departments also propose a definition for administrative costs that 
would apply to State Implementation Grants funded under the Act.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 10, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Janet Moore, National 
School-to-Work Office, 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 210, 
Washington, D.C. 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Janet Moore, National School-to-Work Office (202) 401-3822 (this is not 
a toll-free number). 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Departments of Labor and Education intend to reserve funds 
appropriated for FY 1995 under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 
1994 (the Act) (Pub. L. 103-239) for a competition for State 
Implementation Grants authorized under section 212 of the Act. The 
Departments propose a definition of administrative costs and selection 
criteria that will be used in evaluating applications submitted in 
response to the FY 1995 State Implementation Grant competition. States 
are advised that applications for State Implementation Grants must meet 
all of the requirements in the Act. In addition to applying the 
proposed selection criteria during the review of applications, the 
Departments will evaluate applications utilizing the considerations and 
approval criteria in section 214 of the Act. The Departments intend to 
apply the Department of Labor regulations pertaining to enforcement and 
administrative requirements for grants in 29 CFR parts 33, 93, 95, 96, 
97, 98 to this State Implementation Grant competition.

Proposed Definition and Selection Criteria

    The Departments propose to apply the definition of administrative 
costs and the selection criteria in this notice to the FY 1995 
competition for State Implementation Grants. Unless modified, the 
definition and selection criteria will be used for future State 
Implementation Grants in succeeding fiscal years. The Departments 
solicit comments on the proposed definition and selection criteria, and 
will announce the final definition and selection criteria in a notice 
in the Federal Register after taking into account the responses to this 
notice and other considerations of the Departments.

    Note: This notice of proposed selection criteria does not 
solicit applications. A notice inviting applications for School-to-
Work Opportunities State Implementation Grants will be published in 
the Federal Register concurrent with or immediately following 
publication of the notice of final selection criteria.

Definition

    All definitions in the Act apply to School-to-Work Opportunities 
systems funded under this and future State Implementation Grant 
competitions. The Act does not contain a definition of ``administrative 
costs'' as used in section 217 of the Act. The Departments propose that 
the following definition be applied to this and future competitions for 
State Implementation Grants:
    The term ``administrative costs'' means the activities of a State 
or local partnership that are necessary for the proper and efficient 
performance of its duties under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act 
and that are not directly related to the provision of services to 
participants or otherwise allocable to the program's allowable 
activities listed in section 214(b) (4) and (5) and section 215(c) of 
the Act. Administrative costs may be both personnel and non-personnel, 
and direct and indirect. Costs of administration shall include, but not 
be limited, to:
    A. Costs of salaries, wages, and related costs of the grantee's 
staff engaged in:
     Overall system management, system coordination, and 
general administrative functions;
     Preparing program plans, budgets, and schedules, as well 
as applicable amendments to them;
     Monitoring of local initiatives, pilot projects, 
subrecipients, and related systems and processes;
     Procurement activities, including the award of specific 
subgrants, contracts, and purchase orders;
     Providing State or local officials and the general public 
with information about the initiative (public relations);
     Developing systems and procedures, including management 
information systems, for assuring compliance with the requirements 
under the Act;
     Preparing reports and other documents related to the Act;
     Coordinating the resolution of audit findings;
     Evaluating system results against stated objectives;
     Performing administrative services;
    B. Costs for goods and services required for administration of the 
system;
    C. Costs of system-wide management functions; and
    D. Travel costs incurred for official business in carrying out 
grant management or administrative activities.

Selection Criteria

Selection Criterion 1: Comprehensive Statewide System

    Points: 35.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider:
    A. 20 points. The extent to which the State has designed a 
comprehensive statewide School-to-Work Opportunities plan that----
     Includes effective strategies for integrating school-based 
and work-based learning, integrating academic and vocational education, 
and establishing linkages between secondary and postsecondary 
education;
     Is likely to produce systemic change in the way youth are 
educated and prepared for work and for further education, across all 
geographic areas of the State, including urban and rural 
[[Page 13313]] areas, within a reasonable period of time.
     Includes strategic plans for effectively aligning other 
statewide priorities, such as education reform, economic development, 
and workforce development into a comprehensive system that includes the 
School-to-Work Opportunities system and supports its implementation at 
all levels--State, regional and local;
     Ensures all students will have a range of options, 
including options for higher education, additional training and 
employment in high-skill, high-wage jobs; and
     Ensures coordination and integration with existing local 
education and training programs and resources, including those School-
to-Work Opportunities systems established through local partnership 
grants and Urban/Rural Opportunities grants funded under Title III of 
the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, and related Federal, State, and 
local programs.
    B. 15 points. The extent to which the State plan demonstrates the 
State's capability to achieve the statutory requirements and to 
effectively put in place the system components in Title I of the 
School-to-Work Opportunities Act, including----
     The work-based learning component that includes the 
statutory mandatory activities and that contributes to the 
transformation of workplaces into active learning components of the 
education system through an array of learning experiences, such as 
mentoring, job-shadowing, unpaid work experiences, school-based 
enterprises, and paid work experiences;
     The school-based learning component that will provide 
students with high level academic skills consistent with academic 
standards that the State establishes for all students, including, where 
applicable, standards established under the Goals 2000: Educate America 
Act;
     A connecting activities component to provide a functional 
link between students' school and work activities and employers and 
educators; and
     A plan for an effective process for assessing students' 
skills and issuing portable skill certificates that are benchmarked to 
high quality standards such as those the State establishes under the 
Goals 2000: Educate America Act, and for periodically assessing and 
collecting information on student outcomes, as well as a realistic 
strategy and timetable for implementing the process.

Selection Criterion 2: Commitment of Employers and Other Interested 
Parties

    Points: 15.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider:
     The extent to which the State has obtained the active 
involvement of employers and other interested parties critical to the 
success of the School-to-Work Opportunities system, such as the parties 
listed in section 213(d)(5) of the Act, as well as State legislators.
     Whether the State plan demonstrates an effective and 
convincing strategy for continuing the commitment of employers and 
other interested parties in the statewide system, such as the parties 
listed in section 213(d)(5) of the Act, as well as State legislators.
     The extent to which the State plan proposes to include 
private sector representatives as joint partners with educators in the 
oversight and governance of the overall School-to-Work Opportunities 
system.
     The extent to which the State has developed strategies to 
provide a range of opportunities for employers to participate in the 
design and implementation of the School-to-Work Opportunities system, 
including membership on councils and partnerships; assistance in 
setting standards, designing curricula and determining outcomes; 
providing worksite experience for teachers; helping to recruit other 
employers; and providing worksite learning activities for students, 
such as mentoring, job shadowing, unpaid work experiences, and paid 
work experiences.

Criterion 3: Participation of All Students

    Points: 15.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider:
     The extent to which the State will implement effective 
strategies and systems to ensure that all students have meaningful 
opportunities to participate in School-to-Work Opportunities programs.
     Whether the plan identifies potential barriers to the 
participation of any students, and the degree to which the plan 
proposes effective ways of overcoming these barriers.
     The degree to which the State has developed realistic 
goals and methods for assisting young women to participate in School-
to-Work Opportunities programs leading to employment in high-
performance, high-paying jobs, including nontraditional jobs.
     The feasibility and effectiveness of the State's strategy 
for serving students from rural communities with low population 
densities.
     The State's methods for ensuring safe and healthy work 
environments for students.

    Note: Experience with the FY 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities 
State Implementation grant applications has shown that many 
applicants do not give adequate attention to designing programs that 
will serve school dropouts and programs that will serve students 
with disabilities. Therefore, the Departments would like to remind 
applicants that reviewers will consider whether an application 
includes strategies to specifically identify the barriers to 
participation of dropouts and students with disabilities and 
proposes specific methods for effectively overcoming such barriers 
and for integrating academic and vocational learning, integrating 
work-based learning and school-based learning, and linking secondary 
and postsecondary education for dropouts and students with 
disabilities. Applicants are reminded that JTPA Title II funds may 
be used to design and provide services to students who meet the 
appropriate JTPA eligibility criteria.

Selection Criteria 4: Stimulating and Supporting Local School-to-Work 
Opportunities Systems

    Points: 15.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider:
     The extent to which the State assists local entities to 
form and sustain effective local partnerships serving communities in 
all parts of the State.
     Whether the plan includes an effective strategy for 
addressing the specific labor market needs of localities that will be 
implementing School-to-Work systems.
     The effectiveness of the State's strategy for building the 
capacity of local partnerships to design and implement local School-to-
Work Opportunities systems that meet the requirements of the School-to-
Work Opportunities Act.
     The extent to which the State will provide a variety of 
assistance to local partnerships, as well as the effectiveness of the 
strategies proposed for providing this assistance, including such 
services as: developing model curricula and innovative instructional 
methodologies, expanding and improving career and academic counseling 
services, and assistance in the use of technology-based instructional 
techniques.
     The ability of the State to provide constructive 
assistance to local partnerships in identifying critical and emerging 
industries and occupational clusters.

Selection Criterion 5: Resources

    Points: 10.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider: [[Page 13314]] 
     The amount and variety of other Federal, State, and local 
resources the State will commit to implementing its School-to-Work 
Opportunities plan, as well as the specific use of these funds, 
including funds for JTPA Summer and Year-Round Youth programs and 
Perkins Act programs.
     The feasibility and effectiveness of the State's long-term 
strategy for using other resources, including private sector resources, 
to maintain the statewide system when Federal resources under the 
School-to-Work Opportunities Act are no longer available.
     The extent to which the State is able to limit 
administrative costs in order to maximize the funds spent on the 
delivery of services to students, as required in section 214(b)(3) of 
the Act, while ensuring the efficient administration of the School-to-
Work Opportunities system.

Criterion 6: Management Plan

    Points: 10.
    Considerations: In applying this criterion, reviewers will 
consider:
     The adequacy of the management structure that the State 
purposes for the School-to-Work Opportunities system.
     The extent to which the State's management plan 
anticipates barriers to implementation and proposes effective methods 
for addressing barriers as they arise.
     Whether the plan includes feasible measurable goals for 
the School-to-Work-Opportunities system, based on performance outcomes 
established under section 402 of the Act, and an effective method for 
collecting information relevant to the State's progress in meeting its 
goals.
     Whether the plan includes a regulatory scheduled process 
for improving or redesigning the School-to-Work Opportunities 
implementation system based on performance outcomes as established 
under section 402 of the Act.
     Whether the plan includes a feasible workplan for the 
School-to-Work Opportunities system that includes major planned 
objectives over a five-year period.

Additional Priority Points

    As required by section 214 of the Act, the Departments will give 
priority to applications that show the highest level of concurrence 
among State partners with the State plan, and to applications that 
require paid, high quality work-based learning experiences as an 
integral part of the School-to-Work Opportunities system by assigning 
additional points--above the 100 points described in the criteria--as 
follows:

1. Highest Levels of Concurrence--5 Points

    Up to 5 points will be awarded to applications that can--
     Fully demonstrate that each of the State partners listed 
in section 213(b)(4) concurs with the State School-to-work 
Opportunities plan, and that the State partners' concurrence is backed 
by a commitment of time and resources to implement the plan.

2. Paid, High-Quality Work-Based Learning--10 Points

    Up to 10 points will be awarded to applications that demonstrate 
that the State--
     Has developed effective plans for requiring, to the 
maximum extent feasible, paid, high-quality work experience as an 
integral part of the State's School-to-Work Opportunities system, and 
for offering the paid, high-quality work experiences to the largest 
number of participating students as is feasible; and
     Has established methods for ensuring consistently high 
quality work-based learning experiences across the State.
    Invitation to Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments on the proposed selection criteria and the proposed definition 
of administrative costs contained in this notice. Interested persons 
are also invited to comment on the Departments' proposal that States be 
required to submit their applications for new State Implementation 
Grant awards within 30 days of the publication of a notice of final 
selection criteria. The Departments recognize that for the FY 1994 
State Implementation Grant competition they provided applicants with 60 
days in which to submit their applications following the publication of 
the notice of final selection criteria and priorities.
    However, the selection criteria proposed for the FY 1995 State 
Implementation Grant competition are very similar to those that applied 
to the FY 1994 competition and the States have been actively engaged in 
the planning of their School-to-work Opportunities systems with State 
Development Grant funds since initial development grants were awarded 
in early 1994. Accordingly, and in the interest of designing an 
application submission and review process that enables the Departments 
to make FY 1995 awards in as timely a fashion as possible, the 
Departments propose to provide States with 30 days in which to submit 
their applications for new FY 1995 State Implementation Grants.
    Finally, under section 213(a)(2) of the Act, where a Governor has 
been unable, in accordance with section 213(d)(4) of the Act, to obtain 
support for the State plan from all of the individuals and entities 
listed in 213(b)(4) (A) through (J), the Governor must provide those 
non-concurring individuals and entities with a copy of the State's 
final application and provide those individuals and entities with 30 
days in which to submit their comments on that application. Under 
section 213(a)(2)(C) of the Act, the governor must include any such 
comments in the State's application. In order to adhere to these 
statutory requirements while providing the same application submission 
deadlines and ensuring timely application reviews for all States, the 
Departments propose that a State submit its final application 
simultaneously to the Departments and to any of the individuals and 
entities listed in section 213(b)(4) (A) through (J) who must be given 
an opportunity to comment under section 213(a)(2). Any comments 
received as a result of this opportunity will be provided to the 
Departments immediately upon receipt of those comments by the State, 
but no later than 30 days after the request for comments is made by the 
Governor under section 213(a)(2)(B). Once all such comments have been 
received, applications will be considered to be complete.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available 
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in the 
National School-to-Work Office, 400 Virginia Avenue SW., Suit 210, 
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday of each week, except Federal holidays.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 29 CFR Part 17. The objective of the 
Executive Order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a 
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Departments' specific plans and actions for 
this program.

    Applicable Regulations: 29 CFR parts 33, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98.

    [[Page 13315]] Dated: March 7, 1995.
Doug Ross,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Department of Labor.
Augusta Kappner,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, Department of 
Education.
[FR Doc. 95-5922 Filed 3-9-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M
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