19814 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 76 / Thursday, April 20, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive

School Grants; Bilingual Education:

Systemwide Improvement Grants; and

Bilingual Education: Program

Enhancement Grants

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priorities for

fiscal year (FY) 1995.

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces

priorities for FY 1995 under the

following programs authorized by title

VII of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act, as amended (the Act): (1)

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive

School Grants, (2) Bilingual Education:

Systemwide Improvement Grants, and

(3) Bilingual Education: Program

Enhancement Grants. The Secretary

takes this action to focus Federal

financial assistance on an identified

national need. These priorities provide

for a competitive preference to be given

to projects providing program services

in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise

Community designated under section

1391 of the Internal Revenue Code, as

amended by title XIII of the Omnibus

Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take

effect on May 22, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harry Logel, U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue,

SW., Room 5090, Switzer Building,

Washington, D.C. 20202. Telephone:

(202) 205-5530. 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: This

notice contains priorities under the

following programs:

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive School

Grants.

Bilingual Education: Systemwide

Improvement Grants.

Bilingual Education: Program Enhancement

Grants.

The purpose of each program is stated

separately under the title of that

program in a later section of this notice.

Funding of particular projects

depends on the availability of funds and

the quality of the applications received.

Note: This notice of final priorities does

not solicit applications. Notices inviting

applications under these competitions are

published separately in this issue of the

Federal Register.

Background

The Empowerment Zone and

Enterprise Community program is a

critical element of the Administration’s

community revitalization strategy. The

program is a first step in rebuilding

communities in America’s povertystricken inner cities and rural

heartlands. It is designed to empower

people and communities by inspiring

Americans to work together to create

jobs and opportunity.

Under this program, the Federal

Government has designated certain

areas as Empowerment Zones and as

Enterprise Communities in accordance

with Internal Revenue Code (IRC)

section 1391, as amended by title XIII of

the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-66). Each of these

areas was nominated by one or more

local governments and the State or

States in which it is located or by a

State-Chartered Economic Development

Corporation. The selected areas are

characterized by pervasive poverty,

unemployment, and general distress,

and have a poverty rate of not less than

the level specified in section 1392 of the

IRC.

Interested individuals may contact the

Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) at 1-800-998-9999

for additional information on the

Empowerment Zone and Enterprise

Community program. A listing of areas

that have been selected as

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities is included as an

appendix to this notice.

In the Empowerment Zone and

Enterprise Community program,

communities submitted strategic plans

that comprehensively address how the

community would link economic

development with education and

training as well as how community

development, public safety, human

services, and environmental initiatives

together would support sustainable

communities. Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities were

designated by the Department of

Agriculture and HUD based on the

quality of their strategic plans.

Designated areas will receive Federal

grant funds and substantial tax benefits

and will have access to other Federal

programs.

The Department of Education is

supporting the Empowerment Zone and

Enterprise Community initiative in a

variety of ways. It is encouraging

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities to use funds they already

receive from Department of Education

programs (including Title I of the

Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965 as amended, the Drug-Free

Schools and Community Act, the Adult

Education Act, and the Carl D. Perkins

Vocational and Applied Technology

Education Act) to support the

comprehensive vision of their strategic

plans. In addition, the Department of

Education intends to give preferences to

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities in a number of

discretionary grant programs that are

well-suited for inclusion in a

comprehensive approach to economic

and community development. In

addition to the Bilingual Education:

Comprehensive School Grants program,

the Bilingual Education: Systemwide

Improvement Grants program, and the

Bilingual Education: Program

Enhancement Grants program, the

Department intends to give preferences

to Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities in the Urban Community

Service program, the Parent Training

program and Early Childhood Education

program under the Individuals With

Disabilities Education Act, and a variety

of discretionary programs under the

Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965, as amended.

Relationship of the Program

Enhancement Grants Program, the

Comprehensive School Grants Program,

and the Systemwide Improvement

Grants Program to the Empowerment

Zone or Enterprise Community

Program

These Bilingual Education programs

provide grants to assist local

educational agencies (LEAs), LEAs in

collaboration with other entities,

institutions of higher education (IHEs),

and community-based organizations

(CBOs) to develop and enhance their

capacity to provide high-quality

instruction through bilingual education

or special alternative instruction

programs to limited English proficient

(LEP) children and youth. These

programs are intended to help LEP

children and youth to develop

proficiency in English and, to the extent

possible, their native language and to

meet the same challenging academic

State standards set for all children and

youth.

These Bilingual Education programs

are ideally suited to play a key role in

the Empowerment Zone and Enterprise

Community program because of the high

concentration of LEP children and

youth in low-income areas. By

improving the quality of education

provided to LEP children and youth,

these programs enhance their economic

opportunities and contribute to the

improvement of our communities.

Communities designated as

Empowerment Zones or Enterprise

Communities already have

demonstrated a capacity for the type of

cooperative planning that is critical to
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 76 / Thursday, April 20, 1995 / Notices 19815

developing and maintaining successful

educational systems. Projects funded

under these programs will provide

models for educational systems in other

distressed areas.

In addition, these Bilingual Education

programs provide a vehicle for

achieving the National Education Goal

that by the year 2000 every adult

American will be literate and will

possess the knowledge and skills

necessary to compete in a global

economy and exercise the rights and

responsibilities of citizenship. These

programs help further this goal by

encouraging programs that help LEP

children and youth become proficient in

English and meet the same high

academic State standards set for all

children and youth.

Accordingly, the Secretary has

determined that it would serve the

purposes of the three programs in this

notice to award a competitive

preference to applications that propose

projects that serve these Empowerment

Zones and Enterprise Communities.

Bilingual Education: Program

Enhancement Grants

Purpose of Program

Under section 7113 of the Act, the

purpose of the program is to assist (1)

LEAs, (2) LEAs in collaboration with

IHEs, CBOs, other LEAs, or an SEA, or

(3) CBOs and IHEs that have had their

applications approved by LEAs to carry

out highly focused, innovative, locally

designed projects to expand or enhance

existing bilingual education or special

alternative instructional programs for

LEP students.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7423

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive

School Grants

Purpose of Program

Under section 7114 of the Act, the

purpose of the program is to assist LEAs

or LEAs in collaboration with IHEs,

CBOs, other LEAs, or an SEA to

implement schoolwide bilingual

education programs or special

alternative instructional programs for

reforming, restructuring, and upgrading

all relevant programs and operations,

within an individual school, that serve

virtually all LEP children and youth in

schools with significant concentrations

of these children and youth.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7424.

Bilingual Education: Systemwide

Improvement Grants

Purpose of Program

Under section 7115 of the Act, the

purpose of the program is to assist LEAs

or LEAs in collaboration with IHEs,

CBOs, other LEAs, or an SEA to

implement districtwide bilingual

education programs or special

alternative instructional programs to

improve, reform, and upgrade relevant

programs and operations, within an

entire LEA, that serve a significant

number of LEP children and youth in

one or more LEAs with significant

concentrations of these children and

youth.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7425

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the

Secretary gives preference to

applications that meet the following

competitive priority. The Secretary

awards 5 points to an application that

meets this competitive priority. These

points would be in addition to any

points an application earns under the

selection criteria for the programs to

which this priority applies. The priority

applies to the following programs:

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive School

Grants.

Bilingual Education: Systemwide

Improvement Grants.

Bilingual Education: Program Enhancement

Grants.

Under each of these programs,

competitive preference will be given to

applications that—

(1) Propose to provide services to

schools and LEP students eligible to be

served under the program located in one

or more Empowerment Zones or

Enterprise Communities; and

(2) Propose projects that contribute to

the strategic plan of the Empowerment

Zone or Enterprise Community and that

are made an integral component of the

Empowerment Zone or Enterprise

Community activities.

Waiver of Proposed Priority

In accordance with the

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.

553), it is the practice of the Department

of Education to offer interested parties

the opportunity to comment on

proposed priorities. However, in order

to make timely grant awards in FY 1995,

the Director, in accordance with section

437(d)(1) of the General Education

Provisions Act, has decided to issue this

final priority, which will apply only to

the FY 1995 grant competition.

Intergovernmental Review

These programs are subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

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 Department’s specific

plans and actions for these programs.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Numbers: 84.289 Bilingual Education:

Program Enhancement Grants; 84.290

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive School

Grants; and 84.291

Bilingual Education: Systemwide

Improvement Grants.)

Dated: April 11, 1995.

Eugene E. Garcia,

Director, Office of Bilingual Education and

Minority Languages Affairs.

Appendix—Areas Designated as

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities

Urban Empowerment Zones

Atlanta, Georgia

Baltimore, Maryland

Chicago, Illinois

Detroit, Michigan

New York, New York

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Camden, New

Jersey

Urban Supplemental Zones

Los Angeles, California

Cleveland, Ohio

Rural Empowerment Zones

Kentucky Highlands (Clinton, Jackson,

Wayne Counties, Kentucky)

Mid-Delta Mississippi (Bolivar, Holmes,

Humphreys, Leflore Counties,

Mississippi)

Rio Grande Valley Texas (Cameron, Hidalgo,

Starr, Willacy Counties, Texas)

Urban Enhanced Enterprise Communities

Boston, Massachusetts

Houston, Texas

Kansas City, Kansas & Kansas City, Missouri

Oakland, California

Urban and Rural Enterprise Communities

(Listed Alphabetically by State)

Alabama

Birmingham

Chambers County

Green & Sumter Counties

Arizona

Arizona Border Region: Cochise, Santa Cruz

& Yuma Counties

Phoenix

Arkansas

Eastern Arkansas: Cross, Lee, Monrow & St.

Francis Counties

Mississippi County

Pulaski County

California

Imperial County

Los Angeles (South Central/Huntington Park)

San Diego
19816 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 76 / Thursday, April 20, 1995 / Notices

San Francisco (Hunters Point)

City of Watsonville: Santa Cruz County

Colorado

Denver

Connecticut

Bridgeport

New Haven

Delaware

Wilmington

District of Columbia

Washington

Florida

Dade County/Miami

Jackson County

Tampa

Georgia

Albany

Crisp & Dooly Counties

Central Savannah River Area: Burke,

Hancock, Jefferson, McDuffie, Tallaferro

& Warren Counties

Illinois

East St. Louis

Springfield

Indiana

Indianapolis

Iowa

Des Moines

Kentucky

Louisville

McCreary County

Louisiana

Macon Ridge: Catahouis, Concordia,

Franklin, Morehouse & Tensas Parishes

New Orleans

Northeast Louisiana Delta: Madison Parish

Ouachita Parish

Massachusetts

Lowell

Springfield

Michigan

Flint

Lake County

Muskegon

Minnesota

Minneapolis

St. Paul

Mississippi

Jackson

North Delta: Panola, Quitman & Tallahatchie

Counties

Missouri

City of East Prairie: Mississippi County

St. Louis

Nebraska

Omaha

Nevada

Clark County/Las Vegas

New Hampshire

Manchester

New Jersey

Newark

New Mexico

Albuquerque

Mora, Taos, & Rio Ariba Counties

New York

Albany

Buffalo

Newburgh-Kingston

Rochester

North Carolina

Charlotte

Halifax, Edgecombe & Wilson Counties

Robeson County

Ohio

Akron

Columbus

Greater Portsmouth: Scioto County

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Southeast Oklahoma: Choctaw & McCurtain

Counties

Oregon

Josephine County

Portland

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg

City of Lock Haven: Clinton County

Pittsburgh

Rhode Island

Providence

South Carolina

Charleston

Williamsburg County & Lake City: Florence

& Williamsburg Counties

South Dakota

Boadie & Spink Counties

Tennessee

Fayette & Haywood Counties

Memphis

Nashville

Scott County

Texas

Dallas

El Paso

San Antonio

Waco

Utah

Ogden

Vermont

Burlington

Virginia

Accomack & Northampton Counties

Norfolk

Washington

Lower Yakima County

Seattle

Tacoma

West Virginia

Central Appalachia: Braxton, Clay, Fayette,

Nicholas & Roane Counties

Huntington

McDowell County

Wisconsin

Milwaukee

[FR Doc. 95–9716 Filed 4–19–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

[CFDA No. 84.290U]

Bilingual Education: Comprehensive

School Grants; Notice Inviting

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal

Year (FY) 1995

Purpose of Program: The purpose of

this program is to provide grants to

implement schoolwide bilingual

education programs or special

alternative instruction programs for

reforming, restructuring, and upgrading

all relevant programs and operations,

within an individual school, that serve

all or virtually all limited English

proficient (LEP) children and youth in

one or more schools with significant

concentrations of these children and

youth.

Eligible Applicants: One or more local

educational agencies (LEAs), or one or

more LEAs in collaboration with an

institution of higher education,

community-based organizations, other

LEAs, or a State educational agency.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: May 30, 1995.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: July 31, 1995.

Applications Available: April 21,

1995.

Available Funds: $49,772,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$150,000–$400,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$310,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 160.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: 60 months.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,

85, and 86.

Priorities

Absolute Priority

The following absolute priority, as

published in the Federal Register on

March 2, 1995 (60 FR 11868) in a notice

of final priority for this program, applies

to this competition:

Projects that serve only schools in

which the number of LEP students, in

each school served, equals at least 25

percent of the total student enrollment.

Competitive Priority

The competitive priority in the notice

of final priorities for this program, as

published elsewhere in this issue of the

Federal Register, applies to this

competition. The notice announces a

competitive preference to be given to

projects providing program services in a

designated Empowerment Zone or

Enterprise Community.