26730 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 1996 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.317]

Comprehensive Local Reform

Assistance; Notice Inviting

Applications for New Awards With

Fiscal Year (FY) 1995 Funds

Note to Applicants: This notice is a

complete application package. Together

with the statute authorizing the program

and the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR),

the notice contains all of the

information, application requirements,

and instructions needed to apply for a

grant under these competitions.

Purpose of Program: To assist local

educational agencies (LEAs) in the

development and implementation of

comprehensive local improvement

plans directed at enabling all children to

reach challenging academic standards.

Eligible Applicants: LEAs in Montana

and Oklahoma are eligible to apply for

grants. The Secretary is especially

interested in receiving applications from

consortia of LEAs in these States.

Note: By statute, the Secretary may award

direct grants to LEAs in a State that was not

participating in Goals 2000 as of October 20,

1995, if the State educational agency (SEA)

approves LEA participation in the program.

Five States—Alabama, Montana, New

Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Virginia—were

not participating in Goals 2000 as of October

20, 1995. By the date this application notice

was submitted to the Federal Register, the

Montana and Oklahoma SEAs had approved

LEA participation in this direct grant

program. If timely approval is received from

one or more of the other SEAs, the Secretary

will publish in the Federal Register a notice

inviting applications for FY 1995 funds from

LEAs in the other State(s).

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: July 15, 1996.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: August 1, 1996.

Available Funds: The amount of

funds available to LEAs in Montana is

$1,560,150. The amount of funds

available to LEAs in Oklahoma is

$4,396,613. These amounts are based on

each State’s FY 1995 Goals 2000

allotment.

In accordance with section 402 of the

Department of Education Organization

Act, 20 USC 3462, the Secretary may

use up to 1% of the funds from each

State’s allotment to pay the expenses

and fees of non-Federal experts

necessary to review the applications

submitted in response to this notice.

In the event that there are an

insufficient number of funded

applications from LEAs in either State

to use all of the State’s allotment, the

Secretary may reallot the remaining

funds consistent with the Act.

The Secretary does not intend to

conduct competitions for FY 1996

funds. Instead, pursuant to 34 CFR

75.253, the Secretary intends to make

continuation awards from each State’s

FY 1996 allotment to successful

applicants under this notice. The

Secretary expects to conduct new

competitions when FY 1997 funds

become available.

Estimated Range of Awards: $20,000–

$100,000 annually. (The Secretary

estimates that both the initial FY 1995

awards and the continuation awards

from the FY 1996 allotments will fall

within this range.)

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$40,000 annually. (The Secretary

estimates that both the initial FY 1995

awards and the continuation awards

from the FY 1996 allotments will

average $40,000.)

Estimated Numbers of Awards: The

estimated number of awards to LEAs in

Montana is 39. The estimated number of

awards to LEAs in Oklahoma is 110.

(Note: These estimates are projections for

the guidance of potential applicants. The

Department of Education and applicants are

not bound by any estimates in this notice.)

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as

follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant

Programs).

(2) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that

Apply to Department Regulations).

(3) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental

Review of Department of Education

Programs and Activities).

(4) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments).

(5) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education

Provisions Act—Enforcement).

(6) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions

on Lobbying).

(7) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

(a) Background

Section 304(e) of the Goals 2000:

Educate America Act (Pub. L. 103–227)

(20 USC 5801 et seq.) (the Act), which

was added to the Act as part of the

Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and

Appropriations Act of 1996, authorizes

the Secretary to award direct grants to

LEAs in States that were not

participating in Goals 2000 as of

October 20, 1995, if the applicable SEA

approves the LEAs’ participation in the

program. Alabama, Montana, New

Hampshire, Oklahoma and Virginia

were not participating in Goals 2000 as

of that date. By the date this application

notice was submitted to the Federal

Register, the Montana and Oklahoma

SEAs had approved LEA participation

in this direct grant program.

Under Section 304(e), the Secretary

may award grants for purposes

consistent with the provisions of the

Act. The Goals 2000 Act is designed to

help States and communities develop

and implement their own education

reforms focused on challenging

academic standards in order to increase

student academic achievement. With

broad-based, grassroots involvement,

LEAs participating in Goals 2000

develop comprehensive strategies for

helping all students reach challenging

academic standards, such as through

upgrading assessments and curriculum

to reflect high standards, improving the

quality of teaching, expanding the use of

technology, strengthening

accountability for teaching and learning,

and building strong partnerships among

schools and families, employers, and

others in the community.

The Secretary has determined that

grants awarded under Section 304(e)

will be used to support the development

and implementation of comprehensive

local improvement plans designed to

help all children reach challenging

academic standards. In particular, the

Secretary encourages LEAs to address in

their applications how their reform

strategies might include enhanced

preservice teacher education and

professional development activities of

educators that are directly connected to

challenging standards.

Where appropriate, LEAs should use

funds awarded under this notice to

build upon comprehensive reform

strategies that have already been

initiated. An LEA that has not yet

developed or completed a

comprehensive local improvement plan

consistent with the statutory provisions

referenced in this notice may seek FY

1995 funds to do so. An LEA that has

already developed such a plan may seek

funds to implement the plan.

LEAs are not required or expected to

submit their local improvement plans to

the U.S. Department of Education for

review and approval, whether or not

those plans are developed or

implemented with funds awarded under

this notice. Local plans that have been

or are being developed pursuant to State

requirements, and that also receive

funding under Goals 2000, would only

remain subject to any State review

processes that may exist.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 1996 / Notices 26731

Pursuant to 34 CFR 75.253, the

Secretary intends to make available to

successful applicants continuation

awards from their States’ FY 1996

allotments.

Application Requirements: The

authorizing statute—section 304(e) of

the Act—permits the Secretary to fund

LEA applications that are consistent

with the provisions of Goals 2000. The

Secretary has determined that grants

under this competition must be used for

the development or implementation of

comprehensive local improvement

plans to help all students reach

challenging academic standards. In

particular, a local improvement plan

that is developed or implemented with

funds awarded under section 304(e)

must be consistent with the

requirements in sections 309(a)(3)(B)

through (E) of the Act. Adapted to this

direct grant program, these requirements

specify that local plans—

(1) Describe a process of broad-based

community participation in the

development, implementation, and

evaluation of the local improvement

plan;

(2) Address districtwide education

improvement, directed at enabling all

students to meet the State content

standards and State student

performance standards (or local

standards, if there are no State

standards), including specific goals and

benchmarks; reflect the priority of the

State improvement plan (if there is a

comprehensive State improvement plan)

and include a strategy for—

(a) Improving teaching and learning,

with strategies such as enhanced

professional development and

preservice education activities aligned

to the standards;

(b) Improving governance,

management, and accountability for

performance; and

(c) Generating, maintaining, and

strengthening parental and community

involvement.

(3) Promote the flexibility of local

schools in developing plans that address

the particular needs of their school and

community and are consistent with the

local improvement plan; and

(4) Describe how the LEA will

encourage and assist schools to develop

and implement comprehensive school

improvement plans that focus on

helping all students reach State (or

local) content standards and student

performance standards.

Selection Criteria: The Secretary will

use the following selection criteria in 34

CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications

under this competition. The maximum

score for all of the criteria is 100 points.

The maximum score for each criterion is

indicated in parenthesis with the

criterion.

(1) Meeting the purposes of the

authorizing statute. (30 points) The

Secretary reviews each application to

determine how well the project will

meet the purposes of the authorizing

statute, including consideration of:

(i) The objectives of the project; and

(ii) How the objectives of the project

further the purposes of the authorizing

statute.

(2) Extent of need for the project. (24

points) The Secretary reviews each

application to determine the extent to

which the project meets specific needs

recognized in the statute that authorizes

the program, including consideration of:

(i) The needs addressed by the

project;

(ii) How the applicant identified those

needs;

(iii) How those needs will be met by

the project; and

(iv) The benefits to be gained by

meeting those needs.

(3) Plan of operation. (18 points) The

Secretary reviews each application to

determine the quality of the plan of

operation for the project, including:

(i) The quality of the design of the

project;

(ii) The extent to which the plan of

management is effective and ensures

proper and efficient administration of

the project;

(iii) How well the objectives of the

project relate to the purpose of the

program;

(iv) The quality of the applicant’s plan

to use its resources and personnel to

achieve each objective; and

(v) How the applicant will ensure that

project participants who are otherwise

eligible to participate are selected

without regard to race, color, national

origin, gender, age, or disability.

(4) Quality of key personnel. (7

points)

(i) The Secretary reviews each

application to determine the quality of

key personnel the applicant plans to use

on the project, including:

(A) The qualifications of the project

director (if one is to be used);

(B) The qualifications of each of the

other key personnel to be used in the

project;

(C) The time that each person referred

to in paragraphs (4)(i)(A) and (B) will

commit to the project; and

(D) How the applicant, as part of its

nondiscriminatory employment

practices, will ensure that its personnel

are selected for employment without

regard to race, color, national origin,

gender, age, or disability.

(ii) To determine personnel

qualifications under paragraphs (4)(i)(A)

and (B), the Secretary considers:

(A) Experience and training in fields

related to the objectives of the project;

and

(B) Any other qualifications that

pertain to the quality of the project.

(5) Budget and effectiveness. (5

points) The Secretary reviews each

application to determine the extent to

which:

(i) The budget is adequate to support

the project; and

(ii) Costs are reasonable in relation to

the objectives of the project.

(6) Evaluation plan. (13 points) The

Secretary reviews each application to

determine the quality of the evaluation

plan for the project, including the extent

to which the applicant’s methods of

evaluation:

(i) Are appropriate to the project; and

(ii) To the extent possible, are

objective and produce data that are

quantifiable.

(7) Adequacy of resources. (3 points)

The Secretary reviews each application

to determine the adequacy of the

resources that the applicant plans to

devote to the project, including

facilities, equipment, and supplies.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs: This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

(Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR

Part 79. The objective of the Executive

Order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and to strengthen

federalism by relying on State processes

and on State, areawide, regional, and

local coordination for review of

proposed Federal financial assistance.

Montana and Oklahoma have not

adopted State intergovernmental review

processes. Therefore, State, areawide,

regional, and local entities may submit

comments directly to the Department.

Any comments submitted pursuant to

the executive order must be mailed or

hand-delivered by the date indicated in

this notice to the following address: The

Secretary, E.O. 12372—CFDA# 84.317,

U.S. Department of Education, Room

6300, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20202.

Proof of mailing will be determined

on the same basis as applications (see 34

CFR 75.102). Recommendations or

comments may be hand-delivered until

4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on

the date indicated in this notice.

Please note that the above address is

not the same address as the one to

which the applicant submits its

completed application. Do not send

applications to the above address.

Instructions for transmittal of

applications:

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for

a grant, the applicant shall—
26732 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 1996 / Notices

(1) Mail the original and two copies

of the application on or before the

deadline date to: U.S. Department of

Education, Application Control Center,

Attention: (CFDA # 84.317),

Washington, D.C. 20202–4725, or

(2) Hand deliver the original and two

copies of the application by 4:30 p.m.

(Washington, D.C. time) on the deadline

date to: U.S. Department of Education,

Application Control Center, Attention:

(CFDA# 84.317), Room #3633, Regional

Office Building #3, 7th and D Streets,

S.W., Washington, D.C.

(b) An applicant must show one of the

following as proof of mailing: (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.

(c) If an application is mailed 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.

Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before

relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center will

mail a Grant Application Receipt

Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an

applicant fails to receive the notification of

application receipt within 15 days from the

date of mailing the application, the applicant

should call the U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center at (202) 708–

9494.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and in Item 10 of the Application

for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424)

the CFDA number of the competition under

which the application is being submitted

(CFDA# 84.317).

Application Instructions and Forms:

The appendix to this application is

divided into three parts, plus a

statement regarding estimated public

reporting burden and various assurances

and certifications. These parts and

additional materials are organized in the

same manner that the submitted

application should be organized. The

parts and additional materials are as

follows:

Part I: Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4–

88)) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (Standard Form

524A) and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative.

Additional Materials: Estimated

Public Reporting Burden; Assurances—

Non-Construction Programs (Standard

Form 424B); Certifications regarding

Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and

Other Responsibility Matters; and DrugFree Workplace Requirements (ED 80–

0013).

Certification regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered

Transactions (ED 80–0014, 9/90) and

instructions. (NOTE: ED 80–0014 is

intended for the use of grantees and

should not be transmitted to the

Department.)

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions. This document has been

marked to reflect statutory changes. See

the notice published by the Office of

Management and Budget at 61 FR 1413

(January 19, 1996).

Notice to All Applicants

An applicant may submit information

on a photostatic copy of the application

and budget forms, the assurances, and

the certifications. However, the

application form, the assurances, and

the certifications must each have an

original signature. No grant may be

awarded unless a completed application

form has been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas Fagan, U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue,

S.W., Portals Building, Room 4000,

Washington, D.C. 20202–2110,

Telephone: (202) 401–0039, FAX: (202)

205–0303. 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.

Information about the Department’s

funding opportunities, including copies

of application notices for discretionary

grant competitions, can be viewed on

the Department’s electronic bulletin

board (ED Board), telephone (202) 260–

9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server

at GOPHER.ED.GOV (under

Announcements, Bulletins, and Press

Releases). However, the official

application notice for a discretionary

grant competition is the notice

published in the Federal Register.

Program Authority: Section 304(e) of the

Goals 2000: Educate America Act, 20 U.S.C.

5884(b).

Dated: May 21, 1996.

Gerald N. Tirozzi,

Assistant Secretary Elementary and

Secondary Education.

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Appendix
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Instructions for Part III Application Narrative

Before preparing the Application Narrative an applicant should read the information in this notice, including the

selection criteria the Secretary uses to evaluate applications.

The narrative should encompass each function or activity for which funds are being requested and should—

1. Begin with an Abstract; that is, a summary of your proposal;

2. Describe the proposal in light of each of the selection criteria in the order in which the criteria are listed

in this application; and

3. Include any other pertinent information that might assist the Secretary in reviewing the application.

The Secretary strongly requests the applicant to limit the Application Narrative to no more than 20 double-spaced,

typed pages (on one side only), although the Secretary will consider applications of greater length. The Department

has found that successful applications for similar programs generally meet this page limit.

Instructions for Estimated Public Reporting Burden

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information

unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is

1810–0594 (Expiration date: August 31, 1996). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated

to average 50 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather

the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy

of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington,

D.C. 20202–4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form,

write directly to: Thomas Fagan, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Portals Building, Room

4000, Washington, D.C. 20202–2110.

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Notice to All Applicants

Thank you for your interest in this

program. The purpose of this enclosure

is to inform you about a new provision

in the Department of Education’s

General Education Provisions Act

(GEPA) that applies to applicants for

new grant awards under Department

programs. This provision is section 427

of GEPA, enacted as part of the

Improving America’s Schools Act of

1994 (Pub. L. 103–382).

To Whom Does This Provision Apply?

Section 427 of GEPA affects

applicants for new discretionary grant

awards under this program. ALL

APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS

MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN

THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS

THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO

RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS

PROGRAM.

What Does This Provision Require?

Section 427 requires each applicant

for funds (other than an individual

person) to include in its application a

description of the steps the applicant

proposes to take to ensure equitable

access to, and participation in, its

federally-assisted program for students,

teachers, and other program

beneficiaries with special needs.

This section allows applicants

discretion in developing the required

description. The statute highlights six

types of barriers that can impede

equitable access or participation that

you may address: gender, race, national

origin, color, disability, or age. Based on

local circumstances, you can determine

whether these or other barriers may

prevent your students, teachers, etc.

from equitable access or participation.

Your description need not be lengthy;

you may provide a clear and succinct

description of how you plan to address

those barriers that are applicable to your

circumstances. In addition, the

information may be provided in a single

narrative, or, if appropriate, may be

discussed in connection with related

topics in the application.

Section 427 is not intended to

duplicate the requirements of civil

rights statutes, but rather to ensure that,

in designing their projects, applicants

for Federal funds address equity

concerns that may affect the ability of

certain potential beneficiaries to fully

participate in the project and to achieve

to high standards. Consistent with

program requirements and its approved

application, an applicant may use the

Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate

barriers it identifies.

What Are Examples of How an

Applicant Might Satisfy the

Requirement of This Provision?

The following examples may help

illustrate how an applicant may comply

with section 427.

(1) An applicant that proposes to

carry out an adult literacy project

serving, among others, adults with

limited English proficiency, might

describe in its application how it

intends to distribute a brochure about

the proposed project to such potential

participants in their native language.

(2) An applicant that proposes to

develop instructional materials for

classroom use might describe how it

will make the materials available on

audio tape or in braille for students who

are blind.

(3) An applicant that proposes to

carry out a model science program for

secondary students and is concerned

that girls may be less likely than boys

to enroll in the course, might indicate

how it tends to conduct ‘‘outreach’’

efforts to girls, to encourage their

enrollment.

We recognize that many applicants

may already be implementing effective

steps to ensure equity of access and

participation in their grant programs,

and we appreciate your cooperation in

responding to the requirements of this

provision.

Estimated Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB

control number for this information

collection is 1801–0004 (Exp. 8/31/98).

The time required to complete this

information collection is estimated to

vary from 1 to 3 hours per response,

with an average of 1.5 hours, including

the time to review instructions, search

existing data resources, gather and

maintain the data needed, and complete

and review the information collection. If

you have any comments concerning the

accuracy of the time estimate(s) or

suggestions for improving this form,

please write to: U.S. Department of

Education, Washington, DC 20202–

4651.

[FR Doc. 96–13291 Filed 5–24–96; 8:45 am]

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