[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 93 (Friday, May 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22882-22883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11439]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Annual Survey of Local Government Finances (School Systems).
    Form Number(s): F-33, F-33-I, F-33-L1, F-33-L2, F-33-L3.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0700.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden Hours: 4,032.
    Number of Respondents: 3,249.
    Average Hours per Response: 1 hour and 15 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests an extension of the 
current expiration date of the Annual Survey of Local Government 
Finances (School Systems) to ensure accurate collection of information 
about public school finances.
    The Census Bureau's collection of school district finance data and 
associated publications are the most comprehensive sources for pre-
kindergarten through grade 12 finance data. The data are collected from 
the universe of school districts using uniform definitions and concepts 
of revenue, expenditure, debt, and assets. This effort is part of the 
Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Government Finance (OMB No. 0607-
0585). Data collected from cities, counties, States, and special 
district governments are combined with data collected from local school 
systems to produce State and national totals of government spending. 
Local school system spending comprises a significant portion of total 
government spending. In 2006, public elementary-secondary expenditures 
accounted for nearly 30 percent of total local government spending.
    This comprehensive, ongoing, time series collection of local 
education agency finances maintains historical continuity in the State 
and local government statistics community. In addition to the State and 
local government statistics historical significance, this collection of 
data has gained added importance within the area of education 
statistics since the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act (ESEA) by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The 
increased focus on schools has led to a demand for data reflecting 
student

[[Page 22883]]

performance, graduation rates, and school finance policy--all of which 
require the collection and use of this local education finance data 
collection. State legislatures, local leaders, university researchers, 
and parents increasingly rely on data to make substantive decisions 
about education. School district finance is a vital sector of the 
education data spectrum used by stakeholders to form policy and to 
develop new education strategies.
    The education finance data collected and processed by the Census 
Bureau are an essential component of the government finances program 
and provide unique products for education and finance data user groups. 
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses most of the items on Form F-
33 to develop figures for the Gross Domestic Product. Reported F-33 
data items specifically contribute to the estimates for National Income 
and Product Accounts (NIPA), and the Input-Output accounts (I-O), and 
gross domestic investments. BEA also uses the data to assess other 
public fiscal spending trends and events.
    The Census Bureau's government finances program has made possible 
the dissemination of comprehensive and comparable public fiscal data 
since 1902. School finance data, which comprise nearly 30 percent of 
all local government general expenditures, are currently incorporated 
into the local government statistics released in the Annual Survey of 
Government Finance. The Census Bureau expects to release school finance 
data as part of its 2007 Census of Governments products. This table 
package contains benchmark statistics on public revenue, expenditure, 
debt, and assets. They are widely used by economists, legislators, 
social and political scientists, and government administrators.
    The Census Bureau makes available a detailed account for all school 
systems on files available from its Internet Web site. That Web site 
currently contains data files and statistical tables for the 1992 
through 2006 fiscal year surveys. Historical files and publications 
prior to 1992 are also available upon request for data users engaged in 
longitudinal studies. In addition to numerous academic researchers who 
use the F-33 products, staff receive inquiries from State government 
officials, legislatures, public policy analysts, local school 
officials, non-profit organizations, and various Federal agencies.
    The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education 
Statistics (NCES) jointly conducts this survey annually as part of the 
Common Core of Data (CCD) program. The education finance data collected 
by the Census Bureau are the sole source of school district fiscal 
information for the CCD. NCES data users utilize electronic tools to 
search CCD databases for detailed fiscal and non-fiscal variables. 
Additionally, the NCES uses the F-33 education finance files to publish 
annual reports on the state of education.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal government.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 161 and 182.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f7939f8e99929cb7939894d9909881"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="22464a5b4c474962464d410c454d54">[email protected]</span></a>).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) 
or e-mail (<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#01636960737368726a416e6c632f646e712f666e77"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="02606a6370706b7169426d6f602c676d722c656d74">[email protected]</span></a>).

    Dated: May 12, 2009.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-11439 Filed 5-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


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