[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80351-80354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33004]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Application for New Awards; Indian Education Formula Grants to
Local Educational Agencies
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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Overview Information
Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies.
Notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2012.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.060A.
Dates:
Part I of the Formula Grant Electronic Application System for
Indian Education (EASIE) Applications Available: January 9, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part I Applications: February 10, 2012,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Part II of the Formula Grant EASIE Applications Available: April 2,
2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part II Applications: May 4, 2012,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Note: Applicants must meet the deadlines for both Part I and
Part II to receive funds as part of the initial grant awards, which
we expect to issue around July 1, 2012. If there are funds remaining
after the initial grant awards are made, the Department will give
priority to applicants that filed a timely application for Part I,
but missed the deadline for Part II. Applicants that missed the Part
I deadline will only be funded if there are funds remaining after
awards are made to all applicants that met the Part I deadline
(including those applicants that met the Part I deadline, but missed
the Part II deadline).
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 3, 2012.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Indian Education Formula Grants to Local
Educational Agencies program provides grants to support local
educational agencies (LEAs) and other eligible entities described in
this notice in their efforts to reform and improve elementary and
secondary school programs that serve Indian students. The Department
funds comprehensive programs that address the language and
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cultural needs of Indian students, including professional development
for teachers of Indian students, and that are designed to help Indian
students meet the same State academic content and student academic
achievement standards used for all students.
In addition, under section 7116 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), the Secretary will, upon
receipt of an acceptable plan for the integration of education and
related services, and in cooperation with other relevant Federal
agencies, authorize the entity receiving the funds under this program
to consolidate all Federal formula funds that are to be used
exclusively for Indian students. Instructions for submitting an
integration of education and related services plan are included in the
EASIE, which is described elsewhere in this notice under Application
Process and Submission Information.
Note: Under the Indian Education Formula Grants to Local
Educational Agencies program, applicants are required to develop the
project for which an application is made (a) in open consultation
with parents of Indian children and teachers and, if appropriate,
Indian students from secondary schools, including through public
hearings held to provide a full opportunity to understand the
program and to offer recommendations regarding the program (section
7114(c)(3)(C) of the ESEA); (b) with the participation of a parent
committee selected in accordance with section 7114(c)(4) of the ESEA
and with the written approval of that parent committee (section
7114(c)(4) of the ESEA).
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7421 et seq.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational
Agencies.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$104,331,000 for this program for FY 2012. The actual level of funding,
if any, depends on final Congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $4,000-$2,738,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $82,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1,276.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Certain LEAs, including charter schools
authorized as LEAs under State law, as prescribed by section 7112(b) of
the ESEA, certain schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education of
the U.S. Department of the Interior, as prescribed by section 7113(d)
of the ESEA, and Indian tribes under certain conditions, as prescribed
by section 7112(c) of the ESEA.
2.a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Section 7114(c)(1) of ESEA states that
the local educational agency will use these grant funds only to
supplement the funds that, in the absence of these Federal funds, such
agency would make available for the education of Indian children, and
not to supplant such funds.
IV. Application Process and Submission Information
1. How to Request an Application: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically using the Formula Grant
EASIE. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit
your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand
delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirements, please refer to section IV.7. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under For
Further Information Contact in section VI of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the online application package for this program.
The online application requires the submission of data related to the
Performance Measures, which are listed in this notice in section V.
Grant Administration Information.
The application submission under this program is entirely
electronic except for the submission of an Indian Parent Committee
Approval form. After the Formula Grant EASIE Part II application is
certified, the applicant must submit a signed Indian Parent Committee
Approval form within three business days of certification. The form is
available through the Formula Grant EASIE. This requirement applies
only to applications from LEAs and does not apply to applications from
Bureau of Indian Education schools or Indian tribes.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Part I of the Formula Grant
Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE) Applications
Available: January 9, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part I Applications: February 10, 2012,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Part II of the Formula Grant EASIE Applications Available: April 2,
2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part II Applications: May 4, 2012,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Formula Grant EASIE. For information
(including dates and times) about how to submit your application
electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirements,
please refer to section IV.7. Other Submission Requirements of this
notice.
For initial grant awards, we do not consider an application that
does not comply with the deadline requirements of Part I of EASIE.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation process
should contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact
in section VI of this notice. If the Department provides an
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in
connection with the application process, the individual's application
remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this
notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 3, 2012.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations on 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference additional regulations
outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must--
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a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the Central
Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active CCR registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one business day.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take
three or more business days to complete.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Indian Education Formula Grants
to Local Educational Agencies--84.060A must be submitted electronically
using the Formula Grant EASIE.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic
submission requirement described later in this section under Exception
to Electronic Submission Requirement, and follow the submission rules
outlined therein.
Formula Grant EASIE Electronic Application System: Formula Grant
EASIE is an easy-to-use, electronic application system. It imports data
from State submissions to EDFacts, the Department's data collection
system that contains performance information from State educational
agencies about schools and Federal education programs. To the extent
that your State has provided the necessary EDFacts data files, Formula
Grant EASIE will be able to interface with EDFacts and pull those LEA-
specific data into the application. Additionally, this system allows
the Department to review applications and interact online with
applicants during the application review and approval process.
The Formula Grant EASIE application is divided into two parts--Part
I and Part II.
Part I, Student Count, provides the appropriate data-entry screens
to submit your Indian student count totals.
Part II, Program and Budget Information, provides your award amount
based on the Indian student count total submitted under Part I. Part II
also enables you to enter student performance data, identify your
project's services and activities, and build a realistic program budget
based on an estimated grant amount. Based on student assessment data,
you will select your program objectives and services from a variety of
menu options that were designed with grantee input.
Registration for Formula Grant EASIE: Entities are encouraged to
register as soon as possible at the registration Web site:
www.easie.org to ensure that any potential registration issues are
resolved prior to the deadline for the submission of an application.
The purpose of the initial registration is to re-activate entities'
access to EASIE and to ensure that the correct entity information
(e.g., NCES or DUNS numbers) is pre-populated into the first part of
Formula Grant EASIE. The registration Web site does not serve as the
entity's grant application. The registration must be completed by
current, former, and new applicants interested in submitting an Indian
Formula Grant EASIE application. For information on how to register,
contact the EDFacts Partner Support Center listed elsewhere in this
notice under For Further Information Contact.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the EASIE system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the EASIE system;
and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date for Part I (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day
before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the
next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a
written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two
grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit
your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Bernard Garcia, U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Indian Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW., Room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202-6335. Fax: (202) 205-0606.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the U.S Department of
Education, Office of Indian Education. You must mail the original and
two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline
dates for both Part I and Part II, to the Office of Indian Education at
the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian
Education, Attention: CFDA Number 84.060A, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202-6335.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(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 of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
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.
For initial grant awards, if your application is postmarked after
the application deadline date for Part I, we will not consider your
application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a
dated postmark. Before
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relying on this method, you should check with your local post
office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline dates for both Part I and Part II, to the
Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Indian Education, Attention: CFDA Number 84.060A, 400
Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202-6335.
The Program Office accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal
holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424, the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Program Office will mail to you a notification of
receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the application deadline
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Office of
Indian Education at (202) 260-3774.
V. Grant Administration Information
1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice. We reference the regulations
outlining the terms and conditions of a grant in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
2. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness and
efficiency of the Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational
Agencies program: (1) The percentage of American Indian and Alaska
Native students in grades four and eight who score at or above the
basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP); (2) the percentage of American Indian and Alaska
Native students in grades four and eight who score at or above the
basic level in mathematics on the NAEP; (3) the percentage of American
Indian and Alaska Native students in grades three through eight meeting
State performance standards by scoring at the proficient or the
advanced levels in reading and mathematics on State assessments; (4)
the difference between the percentage of American Indian and Alaska
Native students in grades 3 through 8 at the proficient or advanced
levels in reading and mathematics on State assessments and the
percentage of all students scoring at those levels; (5) the percentage
of American Indian and Alaska Native students who graduate from high
school; and (6) the percentage of funds used by grantees prior to award
close-out.
VI. Agency Contacts
For Further Information Contact: For questions about the Formula
Grant Program, contact Bernard Garcia, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202-6335.
Telephone: (202) 260-1454 or by email: [email protected]. For
questions about the EASIE application, contact the EDFacts Partner
Support Center, telephone: (877) 457-3336 (877) HLP-EDEN or by email
at: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
EDFacts Partner Support Center, toll free, at 1-(888) 403-3336 (888)
403-EDEN.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy
of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the EDFacts
Partner Support Center. Electronic Access to This Document: The
official version of this document is the document published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the
Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via
the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can
view this document, as well as other documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register in text or Adobe Portable Document
Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: December 20, 2011.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2011-33004 Filed 12-22-11; 8:45 am]
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