[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14017-14019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05431]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period for the
Literacy Information and Communication System Regional Professional
Development Centers
[Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.191B.]
AGENCY: Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Proposed waiver and extension of the project period.
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SUMMARY: For the current 36-month grant projects under the Literacy
[[Page 14018]]
Information and Communication System (LINCS) Regional Professional
Development Centers (RPDC) program, the Secretary proposes to: (1)
Waive the restriction against project period extensions involving the
obligation of additional Federal funds; and (2) extend for an
additional 12 months the project period of these grants. The Secretary
proposes this action because we do not believe that it would be in the
public interest to hold a LINCS RPDC competition in FY 2014, the same
year in which the Department's LINCS Resource Collection contract and
the LINCS technical services contract will end. This proposed one-year
extension of the LINCS RPDC project period is intended to ensure
seamless technical assistance service delivery to our adult education
customers.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 11, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed waiver and
extension of the project period to Patricia Bennett, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 11013, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-7241.
If you prefer to send your comments by email, use the following
address: [email protected]. You must include the phrase
``Proposed waiver and extension of the project period for LINCS RPDCs''
in the subject line of your message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Bennett by telephone at (202)
245-7758 or by email at: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment:
We invite you to submit comments regarding this notice. We are
particularly interested in receiving comments on the potential impact
that this proposed project period waiver and extension might have on
current LINCS RPDCs and on potential applicants that would be eligible
to apply for grant awards under any new LINCS RPDC notice inviting
applications, should there be one.
The following entities would be eligible to apply should the
Department conduct a new competition for LINCS RPDCs:
(a) Institutions of higher education;
(b) Public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations; and
(c) Consortia of eligible institutions, organizations, or agencies.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed waiver and extension of the project period
in room 11013, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street SW., Washington,
DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC time,
Monday through Friday of each week, except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the
public rulemaking record for this notice of proposed waiver and
extension of the project period. If you want to schedule an appointment
for this type of aid, please contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background
In fiscal year (FY) 2011, using FY 2010 funds, we funded four LINCS
RPDC grants, as authorized under title II of the Workforce Investment
Act of 1998 (WIA) (20 U.S.C. 9253(2)(H)), the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). Each RPDC serves one of the following four
regions:
(1) Region 1--Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Virgin
Islands.
(2) Region 2--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
(3) Region 3--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
(4) Region 4--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Guam,
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
the Republic of Palau.
Through the LINCS RPDC grants we support evidenced-based virtual or
in-person adult education professional development (AEPD) activities to
assist educators who provide adult education services \1\ or adult
education instruction \2\ to adult learners (adult educators).
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\1\ Adult education services (e.g., career counseling,
transportation counseling, education counseling) are provided to
adult learners by educators who may include staff of eligible
providers identified in section 203(5) of the AEFLA, as well as
State staff responsible for the implementation of adult education
programs.
\2\ Adult education instruction (e.g., instruction in basic
literacy, mathematics, and English language skills) is provided to
adult learners by educators who may include adult education teachers
and other instructional personnel of eligible providers identified
in section 203(5) of the AEFLA.
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In addition, the LINCS RPDCs support each eligible agency
responsible for administering or supervising policy for adult education
and literacy programs under section 203(4) of the AEFLA \3\ (eligible
agency), and adult education and related organizations within each
State \4\ and outlying area \5\ by--
(1) Disseminating information on the materials and the AEPD in the
LINCS Resource Collection \6\ to each eligible agency in the region
that the grantee serves and to adult education and related
organizations within each State and outlying area in that region;
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\3\ Section 203(4) of the AEFLA defines the term ``eligible
agency'' as the sole entity or agency in a State or an outlying area
responsible for administering or supervising policy for adult
education and literacy in the State or outlying area, respectively,
consistent with the law of the State or outlying area, respectively.
\4\ See section 203(17) of the AEFLA.
\5\ See section 203(14) of the AEFLA.
\6\ For more information on the LINCS Resource Collection, see
http://lincs.ed.gov/collections.
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(2) Collaborating closely with eligible agencies to organize and
deliver virtual or in-person AEPD; and
(3) Fostering the use of new technologies, including virtual
moderated communities of practice \7\ (CoP), for adult educators.
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\7\ Communities of practice are groups of people who share a
concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it
better as they interact regularly (see http://www.ewenger.com/theory/).
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The RPDCs provide substantial and direct operational involvement in
the management of project implementation and on plans for AEPD and
project activities, including by facilitating the collaboration between
grantees and the Department's LINCS Resource Collection contractor and
the LINCS technical services contractor.
In conducting the required activities under the cooperative
agreements, the LINCS RPDCs--
(1) Use the LINCS Resource Collection materials and other AEPD
materials available on the Department's LINCS Web site for
dissemination and AEPD;
(2) Work collaboratively with the Department's LINCS Resource
Collection contractor and the LINCS technical services contractor to
meet the project's goals, objectives, and outcomes; and
(3) Implement the requirements established in the notice for
applications for new awards for Literacy
[[Page 14019]]
Information and Communication System Regional Professional Development
Centers, published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2011 (76 FR
38374).
For the four current LINCS RPDC grantees the Secretary now proposes
to waive the requirement of 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2) of the
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) that
generally prohibits project period extensions involving the obligation
of additional Federal funds. The Secretary also proposes to extend the
current LINCS RPDC project period for 12 months. This will allow each
of the four current LINCS RPDC grantees that received awards under the
FY 2011 competition to seek a continuation award for one additional
year through FY 2015 with FY 2014 funds. Further, the waiver and
extension, as proposed, would mean that we would not announce new
awards in FY 2014.
Holding an RPDC competition in FY 2014--the same year in which the
Department's LINCS Resource Collection contract and the LINCS technical
services contract end--would not be in the public interest. Because all
of the LINCS service providers would be transitioning at the same time,
there would be a disruption to the continuity and stability of services
that we provide to adult educators, resulting in a negative impact on
service delivery to our adult education customers.
Therefore, to ensure continuity and stability of LINCS services, we
plan to hold competitions during FY 2014 for the LINCS Resource
Collection contract and the LINCS technology services contract, both
new contracts to begin in FY 2015. We then plan to issue in FY 2015 a
LINCS RPDC notice inviting applications for new awards for a three-year
period to begin in FY 2016. This proposed one-year extension of the
LINCS RPDC project period will ensure seamless technical assistance
service delivery to our adult education customers.
If the waiver of 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2) that we propose in
this notice is announced by the Department in a final notice, the
requirements applicable to continuation awards for current LINCS RPDC
grantees and the requirements in section 75.253 of EDGAR would apply to
any continuation awards sought by current LINCS RPDC grantees.
If we announce this proposed waiver and extension of the project
period as final, we would make continuation awards based on information
that each grantee had provided, indicating that it is making
substantial progress performing its LINCS RPDC grant activities based
on the requirements in the notice inviting applications, and based on
the regulations in 34 CFR 75.253.
Any activities to be carried out during the continuation year must
be consistent with, or be a logical extension of, the scope, goals, and
objectives of each grantee's application as approved in the FY 2011
LINCS RPDC competition. Under this proposed waiver and extension, the
project period for current LINCS RPDC grantees would be extended
through FY 2015.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension of
the project period and the activities required to support the
additional year of funding would not have a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities. The small entities that
would be affected by this proposed waiver and extension of the project
period are the four currently-funded LINCS RPDC grantees and any
potential eligible applicants for the LINCS RPDC grants.
The proposed waiver and extension of these current projects would
involve minimal compliance costs, and the activities required to
support the additional year of funding would not impose additional
regulatory burdens or require unnecessary Federal supervision.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This notice of proposed waiver and extension of the project period
does not contain any information collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
The LINCS RPDC program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental
Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the
application package for this competition.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
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Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9253(2)(H).
Dated: March 7, 2014.
Brenda Dann-Messier,
Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-05431 Filed 3-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P