[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52248-52249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21286]
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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 School System Finances.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0700.
Form Number(s): F-33, F-33-L1, F-33-L2, F-33-L3.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Number of Respondents: 3,709.
Average Hours per Response: 1.02 hours.
Burden Hours: 3,789.
Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES), requests an extension of approval for the Annual Survey of
School System Finances, OMB Number 0607-0700. 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.
These data are collected from the universe of school districts
using uniform definitions and concepts of revenue, expenditure, debt,
and assets as defined by the Financial Accounting for Local and State
School Systems. This survey and the Annual Surveys of State and Local
Government Finances (OMB No. 0607-0585) are conducted as part of the
Census Bureau's State and Local Government Finance program. 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 2012, public elementary-secondary expenditures
accounted for 33.6 percent of local government spending.
This comprehensive and ongoing, time series collection of local
education agency finances maintains historical continuity in the state
and local government statistics community. Elementary-secondary
education related spending is the single largest financial activity of
state and local governments. Education finance statistics provided by
the Census Bureau allow for analyses of how public elementary-secondary
school systems receive and spend funds. Increased focus on education
has led to a demand for data reflecting student performance, graduation
rates, and school finance policy--all of which are related to the
collection of this local education finance data. 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 Census Bureau uses an announcement letter and form to collect
state and local government public education finance data. We mail the
letter electronically to respondents at the beginning of each survey
period soliciting the assistance of the state education agencies (SEAs)
in providing data centrally for their public school systems. The letter
officially announces the opening of the collection period and requests
administrative data, such as estimated date of submission, changes to
reporting format from prior year, and updated contact information for
the state coordinator. Census Bureau staff use the response to this
letter to plan for the processing of state education agency data
submissions. The form (F-33) contains the elementary-secondary
education finance items. In practice, this form serves more as a data
processing guide rather than as a data collection instrument. The
Census Bureau relies heavily on collecting this public school system
finance data centrally from state education agencies. All states
provide significant amounts of these data centrally to the Census
Bureau via the Internet using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Supplemental forms are sent to school systems in states where the state
education agency cannot provide information on assets (F-33-L1),
indebtedness (F-33-L2), or both (F-33-L3).
The Census Bureau facilitates central collection by accepting
states' data in one of two formats. Currently, 21 states provide the
Census Bureau electronic copies of state-specific detailed education
finance data files. The Census Bureau maintains programs for converting
these data from the state agency format to the Census Bureau F-33
format. Thirty states reformat state-specific data files into the
Census Bureau's format prior to submitting the data electronically to
the Census Bureau.
The education finance data collected and processed by the Census
Bureau are an essential component of the agency's state and local
government finance collection and provide unique products for users of
education finance data.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses data from the survey to
develop figures for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). F-33 data items
specifically contribute to the estimates for National Income and
Product Accounts (NIPA), 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 disseminated
comprehensive and comparable public fiscal data since 1902. School
finance data, which comprised 33.6 percent of all local government
spending in 2012, is currently incorporated into the local government
statistics reported on the Annual Surveys of State and Local Government
Finances. The report 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 detailed files for all school
systems from
[[Page 52249]]
its Internet Web site, www.census.gov/govs/school. That Web site
currently contains data files and statistical tables for the 1992
through 2012 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 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 NCES use these annual data 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,
NCES uses F-33 education finance files to publish annual reports on the
fiscal state of education.
Affected Public: State, local, or Tribal government.
Frequency: Annually.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., sections 8(b), 161 and 182; and
title 20 U.S.C., sections 9543-44.
This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce
collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.
Dated: August 24, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-21286 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P