[Federal Register: February 21, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 35)]
[Notices]
[Page 8014-8015]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21fe02-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.358]
Small, Rural School Achievement Program and Rural and Low-Income
School Program
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice announcing acceptability of Alternative Average Daily
Attendance (ADA) data and establishing state deadline for submission of
ADA and other eligibility and allocation data.
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SUMMARY: Part B of Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) authorizes the Secretary of Education to award funds under
two grant programs that are designed to address the unique needs of
rural school
[[Page 8015]]
districts--the Small, Rural School Achievement Program (section 6212)
and the Rural and Low-Income School Program (section 6221). Under the
Small, Rural School Achievement Program, the Secretary awards grants
directly to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) on a formula
basis. Under the Rural and Low-Income School Program, the Secretary
awards formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in
turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs either competitively or by
formula. If a State chooses not to participate in the Rural and Low-
Income School Program, the Secretary awards grants directly to eligible
LEAs in that State.
The Department has prepared an Excel spreadsheet and instructions
for SEAs to use in submitting the data needed to determine an LEA's
eligibility for an award and allocations under the programs. These
documents are available on the Department's Web site at http://
www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/reap.html.
In this notice, the Department (1) announces that, for the first
year of funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program and
the Rural and Low-Income Program, it will accept alternative average
daily attendance data that are consistent with the definition in
section 6231(a) of the ESEA; and (2) establishes a deadline by which
States may submit LEA eligibility data and allocation data for the
programs.
Average Daily Attendance Data: An LEA's eligibility for funding
under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program, as well as the
amount of its grant award, is based, in part, on the number of students
in average daily attendance (ADA) in the schools of the LEA. ADA data
also affect an LEA's eligibility under the Rural and Low-Income Program
because an LEA may not receive an award under that program if it is
eligible for funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program.
Furthermore, ADA data are used to determine the amount of each State's
allocation under the Rural and Low-Income Program.
Section 6231(a) of the ESEA states that for purposes of the rural
education programs, not later than December 1 of each year, an LEA must
``conduct a census to determine the number of students in average daily
attendance in kindergarten through grade 12 at the schools served by
the agency.'' This provision further requires that the ADA data be
submitted no later than March 1 of each year. Thus, an ADA submission
for the first year of the rural education programs should be based on a
census conducted by December 1, 2001. The Secretary recognizes that not
all SEAs or LEAs determine ADA on the basis of a census. Given that the
legislation authorizing the rural education programs was enacted on
January 8, 2002, a date after the period in which the initial census
should have been conducted, for the purposes of determining FY 2002
eligibility and allocations under these programs the Department will
accept alternative ADA data that are consistent with the statutorily
required data (e.g., ADA data that are based on a percentage of
enrollment).
Deadline for State Submission of ADA and Other Data: The
legislation requires LEAs desiring a grant under either rural education
program to submit ADA data to the Department by March 1 of each year
(ESEA section 6231(a)(2)). A State must submit ``such information as
the Secretary may reasonably require'' before receiving its allocation
under the Rural and Low-Income Program (ESEA section 6223(a)). The
Department is requesting that SEAs submit ADA data on behalf of their
LEAs as well as other data needed to determine eligibility and to make
allocations under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program and the
Rural and Low-Income Program in order to (1) ensure maximum LEA
participation in all States in both programs; (2) assist LEAs in
demonstrating eligibility for funding and in providing data necessary
to determine LEA and SEA allocations under the programs; (3) facilitate
the process by which the Department makes awards; and (4) ensure that
SEAs and LEAs receive their funds on a timely basis. SEAs should submit
the data electronically on the Excel spreadsheet referenced above.
Although the legislation states that ADA data are to be submitted
by March 1, given that this is the first year of the program and that
the period of time between the date of enactment of the legislation and
the ADA submission date is so short, the Department is extending the
deadline for submission of ADA data for this year. The Department will
permit States to submit, through April 1, 2002, ADA and other data that
the Department needs to determine eligibility and allocations under the
rural education programs. All of the relevant data are specified on the
Excel spreadsheet and accompanying instructions. To avail itself of
this extension, an SEA must notify the Department by March 1, 2002,
that it cannot submit the applicable data by March 1, but that it will
provide this information by April 1, 2002 or an earlier specified date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Charles Lovett, Group Leader.
Telephone: (202) 401-0039 or via Internet: charles.lovett@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed above.
Electronic Access To This Document: You may view this document, as
well as other Department of Education documents published in the
Federal Register in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll-free, at
1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official version of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: Sections 6201 through 6234 of the ESEA, as
amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 107-110).
Dated: February 15, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-4234 Filed 2-20-02; 8:45 am]
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