FR Doc E6-21754
[Federal Register: December 20, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 244)]
[Notices]
[Page 76280-76281]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20de06-58]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
proposes a priority under the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries Program. The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2007 and later years. We take this
action to allow for the best use of Federal funding to improve school
library media centers in low-income communities. We intend for this
priority to help strengthen the connection between school libraries and
the instructional programs in these schools and districts.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before January 19, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to Irene
Harwarth, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
3W227, Washington, DC 20202-6200. If you prefer to send your comments
through the Internet, use the following address: lslcomments@ed.gov.
You must include the term ``Comments on FY 2007 LSL Priority'' in the
subject line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Harwarth at (202) 401-3751 or
Miriam Lund at (202) 401-2871. If you use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-
800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific requirements
of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of reducing
regulatory burden that might result from this proposed priority. Please
let us know of any further opportunities we should take to reduce
potential costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the
effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed priority in room 3W227, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact one of the persons
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
General
The purpose of the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
Program is to improve student reading skills and academic achievement
by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school
library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school
library media centers; and well-trained, professionally certified
school library media specialists. Entities eligible for funding are
local educational agencies (LEAs) in which 20 percent of the students
served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the poverty
line. These entities include public school districts, and may also
include charter schools, regional service agencies, and State-
administered schools that are considered public school districts by
their State educational agency. Grantees use this funding to update
their school library media center collections, improve technology and
Internet access for their school library media centers, extend the
hours of their school library media centers, and provide professional
development for school library media specialists.
Background of the Priority
This program has been in existence for four years. Over this four-
year period, we have found that the most successful projects are
similar in the following two ways: (1) They have provided a
comprehensive array of services (such as extended library hours and
professional development); and (2) they have had significant support
from principals, teachers, and parents.
Based on what we know to be successful practice, we seek to
establish a priority that more closely links the proposed project to
the school and district through alignment with a school or district
improvement plan. We also intend that this priority will encourage
applicants to offer a comprehensive array of allowable program
services.
We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting
applications we designate each priority as absolute, competitive
preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of priority
follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent
to which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that
does not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over
other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priority
Proposed Priority
Under this proposed priority, we would give priority to projects
that demonstrate in their grant applications that the proposed literacy
project
[[Page 76281]]
services are comprehensive and aligned with a school or district
improvement plan. A school improvement plan may include the required
two-year plan (under section 1116(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001) that addresses the academic issues that caused a school to be
identified as in need of improvement. The plan could also include a
voluntary plan developed by the school or district to improve academic
achievement. The applicant must clearly describe the improvement plan
that is in place, whether it is for the school or the entire district,
the reasons why the plan was put in place, and how the proposed project
and the operation of the school library media center will directly
support the academic goals established in the improvement plan.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed priority
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priority, we have
determined that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the
costs.
We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Form (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/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 edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.364A Improving
Literacy Through School Libraries Program)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.
Dated: December 15, 2006.
Henry L. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-21754 Filed 12-19-06; 8:45 am]
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