[Federal Register: May 24, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 99)] [Notices] [Page 27969-27971] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr24my99-48] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Intent To Repay the Connecticut Department of Education; Funds Recovered as a Result of a Final Audit Determination AGENCY: Department of Education. ACTION: Notice of intent to award grantback funds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Under section 459 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), the Secretary of Education (Secretary) intends to repay to the Connecticut Department of Education, an amount equal to 75 percent of the $146,760.00 of previously disallowed funds recovered by the U.S. Department of Education under the terms of a May 29, 1996, settlement agreement. This notice describes the State's plan for the use of repaid funds and the terms and conditions under which the Secretary intends to make those funds available. The notice invites comments on the proposed grantback. DATES: All comments must be received on or before June 23, 1999. ADDRESSES: All comments concerning the portion of the grantback that provides funds under the former Chapter 1 Handicapped Program should [[Page 27970]] be addressed to Ruth Ryder, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3609, Mary E. Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-6135. Comments may also be sent through the Internet to: ruth__ryder@ed.gov. Commenters must include the term ``grantback comment'' in the subject line of any electronic message. All comments concerning the portion of the grantback that provides funds under the Migrant Education Program (MEP) should be addressed to Francisco Garcia, Director, Office of Migrant Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-6135. Comments may also be sent through the Internet to: franscisco__garcia@ ed.gov. Commenters must include the term ``grantback comment'' in the subject line of any electronic message. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For the former Chapter 1 Handicapped Program, Martin Benton, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, (Mary E. Switzer Building, Room 3615), Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone: (202) 205-9028. For the MEP, Delores Warner, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW (FOB-6, Room 3W330), Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone: (202) 260-1941. Individuals who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TTD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8349. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer disk) on request to the contact persons listed in the preceding paragraph. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Background The Department has recovered $146,760 from the Connecticut Department of Education (Connecticut) in satisfaction of claims arising under program determination letters (PDLs) issued on March 31, 1992 (Connecticut I) (Audit Control Number 01-03261G) and March 24, 1994 (Connecticut II) (Audit Control Number 01-23237). These funds were recovered under the terms of a settlement agreement, entered into between Connecticut and the Department on May 29, 1996, which resolved both these audit determinations. Under the first PDL, Connecticut I, the Department's PDL demanded a refund in the amount of $575,329 for violations of applicable requirements in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87 in fiscal years 1988 and 1989 relating to recordkeeping for employees with multi-program responsibilities. Funds were disallowed for the following programs: Bilingual Education State Grant ($94,134); Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Migrant Education State Formula Grant ($108,385); Chapter 1 of the ECIA Education for Disadvantaged, State Administration ($36,120); Chapter 2 of the ECIA ($263,605); Part B of the Education of the Handicapped Act ($29,272); and Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities ($43,910). Based on documentation that Connecticut submitted after it filed its application for review of this PDL with the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), the Department withdrew its claim relating to Chapter 2 of the ECIA ($263,605) and the Bilingual Education State Grant program ($94,134). With the withdrawal of these two claims, the amount at issue in Connecticut I was reduced from $575,329 to $217,590. Under the terms of the May 29, 1996, settlement agreement, the Department recovered from Connecticut $82,500 of these funds. Connecticut has requested a grantback of 75 percent of this amount, or $61,875. The grantback application specifies that these funds will be used under the Migrant Education Program (Title I, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)), as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act, which has superseded the former ECIA. Under the second PDL, Connecticut II, the Department's PDL demanded a refund of $558,162 for similar recordkeeping violations in fiscal years 1990 and 1991 relating to the following Federal programs: Bilingual Education State Grant program ($100,566); Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act ($3,133); Chapter 1 Handicapped ($201,438); Chapter 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) ($234,640); and Handicapped Special Studies ($18,385). Based on documentation that Connecticut submitted after it filed its application for review of this PDL with the OALJ, the Department withdrew its claims relating to Chapter 2 of the ESEA ($234,640) and the Bilingual Education State Grant program ($100,566). With the withdrawal of these two claims, the amount at issue in Connecticut II was reduced from $558,162 to $222,956. Under the terms of the May 29, 1996, settlement agreement, the Department recovered from Connecticut $64,260. Connecticut has requested a grantback of 75 percent of this amount, or $48,195. The SEA's grantback application specifies that these funds will be used under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which now encompasses the Chapter 1 Handicapped program--one of the programs covered by the recovery of funds. B. Authority for Awarding a Grantback Section 459(a) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1234h(a), provides that whenever the Secretary has recovered program funds following a final audit determination, the Secretary may consider those funds to be additional funds available for the program and may arrange to repay to the recipient affected by that determination an amount not to exceed 75 percent of the recovered funds. The Secretary may enter into a grantback agreement arrangement if the Secretary determines that the-- (1) Practices or procedures of the recipient that resulted in the audit determination have been corrected, and the recipient is, in all other respects, in compliance with the applicable program; (2) The recipient has submitted to the Secretary a plan for the use of the funds to be awarded under the grantback arrangement that meets the requirements of the program, and to the extent possible, benefit the population that was affected by the failure to comply or by the misexpenditures that resulted in the audit exception; and (3) Use of funds to be awarded under the grantback arrangement in accordance with the recipient's plan would serve to achieve the purposes of the program under which the funds were originally granted. C. Plan for Use of Funds Awarded Under a Grantback Agreement Pursuant to section 459(a)(2) of GEPA, the SEA has applied for a grantback of $110,070 which is 75 percent of the principal amount recovered by the Department and has submitted a plan for use of the grantback funds to meet the special education needs of both children served under the MEP and Part B of the IDEA. Specifically, the SEA has applied for a grantback of $61,875 of recovered MEP funds and $48,195 of recovered Chapter 1--Handicapped Program funds. According to the plan, Connecticut will utilize the funds to provide additional services to the Title I migrant education summer programs located in urban school districts--Bridgeport, Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Waterbury and [[Page 27971]] Windham--that have been identified as priority districts because of academic need. These funds will benefit a population (eligible migrant children) that is similar to the population affected by the misexpenditures that resulted in the recovery of funds. According to the plan, Connecticut will utilize the recovered Chapter 1 Handicapped Program funds to enhance transition services for secondary age youth with disabilities. This program will benefit a similar population (secondary age youth with disabilities) to the population that was affected by the misexpenditures that resulted in the recovery of funds. Specifically, 30 students with disabilities will be selected to participate in a program that is designed to provide work experience opportunities for young adults with disabilities to assist them in defining appropriate career directions. These funds will be expended consistent with the requirements of Part B of the IDEA, this supplemental program will serve the population of students that was eligible for services under the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program. D. The Assistant Secretaries' Determinations The Assistant Secretaries have carefully reviewed the application and plan that Connecticut submitted. Based upon that review, the Assistant Secretaries have determined that the conditions set forth in GEPA have been met. These determinations are based upon the best information available to the Assistant Secretaries at the present time. If this information is not accurate or complete, the Assistant Secretaries may take other appropriate administrative action. In finding that the conditions of section 459 of GEPA have been met, the Assistant Secretaries make no determination concerning any pending audit recommendations or final audit determinations. E. Notice of the Secretary's Intent To Enter Into a Grantback Arrangement Section 459(d) of GEPA requires that at least 30 days before entering into an arrangement to award funds under a grantback, the Secretary must publish in the Federal Register a notice of intent to do so, and the terms and conditions under which payment would be made. In accordance with section 459(d) of GEPA, notice is hereby given that the Secretary intends to make funds available to Connecticut under a grantback arrangement. The grantback award would be in the amount of $110,070; $61,875 for funds recovered under the MEP and $48,195 for funds recovered under the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program. F. Terms and Conditions Under Which Payment Under a Grantback Arrangement Would Be Made Connecticut agrees to comply with the following terms and conditions under which payment under a grantback arrangement would be made: (1) The funds awarded under the grantback must be spent in accordance with-- (a) All applicable statutory and regulatory requirements; (b) The plan that Connecticut submitted and any amendments to that plan that are approved in advance by the Secretary; (c) The budget that was submitted with the plan and any amendments to the budget that are approved in advance by the Secretary. (2) All funds received under the grantback arrangement must be obligated by September 30, 1999, in accordance with Section 459(c) of GEPA and Connecticut's plan. (3) Connecticut will, no later than December 31, 1999, submit a report that-- (a) Indicates that the funds awarded under the grantback have been spent in accordance with the proposed plan and approved budget; and (b) Describes the results and effectiveness of the project for which the funds were spent. (4) Separate accounting records must be maintained documenting the expenditure of funds awarded under the grantback arrangement. Electronic Access to This Document You may review this document, as well as other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF) on the World Wide Web at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html To use the PDF you must first have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have any questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office, 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.011, Migrant Education Program (ESEA, Title I, Part C); and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 84.027, Special Education-Grants to States (IDEA, Part B)) Dated: May 17, 1999. Judith Johnson, Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. Judith E. Heumann, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. [FR Doc. 99-13086 Filed 5-21-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-U