[Federal Register: October 30, 1995 (Volume 60, Number 209)]
[Notices]
[Page 55245-55246]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Bilingual Education: Comprehensive School Grants
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority for fiscal year (FY) 1996 and
following years.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Secretary announces a priority for FY 1996 and following
years under the Bilingual Education: Comprehensive School Grants
program authorized in title VII of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, as amended (the Act). The Secretary takes this
action to implement a provision of the Act by focusing Federal
financial assistance on an identified national need. The priority is
intended to provide financial assistance to those local educational
agencies (LEAs) or LEAs in collaboration with institutions of higher
education (IHEs), community-based organizations (CBOs), other LEAs, or
a State educational agency (SEA) proposing projects that will serve
schools with significant concentrations of limited English proficient
(LEP) students.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority takes effect November 29, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Richey or Alex Stein, U.S.
Department of Education, 600 Independence Ave., SW., Room 5090, Switzer
Building, Washington, DC 20202-6510. Telephone: Rebecca Richey at (202)
205-9717 or Alex Stein at (202) 205-5713. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 7114(a) of the Act, the
purpose of the Comprehensive School Grants
[[Page 55246]]
Program is to assist LEAs or LEAs in collaboration with IHEs, CBOs,
other LEAs, or an SEA to implement schoolwide bilingual education
programs or special alternative instructional programs for reforming,
restructuring, and upgrading all relevant programs and operations,
within an individual school, that serve virtually all LEP children and
youth in schools with significant concentrations of these children and
youth.
Under this final priority, LEAs are eligible for funding if the
proposed project serves only schools in which the number of LEP
students, in each school served, equals at least 25 percent of the
total student enrollment. By using a 25 percent threshold the Secretary
is targeting those schools in which LEP students constitute a major
portion of the school population. The Secretary chose a percentage
threshold, rather than a number threshold, in order to include schools
with small student enrollments. Using the 25 percent threshold, the
Department estimates that approximately 4,400 schools would be eligible
to participate under this program. The estimate is based on data from
the Descriptive Study of Services to LEP Students conducted by
Development Associates, Inc., in 1993.
On March 2, 1995 the Secretary published a notice of proposed
priority for this program in the Federal Register (60 FR 11866).
Note: This notice of final priority does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition
will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.
Analysis of Comments and Changes
In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notice of proposed
priority, one party submitted a comment. An analysis of this comment
follows. The Secretary has made no changes in this priority since
publication of the notice of proposed priority.
Comment: The commenter expressed concern that States with small
populations and rural districts would be unable to participate in the
Comprehensive School Grants Program because they could not reach the
threshold percentage. The commenter maintained that States that receive
large influxes of immigrants are less likely to need Federal assistance
because of existing services or resources for their LEP children and
youth or because they have been past recipients of Federal assistance.
The commenter also noted that small States must serve LEP students, but
may not have existing services or the resources necessary to serve
them.
Discussion: Because the Comprehensive School Grants Program is
required by its authorizing statute to serve LEP children and youth in
schools with significant concentrations of these children and youth,
the Secretary, in order to implement the program, had to determine what
constitutes a ``significant concentration.'' By using a percentage to
measure a significant concentration rather than a numeric measurement,
the Secretary has made it possible for schools with small student
enrollments, but a significant percentage of LEP students, to meet the
priority. The Secretary believes that a 25 percent threshold targets
those schools that need to serve LEP children and youth who are a major
portion of a school's population.
Changes: None.
Priority
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and section 7114(a) of the Act, the
Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the
following priority. The Secretary funds under this competition only
applications that meet this absolute priority:
Projects that serve only schools in which the number of LEP
students, in each school served, equals at least 25 percent of the
total student enrollment.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The objective of the
Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for
this program. Program.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.290 Bilingual
Education: Comprehensive School Grants)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7424.
Dated: October 23, 1995.
Dang T. Pham,
Acting Director, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-26755 Filed 10-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P