Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A [OESE]

[Federal Register: February 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 32)]
[Notices]
[Page 7630-7634]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16fe07-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Overview
Information; Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A.

DATES: Applications Available: February 16, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 1, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs) in which at
least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families
with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent
satisfactory data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time
this notice is published. These data are Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates for school districts for income year 2004. A list of LEAs
with their family poverty rates (based on these Census Bureau data) is
posted on our Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$19,486,000 for this program for FY 2007. The actual level of funding,
if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may
make additional awards in FY 2008 from the list of unfunded applicants
from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000--$300,000.

Note: Actual award amounts will be based on the number of
schools and students served by the project.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $190,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Up to 12 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this 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.
Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for
this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
Register.
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2007, and any subsequent
year in which we make awards based on the lists of unfunded
applications from this competition, this priority is a competitive
preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an
additional 5 points to an application, depending on how well the
application meets this priority.
Under this priority, we give priority to projects that demonstrate
in their grant applications that the proposed literacy project 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.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final clarification of
eligible local activities, published in the Federal Register on April
5, 2004 (69 FR 17894). (c) The notice of final priority, published
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$19,486,000 for this program for FY 2007. The actual level of funding,
if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications now to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the
availability of

[[Page 7631]]

funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may make additional
awards in FY 2008 from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000-$300,000.

Note: Actual award amounts will be based on the number of
schools and students served by the project.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $190,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs in which at least 20 percent of the
students served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the
poverty line based on the most recent satisfactory data available from
the U.S. Census Bureau at the time this notice is published. These data
are Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for school districts for
income year 2004. A list of LEAs with their family poverty rates (based
on these Census Bureau data) is posted on our Web site at:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching but does involve supplement-not-supplant funding
provisions. Funds made available under this program must be used to
supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds
expended to carry out activities relating to library, technology, or
professional development activities (20 U.S.C. 6383(i)).

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package: You may obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet use the following
addresses: http://www.grants.gov or http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/applicant.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call
(toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.364A.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact
person listed under section VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this program. An
Eligibility Form is included in the application package. You must fill
out the Eligibility Form, following the instructions provided in the
application package.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 15 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11''; on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part VI,
the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must
include all of the application narrative in Part III. Charter schools
and State administered schools must include some form of documentation
from their State educational agency (SEA) confirming eligibility for
this program. This documentation is not counted toward the page limit.
Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other
standards. Appendices to the narrative are not permitted, with the
exception of resumes and endnotes. None of the material sent as
appendices to the narrative, with the exception of resumes and
endnotes, will be sent to the reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: February 16, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 2007.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under For Further Information Contact.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 1, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants
under the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program, CFDA
Number 84.364A must be submitted electronically using the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http//http://www.Grants.gov. Through
this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application
package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions.

[[Page 7632]]

Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is provided later in this section
under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Improving
Literacy Through School Libraries program at http://www.Grants.gov. You
must search for the downloadable application package for this program
by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in
your search (e.g., search for 84.364, not 84.364A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your
application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system
later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline
date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify
you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp
). These steps include (1)

registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your

application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Education Assistance (SF 424), the Department
of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--
Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed
elsewhere in this notice under For Further Information Contact and
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and

[[Page 7633]]

No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Irene Harwarth, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W227,
Washington, DC 20202-6200, Fax: (202) 260-8969; or Miriam Lund, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W258,
Washington, DC 20202-6200, Fax: (202) 260-8969.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail
(through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), your
application to the Department. You must mail the original and two
copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the applicable following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.364A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.364A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you
(or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the
Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.364A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from section 1251 of the ESEA and 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows. The
maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum
score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. We evaluate an
application by determining how well the proposed project meets the
following criteria:
(a) Meeting the purpose of the statute (5 points). How well the
proposed project addresses the intended outcome of the statute: To
improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing
students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials;
a well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media center;
and well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
(b) Need for school library resources (5 points). How well the
applicant demonstrates the need for school library media improvement,
based on the age and condition of school library media resources,
including book collections; access of school library media centers to
advanced technology; and the availability of well-trained,
professionally certified school library media specialists, in schools
served by the applicant.
(c) Use of funds (40 points). How well the applicant will use the
funds made available through the grant to carry out one or more of the
following activities that meet its demonstrated needs:
(1) Acquiring up-to-date school library media resources, including
books.
(2) Acquiring and using advanced technology, incorporated into the
curricula of the school, to develop and enhance students' skills in
retrieving and making use of information and in critical thinking.
(3) Facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks
among schools and school library media centers, and public and academic
libraries.
(4) Providing professional development (as described in the notice
of final clarification of eligible local activities published in the
Federal Register on April 5, 2004 (69 FR 17894)) for school library
media specialists that is designed to improve literacy in grades K-3,
and for school library media specialists as described in section
1222(d)(2) of the ESEA and providing activities that foster increased
collaboration between school library media specialists, teachers, and
administrators.
(5) Providing students with access to school libraries during non-
school hours, including the hours before and after school, during
weekends, and during summer vacation periods.
(d) Quality of the management plan (20 points). In determining the
quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary
considers the adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
(e) Broad-based involvement and coordination (20 points). How well
the

[[Page 7634]]

applicant will extensively involve school library media specialists,
teachers, administrators, and parents in the proposed project
activities and effectively coordinate the funds and activities provided
under this program with other literacy, library, technology, and
professional development funds and activities.
(f) Evaluation of quality and impact (10 points). How well the
applicant will collect and analyze data on the quality and impact of
the proposed project activities, including the extent to which the
availability of, the access to, and the use of up-to-date school
library media resources in the elementary schools and secondary schools
served by the applicant increase; and the impact of the project on the
reading skills of students.
2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider
in selecting an application for an award is the equitable distribution
of grants across geographic regions and among LEAs serving urban and
rural areas.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary.
4. Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance
and Results Act (GPRA), the Department developed two measures for
evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Improving Literacy Through
School Libraries program. These measures gauge improvement in student
achievement and resources in the schools and districts served by the
Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program by assessing
increases in: (1) The percentage of participating schools and districts
that exceed State adequate yearly progress targets under ESEA Title I
for reading achievement for all students; and (2) The school library
media collections at participating schools, compared to schools not
participating in the program.
The Department will collect data for these measures from grantees'
final performance reports and other data sources.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Irene Harwarth, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W227, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-3751 or by e-mail: Irene.Harwarth@ed.gov, or
Miriam Lund, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3W258, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 401-2871 or by
e-mail: Miriam.Lund@ed.gov.
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 program contact persons listed in this
section.

VIII. Other Information

Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (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.

Dated: February 13, 2007.
Raymond Simon,
Deputy Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. E7-2821 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P