[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55245-55246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26755]



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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.

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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