[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 216 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60255-60262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29401]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs--Office of Indian Education Programs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Information Collection Request 
for Student Transportation Mileage Form OMB # 1076-0134 requires 
renewal. The proposed information collection requirement, with no 
appreciable changes, described below will be submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 350 (c) (2) (A). 
The Bureau is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be mailed to Director, Office of Indian 
Education Programs, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, 1849 C St. NW, Mail Stop 3512-MIB, Washington, DC 20240, or 
hand delivered to room 3512 at the above address.
    All written comments will be available for public inspection in 
Room 3543 of the Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, 
D.C. from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dalton J. Henry or Keener Cobb, Bureau 
of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 
3512, Washington, D.C. 20240, 202-208-3550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The information collection is needed to collect transportation 
mileage for Bureau funded schools for the purpose of allocating 
transportation funds.

II. Method of Collection

    The Student Transportation regulations under 25 CFR Subpart H 
contain the program eligibility and criteria which govern the 
allocation of transportation funds. Information collected from the 
schools will be used to determine rate per mile.

III. Data

    (1) Title of the Collection of Information: Office of Indian 
Education Programs Indian School Equalization Program--Student 
Transportation. OMB Number: 1076-0134; Expiration Date: September 31, 
1997; Type of Review: Renewal of a currently approved information 
collection.
    (2) Summary of the Collection of Information: The collection of 
information provides pertinent data concerning the schools' bus 
transportation mileage to determine funding for school transportation.
    (3) Affected Entities: Contract and Grant Schools and Bureau 
operated schools.
    (4) Description of the need for the information and proposed use of 
the information: Submission of this information is required in order to 
receive funds for student transportation. The information is collected 
to determine rate per mile from 185 schools and to allocate funds.
    (5) Description of likely respondents, including the estimated 
number of likely respondents, and proposed frequency of response to the 
collection of information: Description of likely respondents: Tribal 
schools administrators; Estimated number of respondents: 105; Proposed 
frequency of responses: Annually, during student count week.
    (6) Estimate of total annual reporting and record keeping burden 
that will result from the collection of information: 263 hours; 
Reporting 2.5 hours/response x 105 respondents=263 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours=263 hours.
    Estimated Annual Costs: $5,450.00 (2.5 hours x 105 x $20.00).

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IV. Request for Comments

    The Department of the Interior invites comments on: (a) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agencies' estimate of 
the burden (including the hours and cost) of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumption 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide 
information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed 
to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize 
technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information, to search data sources, to 
complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a 
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: October 17, 1997.
Ada E. Deer,
Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs.

OMB # 1076-0134
Expiration Date (      )

Office of Indian Education Programs Indian School Equalization Program 
(ISEP) Student Transportation

    Transportation forms must be certified (signed and dated) by the 
school principal and education line officer. Do not forward to 
Washington, DC, without the two required signatures. All transportation 
forms are due in Washington, DC, on or before the first week in 
November after the count week.
    For each School Year, student transportation funds will be 
allocated to schools based on the following guidelines. Although, all 
transportation forms are due in Washington, DC, during the first week 
in November, after the count week, schools are to forward 
transportation forms to their respective Education Line Officer by 
Friday the first week in October after the count week. The Education 
Line Officer will certify the Transportation Program during the 
certification of the student membership count.

Rates Per Mile

    A single rate will be used for all ground transportation miles. 
Since we are limited by the amount reflected in the Budget Fiscal Year 
(BFY) budget request, the rate per mile cannot be ascertained until we 
know the actual total miles reported for the School Year after the 
count week. The rate in BFY 1996-97 was $1.60 per mile.
    Mileage for after school programs such as athletics, band, 
detention and/or study hall, and extra curricular activities, such as 
arts and crafts programs, are considered part of the instructional 
program and not eligible for ISEP transportation funding.
    Mileage for all day and boarding students to attend instructional 
programs less than full time at locations other than the school 
reporting the transportation mileage are considered part of the 
instructional program and are not eligible for ISEP transportation 
funding.

Day School Students

    Do not use transportation time as instruction time to meet the 
minimum required hours for academic funding.
    For each vehicle, report the following:
    1. The total mileage separately by vehicle number.
    2. Mileage from point of origin (school, home of bus driver, etc.) 
to students' homes or pick up points and return to school.
    3. Mileage for vehicles that are used for several routes during one 
morning or afternoon, with no break in service, by recording only the 
beginning and ending odometer reading.
    4. Mileage for each of the five days of count week, rounded to one 
decimal point. Funding will be based on the average of the Tuesday, 
Wednesday, and Thursday mileage.
    Funds shall be allocated to each school which provides daily 
transportation of students between the students' residences (or other 
traditional pick up points on the reservation) and the school site. The 
following formula was used for the computation of funds in BFY 1996-97 
and will apply for BFY 1997-98 funding computation.
    Average number of miles traveled by all buses on one day (including 
pick up and return, excluding field trips and extra curricular 
activities).

 x 180 days of school 
=Annual student transportation miles.
 x Rate per mile 
=Transportation funding for day school students

    A route, is from point of origin (school, home of bus driver, etc.) 
to students' homes or pick up points and return to school.
    A run is one or more routes by a vehicle in the morning or the 
afternoon when there is no break in the transportation of students to 
and from school. Vehicle transportation size means the number of 
passengers the bus holds.

Boarding School Students

    Funds shall be allocated to each boarding school to provide for 
students' arrival at school in the Fall, round trip home at Christmas, 
and their return home at the end of the school year, using the 
following formula:
    Actual number of miles traveled by all buses or other vehicles to 
get students to school at the beginning of the year.
 x 4 one way trips per year 
= Annual student transportation miles
 x Rate per mile 
= Transportation funding for boarding school students.

    Note that the rate is calculated against vehicle miles rather than 
miles per student. DO NOT REPORT ONE-WAY MILEAGE BY FOUR. To receive 
funding, a school must transport students.

Peripheral Dormitory Students

    If OIEP provides transportation to the public school, the day 
school student calculation may be used. Additionally, the boarding 
school student calculation shall be used to provide the student's 
transportation between home and peripheral dormitory, but the dormitory 
must transport students to receive funding.

Air Miles

    A student may be flown to and from school, at the discretion of the 
Education Line Officer, and the school will be reimbursed on the 
following formula:
    Actual one way air fare at the most economical rate to the 
Government
 x Actual one way trips per year (not to exceed four)
= Transportation funding for air miles

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    Ground mileage from airport arrival to school may be added to 
boarding school student mileage.
    Schools may be reimbursed for actual chaperon expenses, excluding 
salaries, during the transportation of students to and from home at the 
beginning of school year, Christmas, and end of the school year.

Unimproved Roads

    Because of road conditions, annual student transportation miles on 
unimproved roads reported by schools are weighted by a factor of 1.2 
before multiplying by the standard rate per mile.
    For ISEP funding, unimproved roads are dirt roads that have not had 
sand, gravel, shale, or other materials applied, and do not have 
drainage ditches and/or shoulders.
    Paper Reduction Act: The Student Transportation information is 
being collected to obtain a benefit, and will be used to determine 
funding. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in 
accordance with Public Law 95-531. Public reporting burden for this 
collection is estimated to average 2.5 hours per response, including 
the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, 
and completing and reviewing the form.

Billing Code 4310-02-P

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[FR Doc. 97-29401 Filed 11-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-C