[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 243 (Monday, December 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71264-71266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32920]



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Part VI





Department of Education





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21st Century Community Learning Centers Program; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 243 / Monday, December 20, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFEDA No. 84.287]


21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

AGENCY: Department of Education

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 2000.

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    Purpose of Program: The 21st Century community Learning Centers 
Program was established by Congress to award grants to rural and inner-
city public schools, or consortia of such schools, to enable them to 
plan, implement, or expand projects that benefit the educational, 
health, social services, cultural and recreational needs of the 
community School-based community learning centers can provide a safe, 
drug-free, supervised and cost-effective after-school, weekend or 
summer haven for ch8ildren, youth and their families.
    For fiscal year (FY) 2000 we encourage applicants to design 
projects that focus on the invitational priority in the PRIORITIES 
section of this application notice.
    Eligible Applicants: Only rural or inner-city public elementary or 
secondary schools, consortia of those schools, or LEAs applying on 
their behalf, are eligible to receive a grant under the 21st Century 
Community Learning Centers Program. An LEA considering serving more 
than one school is encouraged to submit a consortium application on 
their behalf. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the statutory 
program purpose as being either a ``rural'' or ``inner-city'' school or 
a consortium of such schools.
    Applications Available: December 20, 1999.
    Deadline For Transmittal of Applications: March 20, 2000.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 19, 2000.
    Available Funds: Approximately $185,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $35,000--$2,000,000, depending on the 
number of Centers included in each grant application.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards; $375,000, for a grant that will 
support 3 Centers. The average funding for a single Center is $125,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 350-500, but the actual number will 
depend on how many awards will assist multiple Centers.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months. Please note that all applicants 
for multi-year awards are required to provide detailed budget 
information for the total grant period requested. The Department will 
negotiate at the time of the initial award the funding levels for each 
year of the grant award.

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

    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria reviewers 
use to evaluate your application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to 
limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 20 pages.
    Applicable Regulations; (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99, (b) the regulations in 34 CFR part 299.

Priorities

    The Absolute Priority and Competitive Priority 1 in the notice of 
final priorities for this program published in the Federal Register on 
December 2, 1997 (62 FR 63773) and repeated below, apply to this 
competition. In addition we give preference to applications that meet 
Competitive Priority 2 (34 CFR 75.105(c) (2) (ii) and 34 CFR 299.3(a)).

Absolute Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet 
the absolute priority in the next paragraph.
    Activities To Expand Learning Opportunities: We fund only those 
applications for 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants that 
include, among the array of services required and authorized by the 
statute, activities that offer significant expanded learning 
opportunities for children and youth in the community and that 
contribute to reduced drug use and violence.

Invitational Priority

    Within the absolute priority, Activities to Expand Learning 
Opportunities, we are particularly interested in applications that meet 
the following invitational priority.
    Projects in which schools (elementary, middle, or high schools, or 
some combination) and community-based organizations collaborate to plan 
and provide services in communities with conditions associated with 
high drop-out rates, such as high poverty, weak economic and community 
infrastructures, large or growing numbers of limited English proficient 
students and adults, and low levels of parental education.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give to an application that 
meets the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference 
over other applications.

Competitive Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we give preference to applications 
that meet one or both of the competitive priorities in the next two 
paragraphs.
Competitive Priority 1
    Projects designed to assist students to meet or exceed State and 
local standards in core academic subjects such as reading, mathematics 
or science, as appropriate to the needs of the participating children. 
We award up to five (5) points for projects that address this priority. 
These points are in addition to the 100 points an application may earn 
under the selection criteria that will be included in the application 
package.

    Note: It is our experience that successful applicants address 
the needs of potential drop-outs and students otherwise at risk of 
academic failure, including students living in poverty and students 
with limited English proficiency.
Competitive Priority 2
    Projects that will use a significant portion of the program funds 
to address substantial problems in an Empowerment Zone, including a 
Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise Community designated by 
the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the 
United States Department of Agriculture. We select an application that 
meets this priority over an application of comparable merit that does 
not meet this competitive priority.

    Note: A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment 
Zones and Enterprise Communities is published as an appendix to this 
notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 21st Century Community Learning Centers 
Program is authorized under Title X, Part I (20 U.S.C. 8241 et seq.) of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Grantees under this program 
are required to carry out at least four of the activities listed in 
section 10905 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
8245), as listed below:
    (1) Literacy education programs;
    (2) Senior citizen programs;
    (3) Children's day care services;
    (4) Integrated education, health, social service, recreational, or 
cultural programs;
    (5) Summer and weekend school programs in conjunction with 
recreation programs;
    (6) Nutrition and health programs;
    (7) Expanded library service hours to serve community needs;
    (8) Telecommunications and technology education programs for 
individuals of all ages;

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    (9) Parenting skills education programs;
    (10) Support and training for child day care providers;
    (11) Employment counseling, training, and placement;
    (12) Services for individuals who leave school before graduating 
from secondary school, regardless of the age of such individual; and
    (13) Services for individuals with disabilities.
    Applicants should propose an array of inclusive and supervised 
services that include extended learning opportunities (such as 
instructional enrichment programs, tutoring, or homework assistance) 
but may also include recreational, musical and artistic activities; 
opportunities to use advanced technology, particularly for those 
community members who do not have access to computers or 
telecommunications at home. Grants awarded under this program may be 
used to plan, implement, or expand community learning centers.
    Geographic distribution: In awarding grants, the Secretary assures 
an equitable distribution of assistance among the States, among urban 
and rural areas of a State, and among urban and rural areas of the 
United States.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Clyburn, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5W240, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 260-3804. E-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

FOR APPLICATIONS CONTACT: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. 
Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (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: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.287.
    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 person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8241-8247.

    Dated: December 15, 1999.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.

Appendix--Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities

Empowerment Zones (EZ)

California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Ana, Riverside County
Connecticut: New Haven
Florida: Miami
Georgia: Atlanta, Cordele
Illinois: Chicago, East St. Louis, Ullin
Indiana: Gary, East Chicago
Kentucky: Kentucky Highlands (Clinton, Jackson, and Wayne Counties)
Maryland: Baltimore
Massachusetts: Boston
Michigan: Detroit
Minnesota: Minneapolis
Mississippi: Mid-Delta (Bolivar, Holmes, Humpreys, LeFlore, 
Sunflower, Washington Counties)
Missouri/Kansas: Kansas City, Kansas City
New York: Harlem, Bronx
North Dakota: Lake Agassiz
Ohio: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus
Ohio/West Virginia: Ironton/Huntington
Pennsylvania/New Jersey: Philadelphia, Camden
South Carolina: Columbia/Sumter
South Dakota: Oglala Sioux Reservation in Pine Ridge
Tennessee: Knoxville
Texas: Houston, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, 
and Willacy Counties)
Virginia: Norfolk/Portsmouth

Enterprise Communities (EC)

Alabama: Birmingham, Chambers County, Greene County, Sumter County
Arizona: Arizona Border (Cochise, Santa Cruz and Yuma Counties), 
Phoenix, Window Rock
Arlamsas: East Central (Cross, Lee, Monroe and St. Francis 
Counties), Mississippi County, Pulaski County
California: Imperial County, Los Angeles, Huntington, Park, San 
Diego, San Francisco, Bayview, Hunter's Point, Watsonville, Orange 
Cove
Colorado: Denver
Connecticut: Bridgeport, New Haven
Delaware: Wilmington
District of Columbia: Washington
Florida: Jackson County, Miami, Dade County, Tampa, Immokalee
Georgia: Albany, Central Savannah River (Burke, Hancock, Jefferson, 
McDuffie, Taliafero, and Warren Counties), Crisp County, Dooley 
County
Georgia: Albany, Central Savannah River (Burke, Hancock, Jefferson, 
McDuffie, Taliafero, and Warren Counties), Crisp County, Dooley 
County
Hawaii: Kaunakakai
Illinois: East St. Louis, Springfield
Indiana: Indianapolis, Austin
Iowa: Des Moines
Kansas: Leoti
Kentucky: Louisville, Bowling Green
Louisiana: Macon Ridge (Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Morehouse, 
and Tensas Parishes), New Orleans, Northeast Louisiana Delta 
(Madison Parish), Ouachita Parish
Maine: Lewiston
Massachusetts: Lowell, Springfield
Michigan: Five Cap, Flint, Muskegon, Harrison
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul
Mississsippi: Jackson, North Delta Area (Panola, Quitman, and 
Tallahatchie Counties)
Missouri: East Prairie, St. Louis
Montana: Poplar
Nebraska: Omaha
Nevada: Clarke County, Las Vegas
New Hampshire: Manchester
New Jersey: Newark
New Mexico: Albuquerque, La Jicarita (Mora, Rio Arriba, Taos 
Counties), Deming
New York: Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Buffalo, Newburgh, Kingston, 
Rochester
North Carolina: Charlotte and Edgecombe, Halifax, Robeson, and 
Wilson Counties
Ohio: Akron, Columbus, Greater Portsmouth (Scioto County)
Oklahoma: Choctaw and McCurtain Counties, Oklahoma City, Ada
Oregon: Josephine County, Portland
Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Lock Haven, Pittsburgh, Uniontown
Rhode Island: Providence
South Carolina: Charleston, Williamsburg, Florence County, 
Hallandale
South Dakota: Beadle, Spink Counties
Tennessee: Fayette, Haywood Counties, Memphis, Nashville, Rutledge
Tennessee/Kentucky: Scott, McCreary Counties
Texas: Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Waco, Uvalde
Utah: Ogden

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Vermont: Burlington
Virginia: Accomack (Northhampton County), Norfolk
Washington: Lower Yakima County, Seattle, Tacoma, Collie
West Virginia: Charleston, Huntington, McDowell County, West Central 
Appalachia (Braxton, Clay, Fayette, Nicholas, and Roane Counties)
Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Keshena
[FR Doc. 99-32920 Filed 12-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M