[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30056-30057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11636]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Local Government Finances (School Systems), Forms F-33, 
F-33-1, F-33-L1, F-33-L2, and F33-L3

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
5027, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via 
the Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Sharon Meade, Bureau of the Census, Governments 
Division, Washington, DC 20233-6800. Her telephone number is 301-457-
1563.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau collects education finance data as part of its 
Annual Survey of State and Local Governments. This survey is the only 
comprehensive source of public fiscal data collected on a nationwide 
scale using uniform definitions, concepts and procedures. The 
collection covers the revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets of all 
public school systems. This data collection has been coordinated with 
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES uses this 
collection to satisfy its need for school system level finance data.
    Information on the finance of our public schools is vital to 
assessing their effectiveness. This data collection makes it possible 
to access a single data base to obtain information on such things as 
per pupil expenditures and the percent of state, local, and federal 
funding for each school system. Recently, as exemplified by the 
establishment of the America 2000 education goals, there has been 
increased interest in improving the Nation's public schools. One result 
of this intensified interest has been a significant increase in the 
demand for school finance data.
    The five forms used in the school finance portion of the survey 
are:
    Form F-33. This form contains item descriptions and definitions of 
the elementary-secondary education finance items collected jointly by 
the Census Bureau and NCES. It is used primarily as a worksheet by the 
state education agencies that provide school finance data centrally for 
all of the school systems in their respective states. Most states 
supply their data by electronic means.
    Form F-33-1. This form is used at the beginning of each survey 
period to solicit the assistance of the state education agencies. It 
establishes the

[[Page 30057]]

conditions by which the state education agencies provide their school 
finance data to the Census Bureau.
    Form F-33-L1. This is a supplemental letter sent to the school 
systems in states where the state education agencies cannot provide 
information on the assets of individual school systems.
    Form F-33-L2. This is a supplemental letter sent to the school 
systems in states where the state education agency cannot provide 
information on the indebtedness of individual school systems.
    Form F-33-L3. This is a supplemental letter sent to the school 
systems in states where the state education agency cannot provide 
information on either indebtedness or assets. This letter combines the 
items requested on the forms F-33-L1 and F-33-L2.
    The data to be collected is identical to the previous collections 
except as follows: The request for indebtedness information (Forms F-
33-L2 and F-33-L3) is added because some state education agencies have 
been deleting this information from their data bases. Others have not 
been editing this information or following up when the school systems 
fail to report this information to the state.
    New special processing items have been added for state payments 
made on behalf of the school systems in the areas of textbooks, and 
transportation. These items will make it possible for expenditure data 
to be more accurately reported at the functional level.

II. Method of Collection

    Through central collection arrangements with the state education 
agencies, the Census Bureau collects almost all of the finance data for 
local school systems from state education agency data bases. The states 
transfer most of this information in electronic format on microcomputer 
disks and over the Internet. The Census Bureau has facilitated central 
collection of school finance data by accepting data in whatever formats 
the states elect to transmit.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0700.
    Form Number: F-33, F-33-1, F-33-L1, F-33-L2, F-33-L3.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: State and local governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3500.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 1.1 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,737.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: 8,013.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., sections 161 and 181.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(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 respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    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.

    Dated: May 4, 2000.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-11636 Filed 5-9-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P