[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 170 (Thursday, August 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52999-53000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-22246]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.264B]


Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs (RCEP): Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

    Purpose of Program: To support training centers that serve either a 
Federal region or another geographical area and provide for a broad, 
integrated sequence of training activities that focus on meeting 
recurrent and common training needs of employed rehabilitation 
personnel throughout a multi-State geographical area.
    Eligible Applicants: State and public or nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher 
education.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 16, 2000.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: December 18, 2000.
    Applications Available: September 1, 2000.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$39,629,000 for the Training Program for FY 2001, of which an estimated 
$1,500,377 would be allocated for this competition. 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 before the end of the fiscal year, if Congress appropriates 
funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $475,000--$501,486.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $499,000.
    Maximum Awards By Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) 
Region: Consistent with EDGAR 34 CFR 75.104(b), it is the practice of 
the Assistant Secretary to reject any application that proposes a 
project funding level for any year that exceeds the stated maximum 
award amount for that year.

                  Maximum Level of Awards By RSA Region
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Region V.....................................................   $501,486
Region VII...................................................    499,916
Region IX....................................................    498,975
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Reasonable Accommodation Language: The Assistant Secretary will 
consider, and may fund, requests for additional funding as an addendum 
to an application to reflect the costs of reasonable accommodations 
necessary to allow individuals with disabilities to be employed on the 
project as personnel on project activities.

                       Estimated Number of Awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Region V.....................................................          1
Region VII...................................................          1
Region IX....................................................          1
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: Applications under CFDA No. 84.264B (Community 
Rehabilitation Program/Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program) 
are invited for the provision of training for Department of 
Education Regions V, VII and IX, only. The Department is not bound 
by any estimates in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Page Limit: Part III of the application, the application narrative, 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria used by 
reviewers in evaluating the application. You must limit Part III to the 
equivalent of no more than 45 pages, using the following standards:
    (1) A page is 8.5 inches by 11 inches, on one side only with 1 inch 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    (2) You must 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.
    If you use a proportional computer font, you may not use a font 
smaller than a 12-point font or an average character density greater 
than 18 characters per inch. If you use a nonproportional font or a 
typewriter, you may not use more than 12 characters per inch.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, 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.

[[Page 53000]]

    If, in order to meet the page limit, you use print size, spacing, 
or margins smaller than the standards specified in this notice, we will 
not consider your application for funding.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86; and (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR 
parts 385 and 389.
    Selection Criteria: The Assistant Secretary will use the selection 
criteria in 34 CFR 385.31 and 389.30 to evaluate applications under 
this program (These selection criteria will appear in the application 
package). The maximum score for all the criteria is 100 points; 
however, the Assistant Secretary will also use the following criterion 
so that up to an additional ten points may be earned by an applicant 
for a total possible score of 110 points.
    Within the Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program, we will 
give the following competitive preference under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) 
to applications that are otherwise eligible for funding under this 
competition.
    Up to ten (10) points based on the extent to which an application 
includes effective strategies for employing and advancing in employment 
qualified individuals with disabilities in projects awarded under this 
competition. In determining the effectiveness of those strategies, we 
will consider the applicant's prior success, as described in the 
application, in employing and advancing in employment qualified 
individuals with disabilities.
    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 via its web site (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html) 
or its E-mail address ([email protected]).
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-8351. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternate format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary C. Lynch, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3322 Switzer Building, Washington, DC 
20202-2649. Telephone: (202) 205-8291. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) 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 contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

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 PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free 
at either of the previous sites. 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 a 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: 29 U.S.C. 772.

    Dated: August 25, 2000.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 00-22246 Filed 8-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P