[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2310-2311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-926]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Local Government Finances (School Systems)

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 March 17, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 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 J. Meade, U.S. Census Bureau, Governments 
Division, Washington, DC 20233-6800 (301-763-7316).

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 
reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the 
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), 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 four 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 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 collection is identical to the previous collections except 
that the section on revenue from federal sources through the state 
government is updated to accommodate the collection of data related to 
the reauthorization of the Elementary-Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by 
the No Child Left Behind Act.

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 via e-mail and 
over the Internet via file transfer protocol (FTP). 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: 4180.
    Estimated Time Per Response: .97 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4038.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $73,492.
    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

[[Page 2311]]

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: January 10, 2003.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-926 Filed 1-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P