[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7931-7934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2174]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools; Overview Information; Life 
Skills for State and Local Prisoners; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards Using Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Funds for FY 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.255A

Dates: Applications Available: February 15, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 3, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 31, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: State or local correctional agencies and State 
or local correctional education agencies.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,662,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $315,000-$475,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $388,500.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 12.


    Note: On October 28, 2005, the President submitted a request to 
Congress to rescind (cancel) the funds that would otherwise be 
available for grant awards under this competition. The rescission 
request is still pending.


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


    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners 
Program provides financial assistance for establishing and operating 
programs designed to reduce recidivism through the development and 
improvement of life skills necessary for reintegration of adult 
prisoners into society.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority 
is from the statute for this program (20 U.S.C. 1211-2).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2006, this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:

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    Grants for projects that assist State or local correctional 
agencies and State or local correctional educational agencies in 
establishing and operating programs designed to reduce recidivism 
through the development and improvement of life skills necessary for 
reintegration of adult prisoners into society.

    Program Authority: Section 601 of P.L. 102-73, the National 
Literacy Act of 1991 (20 U.S.C. 1211-2 (1991)), as incorporated by 
the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2005 (P.L. 108-447 
at 118 Stat. 3145).

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.(b) The regulations for this program 
in 34 CFR part 490.4.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,662,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $315,000-$475,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $388,500.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 12.


    Note: On October 28, 2005, the President submitted a request to 
Congress to rescind (cancel) the funds that would otherwise be 
available for grant awards under this competition. The rescission 
request is still pending.


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


    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: State or local correctional agencies and 
State or local correctional education agencies.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: 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 84.255A. You may also download 
the application from the Department of Education's Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in this section 
VII. of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: February 15, 
2006. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 3, 2006.
    Applications under this grant competition may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information about how to 
submit your application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery, 
please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this 
notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 31, 
2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications
    We have been accepting applications electronically through the 
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on 
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government wide 
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2006. Life Skills for State and Local 
Prisoners--CFDA 84.255A is one of the programs included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this 
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Life Skills for 
State and Local Prisoners at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search 
for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA 
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

[[Page 7933]]

     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include: (1) Registering your 
organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization 
Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your 
organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-
step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You must also provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete and you must have completed all registration steps to allow 
you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including all 
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to 
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative 
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich 
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type 
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password 
protected file, we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an 
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, 
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the 
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a 
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.


    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA 84.255A), 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260, or
    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA 84.255A), 7100 
Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.


    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA 84.255A), 550 
12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 
20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays.


    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (SF 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of 
the competition under which you are submitting your application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are as follows:


    Note: The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. 
The maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion 
is indicated in parentheses.

    (1) Significance (20 points)--In determining the significance of 
the

[[Page 7934]]

proposed project, the following factors are considered:
    (a) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to yield 
findings that may be utilized by other appropriate agencies and 
organizations.
    (2) Quality of the Project Design (35 points)--In determining the 
quality of the design of the proposed project, the following factors 
are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach for meeting statutory purposes and requirements.
    (c) The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating 
the proposed project will result in information to guide possible 
replication of project activities or strategies, including information 
about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the 
project.
    (d) The extent to which the proposed project will establish 
linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing 
services to the target population.
    (3) Quality of Project Services (15 points)--In determining the 
quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the 
following factors are considered:
    (a) The quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal 
access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members 
of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (b) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective 
practice.
    (c) The likely impact of the services to be provided by the 
proposed project on the intended recipients of those services.
    (4) Quality of the Management Plan (10 points)--In determining the 
quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the following 
factors are considered:
    (a) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (b) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (5) Quality of the Project Evaluation (20 points)--In determining 
the quality of the evaluation, the following factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measure for assessing the effectiveness of 
the Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners Program:
    The number of prisoners who attain measurable gains in one or more 
of the life skill domains taught under the Life Skills project. This 
measure reflects the Department's indicator of success for this 
program. Consequently, applicants for a grant under this program are 
advised to give careful consideration to this measure in 
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation of their proposed project. 
If funded, applicants will be asked to collect and report data to the 
Department about this measure in their final report.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carlette Huntley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E216, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 205-7943: or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 program contact person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. 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 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: February 9, 2006.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E6-2174 Filed 2-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P