[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28526-28530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4575]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Charter 
School Program (CSP); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2006; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 16, 2006 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Charter School Program (CSP); Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.282N.

Dates:
    Applications Available: May 16, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 30, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 29, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) and local 
educational agencies (LEAs) in States with a State statute specifically 
authorizing the establishment of charter schools, and public and 
private non-profit organizations. Eligible applicants may also apply as 
a group or consortium.
    Estimated Available Funds: $6,900,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,500,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,150,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 6.

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

    Project Period: Up to three years.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the CSP is to increase national 
understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of 
high-quality charter schools available to students across the Nation by 
providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, and 
initial implementation of charter schools, and to evaluate the effects 
of charter schools, including their effects on students, student 
academic achievement, staff, and parents. Section 5205 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No 
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7221d), authorizes the 
Secretary to award grants under the CSP to carry out national 
activities.
    For FY 2006, the Department is holding a grant competition for 
national activities projects listed in section 5205(a) of the ESEA. 
Grants for national activities projects under the CSP are highly 
competitive. Applicants should make a well-reasoned and compelling case 
for the national significance of the problems or issues that will be 
the subject of the proposed project and of the approach the project 
would take to addressing those problems or issues.
    Priority: Under this competition we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following priority.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2006 this priority is an invitational 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that 
meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference 
over other applications.
    This priority is:
    The applicant proposes a project that enhances and expands a 
State's capacity to support high-quality charter schools in one or more 
geographic areas, particularly urban and rural areas, in which a large 
proportion or number of public schools has been identified for 
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under Title I, Part A 
of the ESEA. The proposed project demonstrates research and effective 
practices in building charter school capacity through (1) the alignment 
of curriculum models with State content standards to enable all 
students to meet challenging expectations for improving student 
academic performance; (2) the creation and dissemination of models for 
high-quality authorized public chartering agencies; (3) the improvement 
in the academic performance of African-American students, Hispanic 
students, students with disabilities, English language learners, or 
children from low-income families; (4) the recruitment, training, 
ongoing professional development, and retention of highly qualified 
teachers, including highly qualified mid-career professionals and 
recent college graduates who have not majored in education, as teachers 
in high-need charter schools as defined in section 2304(d)(3) of the 
ESEA; (5) the dissemination of models and best practices for chartering 
``restructured schools'' under Title I, Part A of the ESEA; or (6) the 
identification and replication of high-performing charter schools in 
high-need communities as defined in section 2151(e)(9)(B) of the ESEA.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 
80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply only to 
institutions of higher education.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 99 apply only to an 
educational agency or institution.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $6,900,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,500,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,150,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 6.

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

    Project Period: Up to three years.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs and LEAs in States with a State 
statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools, 
and public and private non-profit organizations. Eligible applicants 
may also apply as a group or consortium.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Dean Kern, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 260-1882 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 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 in this section.
    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 competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. The Secretary strongly 
encourages applicants to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more 
than 100 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations,

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references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The suggested 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.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 16, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 30, 2006.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 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. We do not consider an application that does not 
address the application requirements, selection criteria, and other 
required information outlined in the application package.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 29, 2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 
competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: An eligible applicant receiving a grant 
under this program may use the grant funds only for--
    (a) Access to Federal Funds. Disseminating information to charter 
schools about Federal funds that they are eligible to receive and 
Federal programs in which they may be eligible to participate and 
providing technical assistance to charter schools in applying for 
Federal education funds that are allocated by formula.
    (b) Research. Conducting evaluations or studies on various issues 
concerning charter schools, such as student achievement, teacher 
qualifications and retention, and the demographic makeup (e.g., age, 
race, gender, disability, limited English proficiency, and previous 
public or private school enrollment) of charter school students.
    (c) Technical Assistance and Planning. Assisting States and charter 
school developers with all aspects of planning, design, and 
implementing a charter school. Some areas in which newly created 
charter schools face challenges include program design, curriculum 
development, defining the school's mission, hiring staff, drafting 
charter applications, student recruitment and admissions, public 
relations and community involvement, governance, acquiring equipment 
and services, budget and finances, facilities, assessment and 
accountability, parental involvement, serving students with 
disabilities, and collaborating with other entities to provide high-
quality instruction and services.
    (d) Best or Promising Practices. Disseminating information on best 
or promising practices in charter schools to other public schools, 
including charter schools.
    (e) Facilities. Collecting and disseminating information about 
programs and financial resources available to charter schools for 
facilities, including information about successful programs and how 
charter schools can access private capital.
    We reference regulations outlining additional funding restrictions 
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements. Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants 
under the Charter School Program, CFDA Number 84.282N must be submitted 
electronically using 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.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Charter 
School Program 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:
     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 submission 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 program 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.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of 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

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Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8x11.pdf). You also must 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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information typically included on the Application for Federal 
Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. 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 Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: 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.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Dean Kern, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Fax: (202) 205-5630.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail 
(through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your 
application to the Department. 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 Number 84.282N, 
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 Number 84.282N, 
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 
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you 
(or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the 
Department by hand. You 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 Number 84.282N, 
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.

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    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 (ED 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

    Selection Criteria. The selection criteria for this competition are 
in 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows.
    In evaluating an application, the Secretary considers the following 
criteria:
    (1) Need for project (10 points). The Secretary considers the need 
for the proposed project. In determining the need for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed 
project will provide services or otherwise address the needs of 
students at risk of educational failure.
    (2) Significance (10 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers--
    (a) The national significance of the proposed project.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    (3) Quality of the project design (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the extent to which the goals, objectives, and 
outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified 
and measurable.
    (4) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the project personnel, the 
Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant encourages 
applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that 
have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors --
    (a) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    (b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience 
of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (5) Quality of the management plan (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers 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.
    (6) Quality of the project evaluation (30 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.

    Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the 
application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape 
the development of the project from the beginning of the grant 
period. The plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress 
toward specific project objectives and also outcome measures to 
assess the impact on teaching and learning or other important 
outcomes for project participants. More specifically, the plan 
should identify the individual and/or organization that has agreed 
to serve as evaluator for the project and describe the 
qualifications of that evaluator. The plan should describe the 
evaluation design, indicating: (1) What types of data will be 
collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) 
what methods will be used; (4) what instruments will be developed 
and when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of 
results and outcomes will be available; and (7) how the applicant 
will use the information collected through the evaluation to monitor 
progress of the funded project and to provide accountability 
information both about success at the initial site and effective 
strategies for replication in other settings. Applicants are 
encouraged to devote an appropriate level of resources to project 
evaluation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we will 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. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118. For specific requirements on grantee reporting, please 
go to the ED Performance Report Form 524B at http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The goal of the CSP is to support the 
creation and development of a large number of high-quality charter 
schools that are free from State or local rules that inhibit flexible 
operation, are held accountable for enabling students to reach 
challenging State performance standards, and are open to all students. 
The Secretary has set three performance measures to measure progress 
toward this goal: (1) The number of States, including the District of 
Columbia and Puerto Rico, with charter school laws, (2) the number of 
charter schools in operation around the Nation, and (3) the percentage 
of charter school students who are achieving at or above the proficient 
level on State examinations in mathematics and reading. Additionally, 
the Secretary has established the following measure to examine the 
efficiency of the CSP: Federal cost per student in implementing a 
successful school (defined as a school in operation for three or more 
years).
    All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance 
report documenting their contribution in assisting the Department in 
meeting these performance measures.

[[Page 28530]]

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Dean Kern, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, Washington, DC 
20202-5961. Telephone: (202) 260-1882 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: May 11, 2006.
Christopher J. Doherty,
Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 06-4575 Filed 5-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P