[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 110 (Friday, June 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32312-32313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12744]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Small, Rural School Achievement Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice announcing application deadline.

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    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 84.358A.

SUMMARY: Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program, the 
U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula 
basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the 
unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish 
the deadline for submission of fiscal year (FY) 2008 SRSA grant 
applications.
    An eligible LEA that is required to submit an application must do 
so electronically by the deadline in this notice. If it submits its 
application after this deadline, the LEA will receive a grant award 
only to the extent that funds are available after the Department awards 
grants to other eligible LEAs under the program.
    Application Deadline: June 30, 2008, 4:30 p.m. Washington, DC time.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Which LEAs Are Eligible for an Award Under the SRSA Program?

    An LEA is eligible for an award under the SRSA program if--
    (a) The total number of students in average daily attendance at all 
of the schools served by the LEA is fewer than 600, or each county in 
which a school served by the LEA is located has a total population 
density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile; and
    (b) All of the schools served by the LEA are designated with a 
school locale code of 7 or 8 by the Department's National Center for 
Education Statistics (using the NCES school locale methodology in place 
at the time of NCLB's enactment), or the Secretary has determined, 
based on a demonstration by the LEA and concurrence of the SEA, that 
the LEA is located in an area defined as rural by a governmental agency 
of the State.

Which Eligible LEAs Must Submit an Application To Receive a FY 2008 
SRSA Grant Award?

    An eligible LEA must submit an application to receive a FY 2008 
SRSA grant award if it falls under any of the following categories:
    1. The LEA never submitted an application for SRSA funds in any 
prior year;
    2. The LEA received an SRSA grant award for FY 2005 and, as of 
February 15, 2008, had not drawn down from the Department's Grant 
Administration and Payment System any of its FY 2005 SRSA funds; or
    3. The LEA received an SRSA grant award for FY 2006 and, as of 
March 31, 2008, had not drawn down from the Department's Grant 
Administration and Payment System any of its FY 2006 SRSA funds.
    Under the regulations in 34 CFR 75.104(a), the Secretary makes 
grants only to an eligible party that submits an application. Given the 
limited purpose served by the application under the SRSA program, the 
Secretary considers the application requirement to be met if the LEA 
submitted an SRSA application for any prior year and does not fall 
under any of the categories listed above requiring the submission of a 
new application. In this circumstance, unless the LEA advises the 
Secretary by the application deadline that it is withdrawing its 
application, the Secretary deems the application that the LEA 
previously submitted to remain in

[[Page 32313]]

effect for FY 2008 funding, and the LEA does not have to submit an 
additional application.
    We intend to provide, by May 23, 2008, a list of LEAs eligible for 
FY 2008 funds on the Department's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/index.html under the ``Eligibility'' hyperlink. The 
Web site will also indicate which of these eligible LEAs must submit a 
new application to the Department to receive their FY 2008 SRSA grant 
award, and which eligible LEAs are considered already to have met the 
application requirement.
    Eligible LEAs that must submit a new application in order to 
receive FY 2008 SRSA funds must do so electronically by the deadline 
established in this notice.

Electronic Submission of Applications

    An eligible LEA that is required to submit an application to 
receive FY 2008 SRSA funds must submit an electronic application by 
June 30, 2008, 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time. Submission of an 
electronic application involves the use of the Department's Electronic 
Grant Application System (e-Application) available through the 
Department's e-GRANTS system.
    You can access the electronic application for the SRSA Program at: 
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    Once you access this site, you will receive specific instructions 
regarding the information to include in your application.
    The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. 
Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until midnight, 
Saturday (Washington, DC time). Please note that the system is 
unavailable on Sundays, Federal holidays, and after 7 p.m. on 
Wednesdays for maintenance (Washington, DC time).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Eric Schulz, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E108, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 401-0039 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the FRS at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as other Department of Education documents 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 version of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7345-7345b.

    Dated: June 3, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-12744 Filed 6-5-08; 8:45 am]
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