[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1472-1473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-270]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Submission of Data by State Educational Agencies; Submission 
Dates for State Revenue and Expenditure Reports for Fiscal Year (FY) 
2011, Revisions to Those Reports, and Revisions to Prior Fiscal Year 
Reports

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of 
Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces dates for the submission by State 
educational agencies (SEAs) of expenditure and revenue data and average 
daily attendance statistics on ED Form 2447 (the National Public 
Education Financial Survey (NPEFS)) for FY 2011. The Secretary sets 
these dates to ensure that data are available to serve as the basis for 
timely distribution of Federal funds. The U.S. Census Bureau is the 
data collection agent for the National Center for Education Statistics 
(NCES). The data will be published by NCES and will be used by the 
Secretary in the calculation of allocations for FY 2013 appropriated 
funds.

DATES: SEAs can begin submitting data on January 30, 2012. The deadline 
for the final submission of all data, including any revisions to 
previously submitted data for FY 2010 and FY 2011, is August 15, 2012. 
Any resubmissions of FY 2010 or FY 2011 data by SEAs in response to 
requests for clarification or reconciliation, or other inquiries, by 
NCES or the Census Bureau must be completed by Tuesday, September 4, 
2012. All outstanding data issues must be reconciled or resolved by the 
SEAs, NCES, and the Census Bureau prior to September 4, 2012.
    Addresses and Submission Information: SEAs may mail ED Form 2447 
to: U.S. Census Bureau, Attention: Governments Division, Washington, DC 
20233-6800.
    SEAs may submit data via the World Wide Web (``Web'') using the 
interactive survey form at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ccdnpefs. The 
Web form includes a digital confirmation page where a pin number can be 
entered. A successful entry of the pin number serves as a signature by 
the authorizing official. A certification form also can be printed from 
the Web site, and signed by the authorizing official and mailed to the 
Governments Division of the Census Bureau, at the address listed in the 
previous paragraph. This signed form must be mailed within five 
business days of Web form data submission.
    Alternatively, SEAs may hand-deliver submissions by 4 p.m. (Eastern 
Time) to: Governments Division, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, Suitland, MD, 20746.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jumaane Young, NPEFS Project 
Manager or an NPEFS team member (Census Bureau), Email: 
[email protected]. Telephone: 1-(800) 437-4196 or (301) 763-
3481. If

[[Page 1473]]

you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-(800) 877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact 
disc) on request to: Stephen Q. Cornman, Project Director, National 
Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. 
Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208-5651. Telephone: (202) 
502-7338.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of section 153(a)(1)(I) 
of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. 9543, which 
authorizes NCES to gather data on the financing of education, NCES 
collects data annually from SEAs through ED Form 2447. The report from 
SEAs includes attendance, revenue, and expenditure data from which NCES 
determines a State's ``average per-pupil expenditure'' (SPPE) for 
elementary and secondary education, as defined in section 9101(2) of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) 
(20 U.S.C. 7801(2)).
    In addition to using the SPPE data as general information on the 
financing of elementary and secondary education, the Secretary uses 
these data directly in calculating allocations for certain formula 
grant programs, including, but not limited to, the Title I, Part A of 
the ESEA; Impact Aid; and Indian Education programs. Other programs, 
such as the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program under 
Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and the 
Teacher Quality State Grants program (Title II, Part A of the ESEA), 
make use of SPPE data indirectly because their formulas are based, in 
whole or in part, on State Title I, Part A allocations.
    By mid-January, the Census Bureau, acting as the data collection 
agent for NCES, will email to SEAs ED Form 2447 with instructions and a 
request that SEAs commence submitting FY 2011 data to the Census Bureau 
on January 30, 2012. SEAs are urged to submit accurate and complete 
data by March 15, 2012, to facilitate timely processing. Submissions by 
SEAs to the Census Bureau will be analyzed for accuracy and returned to 
each SEA for verification. All data, including any revisions to FY 2010 
and FY 2011 data, must be submitted to the Census Bureau by an SEA not 
later than August 15, 2012. Any resubmissions of FY 2010 or FY 2011 
data by SEAs in response to requests for clarification or 
reconciliation, or other inquiries, by NCES or the Census Bureau must 
be completed by Tuesday, September 4, 2012. Between August 15, 2012, 
and September 4, 2012, States may also, on their own initiative, 
resubmit data to resolve data issues not addressed in their final 
submission of NPEFS data by August 15, 2012. All outstanding data 
issues must be reconciled or resolved by the SEAs, NCES, and the Census 
Bureau prior to September 4, 2012.
    In order to facilitate timely submission of data, the Census Bureau 
will send reminder notices to SEAs in June and July of 2012.
    Having accurate and consistent information on time is critical to 
an efficient and fair allocation process and to the NCES statistical 
process. To ensure timely distribution of Federal education funds based 
on the best, most accurate data available, NCES establishes, for 
allocation purposes, August 15, 2012, as the final date by which the 
NPEFS Web form or ED Form 2447 must be submitted. Any resubmissions of 
FY 2010 or FY 2011 data by SEAs in response to requests for 
clarification or reconciliation, or other inquiries, by NCES or the 
Census Bureau must be completed through the NPEFS Web form or ED Form 
2447 by Tuesday, September 4, 2012. If an SEA submits revised data 
after the final deadline that result in a lower SPPE figure, its 
allocations may be adjusted downward or the Department may direct the 
SEA to return funds. SEAs should be aware that all of these data are 
subject to audit and that if any inaccuracies are discovered in the 
audit process, the Department may seek recovery of overpayments for the 
applicable programs.

    Note: The following are important dates in the data collection 
process for FY 2011:


 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 30, 2012.......................  SEAs can begin to submit
                                          accurate and complete data for
                                          FY 2010 and FY 2011.
March 15, 2012.........................  SEAs are urged to have finished
                                          submitting accurate and
                                          complete data for FY 2010 and
                                          FY 2011.
August 15, 2012........................  Mandatory final submission date
                                          for FY 2010 and FY 2011 data.
September 4, 2012......................  Response by SEAs to response to
                                          requests for clarification,
                                          reconciliation or other
                                          inquiries by NCES or the
                                          Census Bureau. All data issues
                                          to be resolved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If an SEA's submission is received by the Census Bureau after 
August 15, 2012, the SEA must show one of the following as proof that 
the submission was mailed on or before that date:
    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.
    4. Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.
    If the SEA mails ED Form 2447 through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Secretary does not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    1. A private metered postmark.
    2. A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

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

    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 is 
available via the Federal Digital System at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 
At this site you can 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). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat 
Reader, which is available free at this site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Authority:  20 U.S.C. 9543.

    Dated: January 5, 2012.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2012-270 Filed 1-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P