[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2648-2650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00650]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Submission of Data by State Educational Agencies; Submission 
Dates for State Revenue and Expenditure Reports for Fiscal Year (FY) 
2013, 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.

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[[Page 2649]]

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces dates for State educational agencies 
(SEAs) to submit expenditure and revenue data and average daily 
attendance statistics on ED Form 2447 (the National Public Education 
Financial Survey (NPEFS)) for FY 2013, revisions to those reports, and 
revisions to prior fiscal year reports. 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 2015 appropriated 
funds.

DATES: SEAs can begin submitting data on Thursday, January 30, 2014. 
The deadline for the final submission of all data, including any 
revisions to previously submitted data for FY 2012 and FY 2013, is 
Friday, August 15, 2014. Any resubmissions of FY 2012 or FY 2013 data 
by SEAs in response to requests for clarification, reconciliation, or 
other inquiries by NCES or the Census Bureau must be completed as soon 
as possible but no later than Tuesday, September 2, 2014. All 
outstanding data issues must be reconciled or resolved by the SEAs, 
NCES, and the Census Bureau as soon as possible but no later than 
September 2, 2014.

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 online using the interactive survey form 
(NPEFS Web form) at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ccdnpefs. The NPEFS Web 
form includes a digital confirmation page where a personal 
identification number (PIN) may be entered. A successful entry of the 
PIN serves as a signature by the authorizing official. A certification 
form also may be printed from the Web site, signed by the authorizing 
official, and mailed to the Governments Division of the Census Bureau 
at the Washington, DC address provided above, no later than five 
business days of submission of the NPEFS Web form.
    Alternatively, SEAs may hand-deliver submissions by August 15, 
2014, at 4:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time) to: Governments Division, U.S. 
Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen Q. Cornman, NPEFS Project 
Director, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of 
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Telephone: (202) 502-
7338 or by email: [email protected]; or an NPEFS team member 
(Census Bureau). Telephone: 1-800-437-4196 or (301) 763-1571 or email: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

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, 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.
    In January 2014, the Census Bureau, acting as the data collection 
agent for NCES, will email to SEAs ED Form 2447, with instructions, and 
will request that SEAs commence submitting FY 2013 data to the Census 
Bureau on Thursday, January 30, 2014. SEAs are urged to submit accurate 
and complete data by Friday, March 14, 2014, to facilitate timely 
processing.
    Submissions by SEAs to the Census Bureau will be analyzed for 
accuracy and returned to each SEA for verification. SEAs must submit 
all data, including any revisions to FY 2012 and FY 2013 data, to the 
Census Bureau no later than Friday, August 15, 2014. Any resubmissions 
of FY 2012 or FY 2013 data by SEAs in response to requests for 
clarification, reconciliation, or other inquiries by NCES or the Census 
Bureau must be completed by Tuesday, September 2, 2014. Between August 
15, 2014, and September 2, 2014, SEAs may also, on their own 
initiative, resubmit data to resolve issues not addressed in their 
final submission of NPEFS data by August 15, 2014. All outstanding data 
issues must be reconciled or resolved by the SEAs, NCES, and the Census 
Bureau as soon as possible but no later than September 2, 2014.
    In order to facilitate timely submission of data, the Census Bureau 
will send reminder notices to SEAs in May, June, and July of 2014.
    Having accurate and consistent information on time is critical to 
an efficient and fair Department of Education allocation process and to 
the NCES statistical process. To ensure timely distribution of Federal 
education funds based on the best, most accurate data available, the 
Department of Education establishes, for program funding allocation 
purposes, Thursday, August 15, 2014, as the final date by which the 
NPEFS Web form or ED Form 2447 must be submitted.
    Any resubmissions of FY 2012 or FY 2013 data by SEAs in response to 
requests for clarification, 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 2, 2014. If an SEA submits revised data 
after the final deadline that result in a lower SPPE figure, the SEA's 
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 2013:
    January 30, 2014 SEAs can begin to submit accurate and complete 
data for FY 2013 and revisions to previously submitted data for FY 
2012.
    March 14, 2014 Date by which SEAs are urged to submit accurate 
and complete data for FY 2012 and FY 2013.
    August 15, 2014 Mandatory final submission date for FY 2012 and 
FY 2013 data to be used for program funding allocation purposes.
    September 2, 2014 Mandatory final deadline for responses by SEAs 
to requests for clarification, reconciliation, or other inquiries by 
NCES or the Census Bureau. All data issues must be resolved.


    If an SEA's submission is received by the Census Bureau after 
August 15, 2014, 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.

[[Page 2650]]

    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.

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities may obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to: Mr. Stephen Q. Cornman, 
NPEFS Project Director, National Center for Education Statistics, 
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7338 or email: [email protected].
    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 and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: 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: 
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 10, 2014.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2014-00650 Filed 1-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P