[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 196 (Thursday, October 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61099-61100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24094]



[[Page 61099]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Final Notice of Job Corps Center for Closure

AGENCY: Office of Job Corps, Employment and Training Administration 
(ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. 
Department of Labor (Department or DOL) issues this notice to announce 
its final decision to close the Treasure Lake Job Corps Center. The 
Office of Job Corps (OJC) in ETA published a proposed methodology for 
selecting centers for closure at 78 FR 2284 on January 10, 2013. Based 
on public comments received, the Office of Job Corps published a 
revised methodology for selecting centers for closure at 79 FR 36823 on 
June 30, 2014. Based on review of those comments, the Office of Job 
Corps published its final closure methodology and announced its 
proposed decision to close the Treasure Lake Job Corps Center at 79 FR 
51198 on August 27, 2014. A total of 13 public comments were received 
in response to the proposal to close Treasure Lake. After reviewing all 
comments, the Department has decided to close the Treasure Lake Job 
Corps Center.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lenita Jacobs-Simmons, Acting National 
Director, Office of Job Corps, ETA, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4463, Washington, DC 20210; Telephone 
(202) 693-3000 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with 
hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone number above via 
TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1 
(877) 889-5627 (TTY/TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Process for Selecting Job Corps Center for Closure

    On August 14, 2012, the Office of Job Corps hosted a national Job 
Corps listening session, via webinar, with the Job Corps community to 
solicit input on the methodology factors for selecting Job Corps 
centers for closure. More than 100 Job Corps stakeholders participated 
in the session and provided criteria-related suggestions in the areas 
of performance, geographic location, local economic impact, contract 
budgets, facilities, and the time period for evaluating chronic low 
performance.
    On January 10, 2013, OJC published a Federal Register Notice 
requesting public comments on a proposed methodology for selecting Job 
Corps centers for closure (78 FR 2284). A total of 18 public comments 
were received. As a result of analysis, OJC revised the methodology 
factors for selection of Job Corps centers for closure. OJC also 
proposed additional considerations for inclusion as factors in the 
methodology.
    On June 30, 2014, OJC published a second Federal Register Notice 
requesting public comments on a revised methodology for selecting Job 
Corps centers for closure (79 FR 36823). The comment period for the 
June 30, 2014 Federal Register Notice was open from June 30, 2014 to 
July 21, 2014. A total of 11 public comments were received. After 
reviewing these comments, OJC decided not to make any changes to the 
proposed methodology.
    On August 27, 2014, OJC published a third Federal Register Notice 
announcing the final methodology. Applying the methodology, Job Corps 
also announced its proposed decision to close the Treasure Lake Job 
Corps Center in Indiahoma, Oklahoma. The Notice further requested 
comments on the proposed decision to close Treasure Lake.
    The comment period for the August 27, 2014, Federal Register Notice 
was open from August 27, 2014, to September 26, 2014. Thirteen (13) 
public comments were received in response to the proposed decision to 
close Treasure Lake. OJC considered these comments in making its final 
decision to close Treasure Lake.
    The comments are summarized briefly and discussed below.
    Two commenters generally supported the Job Corps' decision to close 
Treasure Lake.
    One commenter criticized the methodology that Job Corps developed 
and applied in determining which center to close. Since commenters had 
ample time to discuss those issues in response to two previous Federal 
Register Notices, and because the August 27, 2014, FRN requested 
comments only on the proposed selection of Treasure Lake, we consider 
this comment to be out of scope and will not respond to it here.
    One commenter expressed their belief that Job Corps' decision 
ignores Congress' intent with respect to measuring and improving center 
performance as manifested in its passage of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (WIOA). As noted in the August 27, 2014, FRN, the 
actions available to Job Corps to improve performance under WIOA are 
consistent with those available under the Workforce Investment Act 
(WIA). Waiting until WIOA becomes effective on July 1, 2015, would 
adversely affect those students who may otherwise have the opportunity 
to attend a higher performing center. OJC believes that implementing 
reforms to the Job Corps program now while working toward successful 
implementation of WIOA will lead to the greatest improvement across the 
Job Corps system.
    Two commenters asserted that closing Treasure Lake would cost $10.5 
million and would be an inefficient use of Job Corps' resources. OJC 
cannot respond to the commenters' cost estimate because it is unclear 
how they developed it. More broadly, OJC is focused on the longer-term 
cost efficiencies that will result from achieving better results for 
current and future Job Corps students with the limited funds available.
    The same commenters argued that Program Year 2013 data shows that 
Treasure Lake's successful placement of graduates in full time 
employment upon graduation and those graduates' high job retention 
rates indicate that Treasure Lake is not a poorly performing center. 
However, these commenters point only to three of the fifteen measures 
that comprise Treasure Lake's Outcome Measurement System (OMS) score. 
On the remaining twelve measures Treasure Lake was in the bottom 
quintile of performance for eleven of them. In addition, Treasure 
Lake's PY 2013 OMS score was a full seven percentage points lower than 
its PY 2012 OMS score. Accordingly, OJC had no basis to conclude that 
Treasure Lake's overall performance in PY 2013 constituted significant 
performance improvement such that it should have been exempt from 
closure.
    One commenter expressed concern that there was not sufficient 
opportunity for stakeholder input. OJC disagrees. As discussed above, 
in addition to holding a broadly attended listening session with all 
potentially affected stakeholders, the Department published three 
separate Federal Register Notices, including two specifically 
requesting comments on the proposed methodology to which the public, 
including stakeholders, could provide substantive comments.
    One commenter asserts, based on Senate Report 112-176, that 
Congress mandated for Job Corps to exhaust all options to improve a 
center before closing it, which, it asserts, OJC had not done in this 
case. Job Corps disagrees with the commenter's assertion, and believes 
that Treasure Lake has been given ample opportunity to demonstrate 
sustained performance improvement. In

[[Page 61100]]

addition, as the referenced report, Senate Report 112-176, was a report 
on proposed but never enacted legislation we disagree that it provides 
evidence of Congress' intent on this matter.
    The same commenter expressed their opinion that Treasure Lake has 
not been on its Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for sufficient time 
to make performance improvement. OJC disagrees that additional time and 
resources will lead to improved performance. Despite having been on a 
PIP and having received assistance for at least the past two years, 
Treasure Lake's performance has dramatically decreased. Between PY 2011 
and PY 2013, Treasure Lake's OMS score has decreased more than 18 
percentage points, from 94.5% to 76%. To OJC, this performance decline 
indicates that additional resources should not be expended to attempt 
to improve performance. Balanced against the lost opportunity for 
current and future students to attend a higher performing center, OJC 
believes that closing Treasure Lake achieves the best outcome for the 
program.
    Several commenters generally expressed their opinion, based on 
their experience at the center, the opportunities that the center 
provides for troubled youth, and the impact that the center has on the 
broader community, that Job Corps should not close Treasure Lake. The 
core mission of Job Corps is to train students to become more 
employable, responsible, and productive citizens, and we believe that 
we will advance this mission by closing Treasure Lake and enhancing 
opportunities for current and future students at higher performing 
centers.
    Finally, one comment was received that is outside the scope of the 
requested response, and was therefore not considered.

Job Corps Center Selected for Closure and the Closure Process

    Based on its application of the closure methodology as described in 
the August 27, 2014, Federal Register Notice and OJC's consideration of 
the comments received in response to the August 27, 2014, Federal 
Register Notice, OJC has decided to close the Treasure Lake Job Corps 
Center.
    OJC will implement the closure process following the center closure 
requirements in WIA section 159(g) and other applicable requirements.

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of October 2014.
Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training .
[FR Doc. 2014-24094 Filed 10-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P