[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 234 (Monday, December 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76031-76033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30806]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[167 A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]


Sovereignty in Indian Education

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) announces the 
availability of enhancement funds to tribes and their tribal education 
departments (TEDs) to promote tribal control and operation of BIE-
funded schools on their reservations. This notice invites tribes with 
at least one BIE-funded school on their reservation/Indian land to 
submit grant proposals.

DATES: Grant proposals must be received by December 18, 2015, at 4:00 
p.m.

[[Page 76032]]

Eastern Time. BIE will hold pre-grant proposal training sessions. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for more information.

ADDRESSES: Complete details on requirements for proposals and the 
evaluation and selection process can be found on the BIE Web site at 
http://www.bie.edu. Submit grant applications to: Bureau of Indian 
Education, Attn: Wendy Greyeyes, 1849 C Street NW., MS-4655-MIB, 
Washington, DC 20240. Email submissions will be accepted at this 
address: [email protected]. Limit email submissions to attachments 
compatible with Microsoft Office Word 2007 or later and files with a 
.pdf file extension. Emailed submissions may not exceed 3MB total in 
size. Fax submissions are NOT acceptable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Wendy Greyeyes, Bureau of Indian 
Education, Office of the Director, Washington, DC 20240, (202) 208-
5810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    In 2013, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Education convened an American Indian Education Study Group (Study 
Group) to diagnose the systemic challenges facing the BIE and to 
propose a comprehensive plan for reform to ensure all students 
attending BIE-funded schools receive a world-class education. The Study 
Group drafted a framework for reform based on several listening 
sessions in the fall of 2013 with tribal leaders, Indian educators and 
others throughout Indian Country on how to facilitate tribal 
sovereignty in American Indian education and how to improve educational 
outcomes for students at BIE-funded schools. Overall, the Study Group 
met with nearly 400 individuals and received nearly 200 comments that 
helped it prepare the draft framework for educational reform that 
became the subject of four tribal consultation sessions held in April 
and May of 2014. These efforts resulted in the Blueprint for Reform, 
which was released by the Department of the Interior (DOI) on June 13, 
2014.
    Acting on the recommendations in the Blueprint for Reform, BIE will 
award enhancement funds to tribes and their tribal education agencies 
to promote tribal control and operation of BIE-funded schools on their 
Indian reservations. The purpose of these enhancements is to support 
the tribes' capacity to manage and operate tribally controlled schools 
as defined in the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-
297). These funds will: (a) Support the development of a school-reform 
plan to improve educational outcomes for students, and: (b) improve 
efficiencies and effectiveness in the operation of BIE-funded schools 
within a reservation.
    Enhancement funding is a two-year program, and awards will range 
from $100,000 to $200,000 per fiscal year. The amounts are dependent on 
the number of schools involved, number of students, complexity of 
creating a new tribally managed school system and the tribe's technical 
approach. Tribes with at least one Bureau-funded school on or near 
their reservation are eligible for these funds. These enhancements will 
provide funds for the tribe to:
     Develop an implementation plan that will reform a tribe's 
current organizational structure toward an expert and independent 
Tribal Education Department that will support schools and students;
     Cover the execution of the implementation plan with 
identified staffing, projected timelines, proposed budgets, and 
activities; and
     Research an alternative definition of adequate yearly 
progress (AYP) which is optional for applicants.
    BIE is seeking proposals from tribes that support efforts to take 
control and operate BIE-funded schools located on the tribe's 
reservation. Each proposal must include a project narrative, a budget 
narrative, a work plan outline, and a Project Director to manage the 
execution of the grant. Project Directors will participate in monthly 
collaboration meetings, submit quarterly budget updates, ensure an 
annual report is submitted at the end of each project year, and 
ultimately ensure that the tribal education department fulfills the 
obligations of the grant. Complete details on requirements for 
proposals and the evaluation and selection process can be found on the 
BIE Web site at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. In 
addition, BIE will hold pre-grant proposal training as noted below:

                     BIE Pre-Grant Proposal Training
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           Activity                               Date
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Webinar 11 a.m. (ET).........  December 8, 2015.
To register go to: https://dcma100.webex.com/dcma100/k2/j.php?MTID=t6394cada3bc9d9b28993ecb06b7e8ecd and register..
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Webinar 4 p.m. (ET)..........  December 11, 2015.
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To register go to: https://dcma100.webex.com/dcma100/k2/j.php?MTID=t6cbc6c13d4aeab46fd3e93caa597b394 and register..
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Grant application submissions  December 18, 2015, 4 p.m. (ET)
 due.
Final implementation due.....  August 26, 2016.
Final Presentations..........  August 31, 2016.
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    The grant proposal is due December 18, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time. The proposal should be packaged for delivery to permit timely 
arrival. The proposal package should be sent or hand delivered to the 
address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    Faxed applications will NOT be accepted. Email submissions will be 
accepted at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Email 
submissions are limited to attachments compatible with Microsoft Office 
Word 2007 or later or files with a .pdf file extension. Emailed 
submissions shall not exceed 3MB total in size.
    Proposals submitted by Federal Express or Express Mail should be 
sent two or more days prior to the closing date. The proposal package 
should be sent to the address shown in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The tribe is solely responsible for ensuring its proposal 
arrives in a timely manner.
    The information collection requirements contained in this notice 
have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under 
44 U.S.C. 3504(h). The OMB control number is 1076-0182. The 
authorization expires on March 31, 2018. An agency may not sponsor, and 
you are not required to respond to, any information collection that 
does not display a currently valid OMB Control Number.

[[Page 76033]]

    The information collected is used to determine whether a tribe is 
eligible for the Sovereignty in Indian Education Grant and to determine 
whether the tribe is using the funding for the stated purpose of 
promoting tribal sovereignty in BIE-funded schools. The information is 
supplied by the respondents to obtain and/or retain a benefit. The 
public reporting burden is estimated to be between 1 and 40 hours per 
response. This includes the time needed to understand the requirements; 
gather the information; complete the proposal, quarterly budget 
reports, and the annual report; and submit to the Department. Comments 
regarding the burden or other aspects of the information collection may 
be directed to the Information Collection Clearance Officer--Indian 
Affairs, 1849 C Street NW., MS-3642, Washington, DC 20240.

    Dated: November 20, 2015.
Kevin K. Washburn,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2015-30806 Filed 12-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4337-15-P