[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7170-7174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03419]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2018; Small, Rural School 
Achievement Program

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CDFA) number 84.358A, 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 and describe the submission procedures for fiscal year (FY) 
2018 SRSA grant applications.
    All LEAs eligible for FY 2018 SRSA funds must submit an application 
electronically via Grants.gov by the deadline in this notice.

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DATES: 
    Applications Available: February 20, 2018.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 20, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Eric Schulz, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E-210, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 260-7349 or by email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Award Information

    Type of Award: Formula grant.
    Available Funds: The Administration has requested $87,753,000 for 
SRSA in FY 2018. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final 
congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow 
enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates 
funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $0-$60,000.

    Note: Depending on the number of eligible LEAs identified in a 
given year and the amount appropriated by Congress for the program, 
some eligible LEAs may receive an SRSA allocation of $0 under the 
statutory funding formula.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 4,000.

II. Program Authority and Eligibility Information

Under what statutory authority will FY 2018 SRSA grant awards be made?

    The FY 2018 SRSA grant awards will be made under title V, part B, 
subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), 
as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Pub. L. 114-
95).\1\
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    \1\ Throughout this notice, unless otherwise indicated, 
citations to the ESEA refer to the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA.
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Which LEAs are eligible for an award under the SRSA program?

    For FY 2018, an LEA (including a public charter school that meets 
the definition of LEA in section 8101(30) of the ESEA) is eligible for 
an award under the SRSA program if it meets one of the following 
criteria:
    (a)(1) 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
    (2) All of the schools served by the LEA are designated with a 
school locale code of 41, 42, or 43 by the Department's National Center 
for Education Statistics (NCES); or the Secretary has determined, based 
on a demonstration by the LEA and concurrence of the State educational 
agency, that the LEA is located in an area defined as rural by a 
governmental agency of the State.
    (b) The LEA is a member of an educational service agency (ESA) that 
does not receive SRSA funds, and the LEA meets the eligibility 
requirements described in (a)(1) and (2) above.
    (c) The LEA meets the requirements for a hold harmless award as 
described in section 5212(b)(4) of the ESEA. These are LEAs that are no 
longer eligible for the SRSA program because of amendments made under 
the ESSA to the locale code methodology and designations referenced in 
section 5211(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the ESEA. However, these LEAs may receive 
a FY 2018 award at a reduced rate as described in section 5212(b)(4) of 
the ESEA.

    Note: The ``Choice of Participation'' provision under section 
5225 of the ESEA gives LEAs eligible for both SRSA and the Rural and 
Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized under title V, part B, 
subpart 2 of the ESEA the option to participate in either the SRSA 
program or the RLIS program. LEAs eligible for both SRSA and RLIS 
are henceforth referred to as ``dual-eligible LEAs.''

Which eligible LEAs must submit an application to receive an FY 2018 
SRSA grant award?

    Under 34 CFR 75.104(a), the Secretary makes a grant only to an 
eligible entity that submits an application.
    In FY 2018, all LEAs eligible to receive an SRSA award are required 
to submit an SRSA application in order to receive SRSA funds, 
regardless of whether the LEA received an award or submitted an 
application in any previous year.\2\ This includes LEAs eligible to 
receive an FY 2018 award under the hold harmless provision, dual-
eligible LEAs that choose to participate in the SRSA program instead of 
the RLIS program, and SRSA-eligible LEAs that are members of ESAs that 
do not receive SRSA funds. In the case of SRSA-eligible LEAs that are 
members of SRSA-eligible ESAs, the respective LEAs and ESAs must 
coordinate directly with each other to determine which entity will 
submit an SRSA application, as both entities may not apply for or 
receive SRSA funds. Additionally, we note that dual-eligible LEAs that 
apply for SRSA funds in accordance with these application submission 
procedures will not be considered for an RLIS award.
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    \2\ In FY 2017, the Department implemented a new annual 
application process for SRSA. To assist in the transition to this 
annual application process, for FY 2018 only, eligible LEAs that 
failed to apply for an SRSA grant award in FY 2017 may apply for the 
funds they were eligible to receive in FY 2017--in addition to any 
FY 2018 SRSA grant award--through this notice.
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    A list of LEAs eligible for FY 2018 SRSA grant funds is available 
on the Department's website at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligibility.html. All LEAs on this list must submit an electronic 
application via Grants.gov in order to receive an FY 2018 SRSA grant 
award. The list identifies those LEAs that meet the eligibility 
requirements for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) SRSA 
program, those LEAs that meet the eligibility requirements for the REAP 
RLIS program, those LEAs that are dual-eligible, and those LEAs that 
are eligible to receive an SRSA award pursuant to the hold harmless 
provision.
    If an LEA on the Department's list of LEAs eligible to receive an 
FY 2018 SRSA award is no longer in existence as of the 2017-18 school 
year or will close prior to the 2018-2019 school year, the LEA is no 
longer eligible to receive an FY 2018 SRSA award and should not apply.
    An LEA eligible to receive FY 2018 SRSA funds that fails to submit 
an FY 2018 SRSA application or fails to submit an application in 
accordance with the application submission procedures is at risk of not 
receiving an FY 2018 SRSA award. Such LEAs may receive an award only to 
the extent funds become available after awards are made to all eligible 
LEAs that complied with the application procedures.

How must LEAs eligible for an FY 2018 SRSA grant award submit an 
application?

    LEAs must use the Grants.gov site for submitting SRSA applications. 
LEAs should review closely the next section titled Application and 
Submission Information for specific information about how to apply for 
SRSA FY 2018 funds.

III. Application and Submission Information

Electronic Submission of Applications Using Grants.gov

    All LEAs eligible for FY 2018 SRSA grant funds are required to 
submit an electronic application using the Grants.gov Apply site at 
www.Grants.gov by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on April 20, 2018. 
SRSA applications must be submitted

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electronically using Grants.gov unless you qualify for an exception to 
this requirement, in accordance with the instructions in this section. 
You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    A Grants.gov applicant must apply online using Workspace, a shared 
environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and 
edit different webforms within an application. An applicant can create 
an individual Workspace for each application notice and, thus, 
establish for that application a collaborative application package that 
allows more than one person in the applicant's organization to work 
concurrently on an application. The applicant can, thus, assign other 
users to participate in the Workspace. The system also enables the 
applicant to reuse forms from previous submissions; check them in and 
out and complete them; and submit its application package. For access 
to complete instructions on how to apply, refer to: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application through the site, as well 
as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on April 20, 2018. Except as otherwise noted 
in this section, we will not accept your application if it is 
received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--
after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on April 20, 2018. We do not 
consider an application that does not comply with the deadline 
requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we 
will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was 
date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on April 20, 2018.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 system home 
page at www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific guidance and procedures 
for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please refer to the 
Grants.gov website at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     You must upload all documents for your application as 
files in a read-only, flattened Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not 
upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type 
other than a read-only, flattened PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, 
etc.) or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that 
material. Please note that this could result in your application not 
being considered for funding because the material in question is 
critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For that reason it is 
important to allow yourself adequate time to upload all material as PDF 
files. The Department will not convert material from other formats to 
PDF.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department. Grants.gov 
will also notify you automatically by email if your application met all 
the Grants.gov validation requirements or if there were any errors 
(such as submission of your application by someone other than a 
registered Authorized Organization Representative, or inclusion of an 
attachment with a file name that contains special characters). You will 
be given an opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit, but you 
must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.
     Once your application is successfully validated by 
Grants.gov, the Department will retrieve your application from 
Grants.gov and send you an email with a unique PR/Award number for your 
application.
     These emails do not mean that your application is without 
any disqualifying errors. While your application may have been 
successfully validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the 
Department's application requirements as specified in this notice and 
in the application instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, 
for instance, failure to submit a required part of the application; or 
failure to meet applicant eligibility requirements. It is your 
responsibility to ensure that your submitted application has met all of 
the Department's requirements.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues With 
the Grants.gov System

    If you are experiencing problems submitting your application 
through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll 
free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 
Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application by the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and provide an explanation 
of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with 
the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. We will

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contact you after we determine whether your application will be 
accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement

    You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you 
are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system 
because--
     You do not have access to the internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you send a letter or email a 
written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two 
grounds for an exception prevents you from using the internet to submit 
your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. Address and mail your statement to: Mr. Eric Schulz, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E-210, 
Washington, DC 20202. Or email your statement to [email protected].
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand-delivery instructions described in this notice.

Submission of Paper Applications by Mail

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.358A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (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 of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
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, you should check with your 
local post office.
    We will not consider applications postmarked after the 
application deadline date.

Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.358A), 550 12th Street SW, Room 7039, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number (84.358A) 
of the program under which you are submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

IV. Other Submission Requirements

Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, 
and System for Award Management

    To do business with the Department of Education, you must:
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award 
Management (SAM), the Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, throughout the grant performance period.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at the 
following website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be 
created within one to two business days.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. 
Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial 
assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow 
sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We 
strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note: Once your SAM registration is active, it may be 24 to 48 
hours before you can access the information in, and submit an 
application through, Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make 
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with 
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update 
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    In addition, if you are submitting your SRSA application via 
Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an 
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and

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(2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps 
are outlined at the following Grants.gov web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

V. Accessibility Information and Program Authority

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    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 Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you 
must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 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.

    Program Authority:  Sections 5211-5212 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 
7345-7345a.

    Dated: February 14, 2018.
Jason Botel,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Delegated the authority to 
perform the functions and duties of Assistant Secretary for Elementary 
and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-03419 Filed 2-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P