[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4311-4313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01193]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2020; 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) 
2020 SRSA grant applications. All LEAs eligible for FY 2020 SRSA funds 
must submit an application electronically via the process described in 
this notice by the deadline in this notice.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: February 3, 2020.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 17, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Hitchcock, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E-218, Washington, DC 
20202. Telephone: (202) 260-1472. 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 $90,420,000 for 
SRSA in FY 2020. 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 2020 SRSA grant awards be made?

    The FY 2020 SRSA grant awards will be made under title V, part B, 
subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (ESEA).

Which LEAs are eligible for an award under the SRSA program?

    For FY 2020, 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

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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; or
    (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.
    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 2020 
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 2020, 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. This includes 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, pursuant to section 5225 of the ESEA, dual-eligible LEAs 
that apply for SRSA funds in accordance with these application 
submission procedures will not be considered for an RLIS award.
    We also note that a separate application must be submitted for each 
eligible LEA. For example, if a rural community has two distinct LEAs--
one composed of its elementary school(s) and one composed of its high 
school(s)--each distinct LEA would have to submit its own SRSA 
application.
    A list of LEAs eligible for FY 2020 SRSA grant funds is available 
on the Department's website at: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/small-rural-school-achievement-program/.
    If an LEA on the Department's list of LEAs eligible to receive an 
FY 2020 SRSA award will close prior to the 2020-2021 school year, that 
LEA is no longer eligible to receive an FY 2020 SRSA award and should 
not apply.
    An LEA eligible to receive FY 2020 SRSA funds that fails to submit 
an FY 2020 SRSA application in accordance with the application and 
submission information below is at risk of not receiving an FY 2020 
SRSA award. Such an LEA 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.

III. Application and Submission Information

Electronic Submission of Applications Using Max.gov

    All LEAs eligible for FY 2020 SRSA grant funds will be sent an 
email with a uniquely identifiable application link on February 3, 
2020. The email will include customized instructions for completing the 
electronic application via the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Max Survey platform.
    An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via OMB Max 
Survey by April 17, 2020, to be assured of receiving an FY 2020 SRSA 
grant award. The Department may consider applications submitted after 
the deadline to the extent practicable and contingent upon the 
availability of funding.
    Please note the following:
     We estimate that it will take 30 minutes to submit an 
application. However, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until 
the application deadline date to begin the application process.
     To better ensure applications are processed in a more 
timely, accurate, and efficient manner, if an LEA has not submitted an 
application by March 1, 2020, we will send the LEA a reminder email to 
submit its application.
     Applications received by OMB Max Survey are date and time 
stamped upon submission and applicants will receive a confirmation 
email after the application is submitted.
     Once your application is submitted via OMB Max Survey you 
must contact the REAP program staff at [email protected] to update any 
information in your application if necessary.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues With 
OMB Max Survey

    If you are unable to submit an application by April 17, 2020, 
because of problems with OMB Max Survey, contact the REAP program staff 
at [email protected] within five business days and provide an explanation of 
the technical problem you experienced. We will accept your late 
application as having met the deadline if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the OMB Max Survey system and that the 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by the 
application deadline date. As noted above, if you submit your 
application after the deadine and the late submission is not due to a 
technical issue about which you have notified the REAP program staff, 
the Department may consider your application to the extent practicable 
and contingent upon the availability of funding.

IV. Other Procedural Requirements

System for Award Management

    To do business with the Department, you must register in the System 
for Award Management (SAM), the Government's primary registrant 
database, using the following information:
    a. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.
    b. Legal business name.
    c. Physical address from your Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) record.
    d. Taxpayer identification number (TIN).
    e. Taxpayer name associated with your TIN.
    f. Bank information to set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 
(i.e., routing number, account number, and account type (checking/
savings)).
    Entities must have an active SAM registration 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 (including an LEA), 
institution, or organization, you can find your taxpayer name and TIN 
in tax documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (such as a 
1099 or W-2 form) or obtain one from the IRS.
    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

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might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program 
administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to 
register with SAM. We strongly recommend that you register by June 1.
    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.

V. Acessibility 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. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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: January 21, 2020.
Frank T. Brogan,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2020-01193 Filed 1-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P