[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74481-74483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23972]


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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 2023, 
Revisions to Those Reports, and Revisions to Prior Fiscal Year Reports

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of 
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 fiscal year (FY) 2023, revisions to those 
reports, and revisions to reports for previous fiscal years. 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 this request of the U.S. 
Department of Education's (Department) 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 2025 
appropriated funds.

DATES: SEAs can begin submitting data for FY 2023 and revisions to 
previously submitted data for FY 2022 on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. 
SEAs are urged to submit accurate and complete data by Friday, March 
29, 2024, to facilitate timely processing. The deadline for the final 
submission of all data, including any revisions to previously submitted 
data for FY 2022 and FY 2023, is Thursday, August 15, 2024. Any 
resubmissions of FY 2022 or FY 2023 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 3, 2024. 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 3, 2024.

ADDRESSES: SEAs are encouraged to submit data online using the 
interactive survey form on the NPEFS data collection website at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ccdnpefs. The NPEFS interactive survey 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. Alternatively, a certification form (ED Form 
2447) also may be printed from the website, signed by the authorizing 
official, and mailed to the Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division of 
the Census Bureau at the address provided below, within five business 
days after submission of the NPEFS web interactive form.
    SEAs may mail ED Form 2447 to: U.S. Census Bureau, ATTENTION: 
Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division, 4600 Silver Hill Road, 
Suitland, MD 20746.
    If an SEA's submission is received by the Census Bureau after 
August 15, 2024, 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.
    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.

[[Page 74482]]

    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Q. Cornman, Senior Survey 
Director, Financial Surveys, National Center for Education Statistics, 
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 550 12th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7753. Email: 
[email protected]. You may also contact an NPEFS team member at 
the Census Bureau. Telephone: 1-800-437-4196 or (301) 763-1571. Email: 
[email protected].
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and 
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 153(a)(1)(I) of the Education 
Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. 9543(a)(1)(I), which authorizes 
NCES to gather data on the financing and management 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 8101(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 Student 
Support and Academic Enrichment Grants under title IV, 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 2024, the Census Bureau, acting as the data collection 
agent for NCES, will email ED Form 2447 to SEAs, with instructions, and 
will request that SEAs commence submitting FY 2023 data to the Census 
Bureau on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. SEAs are urged to submit 
accurate and complete data by Friday, March 29, 2024, 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 2022 and FY 2023 data, to the 
Census Bureau no later than Thursday, August 15, 2024. Any 
resubmissions of FY 2022 or FY 2023 data by SEAs in response to 
requests for clarification or reconciliation or other inquiries by NCES 
or the Census Bureau must be completed by Tuesday, September 3, 2024. 
Between August 15, 2024, and September 3, 2024, SEAs may also, on their 
own initiative, resubmit data to resolve issues not addressed in their 
NPEFS data submitted by August 15, 2024. 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 3, 2024.
    In order to facilitate timely submission of data, the Census Bureau 
will send reminder notices to SEAs in June and July of 2024.
    Having accurate, consistent, and timely information is critical to 
an efficient and fair allocation process and to the NCES statistical 
process. The Department establishes Thursday, August 15, 2024, as the 
date by which SEAs must submit data using either the interactive survey 
form on the NPEFS data collection website at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ccdnpefs or ED Form 2447. This date is established 
to ensure that the best, most accurate data will be available to 
support timely distribution of Federal education funds.
    Any resubmissions of FY 2022 or FY 2023 data by SEAs in response to 
requests for clarification or reconciliation or other inquiries by NCES 
or the Census Bureau must be completed through the interactive survey 
form on the NPEFS data collection website or ED Form 2447 by Tuesday, 
September 3, 2024. If an SEA submits revised data after the September 
3, 2024, 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.
    Note: The following are important dates in the data collection 
process for FY 2023 data and revisions to reports for previous fiscal 
years:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Date                               Activity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 31, 2024..................  SEAs can begin to submit accurate
                                     and complete data for FY 2023 and
                                     revisions to previously submitted
                                     data for FY 2022.
March 29, 2024....................  Date by which SEAs are urged to
                                     submit accurate and complete data
                                     for FY 2023 and FY 2022.
August 15, 2024...................  Mandatory final submission date for
                                     FY 2022 and FY 2023 data to be used
                                     for program funding allocation
                                     purposes.
September 3, 2024.................  Mandatory final deadline for
                                     responses by SEAs to requests for
                                     clarification or reconciliation or
                                     other inquiries by NCES or the
                                     Census Bureau. Between August 15,
                                     2024, and September 3, 2024, SEAs
                                     may also, on their own initiative,
                                     resubmit data to resolve issues not
                                     addressed in their final submission
                                     of NPEFS data by August 15, 2024.
                                     All data issues must be resolved.
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    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    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

[[Page 74483]]

your search to documents published by the Department.
    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9543.

Mark Schneider,
Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2023-23972 Filed 10-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P