[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19581-19582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05760]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2024; 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, 
Assistance Listing 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 
application process for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 SRSA grant. This 
notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control 
number 1810-0646. All LEAs eligible for FY 2024 SRSA funds must apply 
electronically via the process described in this notice by the deadline 
listed below.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: March 19, 2024.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 10, 2024.
    Application Technical Assistance: The Department will announce 
application technical assistance opportunities for applicants when the 
application becomes available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie Poynter, REAP Group Leader, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20202. Telephone: (202) 401-0039. 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: 

I. Award Information

    Type of Award: Formula grant.
    Available Funds: The Administration has requested $107,500,000 for 
SRSA in FY 2024. The actual level of funding 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: The amount of an LEA's award depends on the number of 
eligible LEAs in a given year, the number of eligible LEAs that 
complete the SRSA application, and the amount Congress appropriates for 
the program. Some eligible LEAs may receive an SRSA allocation of $0 
due to the statutory funding formula and, in that case, will not be 
invited to submit an application.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4,200.

II. Program Authority and Eligibility Information

Under what statutory authority will FY 2024 SRSA grant awards be made?

    The FY 2024 SRSA grant awards will be made under title V, part B, 
subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), 
20 U.S.C. 7345-7345a.

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

    For FY 2024, 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 both criteria below:
    (a) The total number of students in average daily attendance at all 
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
    (b) All 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.
    The Department provides an eligibility spreadsheet listing each LEA 
eligible to apply for FY 2024 SRSA grant funds. The spreadsheet 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/eligibility/.
    If an LEA on the Department's list of LEAs eligible to apply for an 
FY 2024 SRSA award will close prior to the 2024-2025 school year, that 
LEA is not eligible to receive an FY 2024 SRSA award and should not 
apply.
    Note: The ``Choice of Participation'' provision under section 5225 
of the ESEA gives an LEA eligible for both SRSA and the Rural and Low-
Income School (RLIS) program, which is authorized under title V, part 
B, subpart 2 of the ESEA, the option to participate in either the SRSA 
program or the RLIS program. 20 U.S.C. 7351d. An LEA eligible for both 
SRSA and RLIS is henceforth referred to as a ``dual-eligible LEA.''

Which eligible LEAs must submit an application to receive an FY 2024 
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 2024, each LEA eligible to receive an SRSA award is 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 a previous year. 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 must submit its own 
SRSA application. This requirement applies to all eligible LEAs, 
including each dual-eligible LEA that chooses to participate in the 
SRSA program instead of the RLIS program and each SRSA-eligible LEA 
that is a member of an educational service agency (ESA) that does not 
receive SRSA funds on the LEA's behalf. In the case of an SRSA-eligible 
LEA that is a member of an SRSA-eligible ESA, the LEA and ESA must 
coordinate directly with each other to determine which entity will 
submit an SRSA application on the LEA's behalf, as both entities may 
not apply for or receive SRSA funds for the LEA. As noted above, 
pursuant to section 5225 of the ESEA, a dual-eligible LEA that applies 
for SRSA funds may not receive an RLIS award.

What are the Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number requirements for 
the SRSA program?

    As required by 2 CFR part 25, appendix A, entities receiving funds 
from the Federal Government, including SRSA-eligible LEAs that apply 
for an SRSA award, must maintain current entity information in the 
System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the Federal Government's 
primary registrant database and is managed by the General Services 
Administration, not the Department of Education. The UEI, a 12-
character alphanumeric code, is the primary means of entity 
identification for Federal awards.

[[Page 19582]]

    Each SRSA-eligible LEA must provide its UEI on the SRSA application 
or notify the REAP team by emailing [email protected] to explain why the LEA 
is unable to provide a UEI. An LEA must have a UEI with an active 
registration status in SAM to access its awarded SRSA grant funds. An 
LEA without a UEI may not receive an SRSA award until it has obtained 
and registered a UEI. Obtaining a UEI is free to LEAs and is available 
at www.SAM.gov. LEAs may find SAM's guide helpful in understanding the 
registration process, available at: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. For additional resources or technical support related to 
the UEI registration process please utilize the support features at 
www.fsd.gov.

III. Application and Submission Information

    Note: Since FY 2020, the SRSA grant application is no longer housed 
on the Grants.gov platform. Please see below for the updated 
application process.

Electronic Submission of Applications Using Connect.gov

    The Department will send an email with a unique application link on 
March 19, 2024, to each LEA that is eligible and estimated to receive a 
positive allocation for an FY 2024 SRSA grant award. The email will 
include detailed instructions for completing the electronic 
application.
    An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via 
Connect.gov by May 10, 2024, to be assured of receiving an FY 2024 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:
     The application is estimated to take 30 minutes to 
complete. LEAs are encouraged not to wait until the application 
deadline date to begin the application process.
     Eligible LEAs will receive periodic emails during the 
application period with a reminder to complete the SRSA application 
prior to the May 10, 2024, deadline.
     An application received by Connect.gov is dated and time 
stamped upon submission, and an applicant will receive a confirmation 
email after the application is submitted.
     If any applicant information changes (e.g., address or 
contact information for the LEA) after an application has been 
submitted via Connect.gov, the applicant must contact REAP staff 
directly by emailing [email protected] to update such information.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues

    If you are unable to submit an application by May 10, 2024, because 
of technical issues, contact REAP staff by emailing [email protected] within 
5 business days and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced. The late application will be accepted as having met the 
deadline if REAP program staff can confirm that a technical issue 
occurred with the Connect.gov system that affected your ability to 
submit the application by the deadline. As noted above, if you submit 
the application after the deadline and the late submission is not due 
to a technical issue about which you have notified 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 (SAM)

    To do business with the Department, an entity must maintain an 
active registration in the SAM, the Federal Government's primary 
registrant database, using the following information:
    a. UEI.
    b. Legal business name.
    c. Physical address associated with the UEI.
    d. Taxpayer identification number (TIN).
    e. Taxpayer name associated with the TIN.
    f. Bank information to set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 
(i.e., routing number, account number, and account type (checking/
savings)).

V. Accessibility Information and Program Authority

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package 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 https://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.

Adam Schott,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Delegated the Authority to 
Perform the Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-05760 Filed 3-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P