FR Doc E8-29501[Federal Register: December 12, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 240)]
[Notices]
[Page 75693-75698]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12de08-56]
Download: 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information;
Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.354A.
Dates:
Applications Available: December 12, 2008.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: January 12, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 10, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 13, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: This program provides grants to eligible
entities to permit them to enhance the credit of charter schools so
that they can access private-sector and other non-Federal capital in
order to acquire, construct, and renovate facilities at a reasonable
cost. Grant projects awarded under this program will be of sufficient
size, scope, and quality to enable the grantees to implement effective
strategies for reaching that objective.
Priorities: This competition includes one competitive preference
priority and two invitational priorities that are explained in the
following paragraphs.
Competitive Preference Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for this
program (34 CFR 225.12). For FY 2009 and any subsequent year in which
we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition, this priority is a competitive preference priority. Under
34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 15 points to an
application, depending on how well the application meets this priority.
This priority is:
The capacity of charter schools to offer public school choice in
those communities with the greatest need for school choice based on--
(1) The extent to which the applicant would target services to
geographic areas in which a large proportion or number of public
schools have been identified for improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001;
(2) The extent to which the applicant would target services to
geographic areas in which a large proportion of students perform below
proficient on State academic assessments; and
(3) The extent to which the applicant would target services to
communities with large proportions of students from low-income
families.
Invitational Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly
interested in applications that address the following two priorities.
For FY 2009 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the
list of unfunded applicants from this competition, these priorities are
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority 1--The applicant proposes a grant project
that uses competitive market forces to obtain the best rates and terms
on financing for charter schools in order to acquire, construct, and
renovate facilities while using the least amount of grant funds.
Invitational Priority 2--The applicant proposes to replicate a
model, or aspects of a model, for credit-enhancing charter schools that
it or others have successfully used in the past. The model should
ideally have a history of both (1) serving charter schools and (2)
leveraging financing for charter schools in a timely manner.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7223-7223j.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this
program in 34 CFR part 225.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
[[Page 75694]]
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$36,611,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2009. 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.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2010 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $2,000,000-$15,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $9,134,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: From the start date indicated on the grant award
document until the Federal funds and earnings on those funds have been
expended for the grant purposes or until financing facilitated by the
grant has been retired, whichever is later.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (a) A public entity, such as a State or
local governmental entity; (b) A private, nonprofit entity; or (c) A
consortium of entities described in (a) and (b).
Note: The Secretary will make, if possible, at least one award
in each of the three categories of eligible applicants.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: The charter schools that a grantee selects to benefit
from this program must meet the definition of a charter school, in
section 5210(1) of the ESEA, as amended.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll
free: 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also:
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to
identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.354A.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team
listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Each Credit
Enhancement for Charter School Facilities program application must
include the following specific elements:
(a) A statement identifying the activities proposed to be
undertaken with grant funds (the ``grant project''), including a
description of how the applicant will determine which charter schools
will receive assistance and how much and what types of assistance these
schools will receive.
(b) A description of the involvement of charter schools in the
application's development and in the design of the proposed grant
project.
(c) A description of the applicant's expertise in capital markets
financing. (Consortium applicants must provide this information for
each of the participating organizations.)
(d) A description of how the proposed grant project will leverage
the maximum amount of private-sector and other non-Federal capital
relative to the amount of Credit Enhancement for Charter School
Facilities program funding used and how the proposed grant project will
otherwise enhance credit available to charter schools.
(e) A description of how the eligible entity possesses sufficient
expertise in education to evaluate the likelihood of success of a
charter school program for which facilities financing is sought.
(f) In the case of an application submitted by a State governmental
entity, a description of current and planned State funding actions,
including other forms of financial assistance that ensure that charter
schools within the State receive the funding they need to have adequate
facilities.
Additional requirements concerning the content of an application,
together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package
for this program.
Page Limit: We have found that reviewers are able to conduct the
highest-quality review when applications are concise and easy to read.
Applicants are encouraged to limit their applications to no more than
40 double-spaced pages (not including the required forms and tables),
to use a 12-point or larger-size font with one-inch margins at the top,
bottom, and both sides, and to number pages consecutively. Furthermore,
applicants are strongly encouraged to include a table of contents that
specifies where each required part of the application is located.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 12, 2008.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: January 12, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 10, 2009.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 13, 2009.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: (a) Reserve accounts. Grant recipients, in
accordance with State and local law, must deposit the grant funds they
receive under this program (other than funds used for administrative
costs) in a reserve account established and maintained by the grantee
for this purpose. Amounts deposited in such account shall be used by
the grantee for one or more of the following purposes in order to
assist charter schools in accessing private-sector and other non-
Federal capital:
(1) Guaranteeing, insuring, and reinsuring bonds, notes, evidences
of debt, loans, and interests therein.
[[Page 75695]]
(2) Guaranteeing and insuring leases of personal and real property.
(3) Facilitating financing by identifying potential lending
sources, encouraging private lending, and other similar activities that
directly promote lending to, or for the benefit of, charter schools.
(4) Facilitating the issuance of bonds by charter schools or by
other public entities for the benefit of charter schools, by providing
technical, administrative, and other appropriate assistance (such as
the recruitment of bond counsel, underwriters, and potential investors
and the consolidation of multiple charter school projects within a
single bond issue).
Funds received under this program and deposited in the reserve
account must be invested in obligations issued or guaranteed by the
United States or a State, or in other similarly low-risk securities.
Any earnings on funds, including fees, received under this program must
be deposited in the reserve account and be used in accordance with the
requirements of this program.
(b) Charter school objectives. An eligible entity receiving a grant
under this program must use the funds deposited in the reserve account
to assist charter schools in accessing capital to accomplish one or
both of the following objectives:
(1) The acquisition (by purchase, lease, donation, or otherwise) of
an interest (which may be an interest held by a third party for the
benefit of a charter school) in improved or unimproved real property
that is necessary to commence or continue the operation of a charter
school.
(2) The construction of new facilities, or the renovation, repair,
or alteration of existing facilities, necessary to commence or continue
the operation of a charter school.
(c) Other. Grantees must ensure that all costs incurred using funds
from the reserve account are reasonable. The full faith and credit of
the United States are not pledged to the payment of funds under such
obligation. In the event of a default on any debt or other obligation,
the United States has no liability to cover the cost of the default.
Applicants that are selected to receive an award must enter into a
written Performance Agreement with the Department prior to drawing down
funds, unless the grantee receives written permission from the
Department in the interim to draw down a specific limited amount of
funds. Grantees must maintain and enforce standards of conduct
governing the performance of their employees, officers, directors,
trustees, and agents engaged in the selection, award, and
administration of contracts or agreements related to this grant. The
standards of conduct must mandate disinterested decision-making.
A grantee may use not more than 0.25 percent (one quarter of one
percent) of the grant funds for the administrative costs of the grant.
The Secretary, in accordance with chapter 37 of title 31, United
States Code, will collect all or a portion of the funds in the reserve
account established with grant funds (including any earnings on those
funds) if the Secretary determines that the grantee has permanently
ceased to use all or a portion of the funds in such account to
accomplish the purposes described in the authorizing statute and the
Performance Agreement or, if not earlier than two years after the date
on which the entity first receives these funds, the entity has failed
to make substantial progress in undertaking the grant project.
The charter schools that a grantee selects to benefit from this
program must meet the definition of a charter school, as defined in
section 5210(1) of the ESEA, as amended.
(d) We specify some unallowable costs in 34 CFR 225.21. We
reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions in the
Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Credit Enhancement for Charter
School Facilities Program, CFDA Number 84.354A, must be submitted
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at
http://www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a
copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a
grant application to us.
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.
You may access the electronic grant application for Credit
Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program at
http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application
package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA
number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.354, not
84.354A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically 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 the application deadline date. 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 the application
deadline date. 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 the application deadline date.
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 at
http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include
(1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
[[Page 75696]]
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see
http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).
You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
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.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
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 on 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 in section VII in this
notice 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 that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on 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 mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent 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. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Valarie Perkins, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W258,
Washington, DC 20202-6140.
Fax: (202) 205-5630.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. 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 applicable
following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control
Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.354A), 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.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before
[[Page 75697]]
relying on this method, you should check with your local post
office.
c. 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 84.354A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Pyotomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260. The Application Control Center
accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 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, including suffix
letter, if any, of the competition 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.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
in 34 CFR 225.11 and are listed in this section. The maximum score for
all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each
criterion is indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the
factors that the reviewers will consider to determine how well an
application meets the criterion. We encourage applicants to make
explicit connections to the selection criteria and factors in their
applications.
A. Quality of project design and significance. (35 points)
In determining the quality of project design and significance, the
Secretary considers--
(1) The extent to which the grant proposal would provide financing
to charter schools at better rates and terms than they can receive
absent assistance through the program;
(2) The extent to which the project goals, objectives, and timeline
are clearly specified, measurable, and appropriate for the purpose of
the program;
(3) The extent to which the project implementation plan and
activities, including the partnerships established, are likely to
achieve measurable objectives that further the purposes of the program;
(4) The extent to which the project is likely to produce results
that are replicable;
(5) The extent to which the project will use appropriate criteria
for selecting charter schools for assistance and for determining the
type and amount of assistance to be given;
(6) The extent to which the proposed activities will leverage
private or public-sector funding and increase the number and variety of
charter schools assisted in meeting their facilities needs more than
would be accomplished absent the program;
(7) The extent to which the project will serve charter schools in
States with strong charter laws, consistent with the criteria for such
laws in section 5202(e)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965; and
(8) The extent to which the requested grant amount and the project
costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and
potential significance of the project.
B. Quality of project services. (15 points)
In determining the quality of the project services, the Secretary
considers--
(1) The extent to which the services to be provided by the project
reflect the identified needs of the charter schools to be served;
(2) The extent to which charter schools and chartering agencies
were involved in the design of, and demonstrate support for, the
project;
(3) The extent to which the technical assistance and other services
to be provided by the proposed grant project involve the use of cost-
effective strategies for increasing charter schools' access to
facilities financing, including the reasonableness of fees and lending
terms; and
(4) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
grant project are focused on assisting charter schools with a
likelihood of success and the greatest demonstrated need for assistance
under the program.
C. Capacity. (35 points)
In determining an applicant's business and organizational capacity
to carry out the project, the Secretary considers--
(1) The amount and quality of experience of the applicant in
carrying out the activities it proposes to undertake in its
application, such as enhancing the credit on debt issuances,
guaranteeing leases, and facilitating financing;
(2) The applicant's financial stability;
(3) The ability of the applicant to protect against unwarranted
risk in its loan underwriting, portfolio monitoring, and financial
management;
(4) The applicant's expertise in education to evaluate the
likelihood of success of a charter school;
(5) The ability of the applicant to prevent conflicts of interest,
including conflicts of interest by employees and members of the board
of directors in a decision-making role;
(6) If the applicant has co-applicants (consortium members),
partners, or other grant project participants, the specific resources
to be contributed by each co-applicant (consortium member), partner, or
other grant project participant to the implementation and success of
the grant project;
(7) For State governmental entities, the extent to which steps have
been or will be taken to ensure that charter schools within the State
receive the funding needed to obtain adequate facilities; and
(8) For previous grantees under the charter school facilities
programs, their performance in implementing these grants.
D. Quality of project personnel. (15 points)
In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers--
(1) The qualifications of project personnel, including relevant
training and experience, of the project manager and other members of
the project team, including consultants or subcontractors; and
(2) The staffing plan for the grant project.
2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in
selecting an application for an award are in 34 CFR 225.12.
Note: In the event we receive an application from a past grantee
under the program that is not making full use of the grant(s) it has
previously received, we may, consistent with appropriate grant
administration authorities including 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3) and 34 CFR
75.232, (1) not award a new grant to that applicant under this
competition or (2) adjust the size of the new grant award.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notice
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
[[Page 75698]]
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section in this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: Applicants selected for funding will be required to
submit to the Department an annual report that includes the information
from section 5227(b) of the ESEA and any other information the
Secretary may require.
Grantees must also cooperate and assist the Department with any
periodic financial and compliance audits of the grantee, as determined
necessary by the Department. The specific Performance Agreement between
the grantee and the Department may contain additional reporting
requirements.
At the end of your project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the
Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual
performance report that provides the most current performance and
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c).
4. Performance Measures: The performance measures for this program
are: (1) The amount of funding grantees leverage for charter schools to
acquire, construct, and renovate school facilities and (2) the number
of charter schools served. Grantees must provide this information as
part of their annual performance reports.
VII. Agency Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valarie Perkins or Jim Houser, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W258,
Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone: (202) 260-1924 or by e-mail:
charter.facilities@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact persons listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: 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 on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: December 9, 2008.
Amanda L. Farris,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. E8-29501 Filed 12-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P