Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
FY 2004
APPLICATION FOR GRANTS
UNDER THE STATE CHARTER SCHOOL
FACILITIES INCENTIVE GRANTS PROGRAM
FORM APPROVED
OMB No. 1855-0012, EXP. DATE 2/28/2007
• General Instructions
• Program-Specific Assurance
i
(LETTERHEAD)
Dear Colleague:
Sincerely,
ii
SECTION
A
APPLICATION
NOTICE
A-1
4000-01-U
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Overview Information
(FY) 2004.
84.282D
Dates:
competition.
A-2
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
of up to 5 years.
schools.
Priorities
A-3
A State educational agency (SEA) that does not meet
any one of the four statutory criteria will not receive any
priority points.
Statutory Criteria
charter.
A-4
period for which an SEA or eligible applicant applies for a
or
charter school.
A-5
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other
applications.
factors:
income students.
A-6
proposed selection criteria and other non-statutory
77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, and 99.
A-7
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $3,740,000.
competition.
notice.
of up to 5 years.
schools.
A-8
share of the matching funds required under this program.
local levels.
A-9
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site:
Agency Contacts).
A-10
encouraged to include a table of contents that specifies
in this notice.
package.
A-11
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject
statute.
A-12
by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier)
A-13
the application availability date. Applicants should be
application.
A-14
We are continuing to expand our pilot project for
following:
A-15
will we penalize you if you submit an application in paper
format.
your application).
A-16
• We may request that you give us original signatures
date; or
for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
A-17
Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contacts) or (2) the
pupil basis.
A-18
(iii) The quality of the plan for identifying charter
these purposes.
A-19
(ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in
you informally.
notice.
A-20
section of this notice and include these and other specific
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
A-21
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document
at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
Dated:
_________________________________
Nina Shokraii Rees,
Deputy Under Secretary for
Innovation and Improvement.
A-22
SECTION
B
PROGRAM
STATUTE
B-1
PROGRAM STATUTE
Subpart 1 —Charter School Programs
Section 5205 (b) PER-PUPIL FACILITIES AID PROGRAMS-
(1) DEFINITION OF PER-PUPIL FACILITIES AID PROGRAM- In this subsection,
the term per-pupil facilities aid program' means a program in which a State makes
payments, on a per-pupil basis, to charter schools to provide the schools with
financing —
(A) that is dedicated solely for funding charter school facilities; or
(B) a portion of which is dedicated for funding charter school facilities.
(2) GRANTS-
(A) IN GENERAL- From the amount made available to carry out this
subsection under paragraphs (2) and (3)(B) of section 5211(b) for any
fiscal year, the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to
States to pay for the Federal share of the cost of establishing or
enhancing, and administering per-pupil facilities aid programs.
(B) PERIOD- The Secretary shall award grants under this subsection for
periods of not more than 5 years.
(C) FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal share of the cost described in
subparagraph (A) for a per-pupil facilities aid program shall be not more
than —
(i) 90 percent of the cost, for the first fiscal year for which the
program receives assistance under this subsection;
(ii) 80 percent in the second such year;
(iii) 60 percent in the third such year;
(iv) 40 percent in the fourth such year; and
(v) 20 percent in the fifth such year.
(3) USE OF FUNDS-
(A) IN GENERAL- A State that receives a grant under this subsection
shall use the funds made available through the grant to establish or
enhance, and administer, a per-pupil facilities aid program for charter
schools in the State.
(B) EVALUATIONS; TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; DISSEMINATION- From
the amount made available to a State through a grant under this
subsection for a fiscal year, the State may reserve not more than 5
percent to carry out evaluations, to provide technical assistance, and to
disseminate information.
(C) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT- Funds made available under this
subsection shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, State and local
public funds expended to provide per pupil facilities aid programs,
operations financing programs, or other programs, for charter schools.
(4) REQUIREMENTS-
(A) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION- No State may be required to
participate in a program carried out under this subsection.
(B) STATE LAW- To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, a
State shall establish or enhance, and administer, a per-pupil facilities aid
program for charter schools in the State, that —
(i) is specified in State law; and
(ii) provides annual financing, on a per-pupil basis, for charter
school facilities.
(5) APPLICATIONS- To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, a
State shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
B-2
(6) PRIORITIES- In making grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give
priority to States that meet the criteria described in paragraph (2), and
subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (3), of section 5202(e).
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this section shall be construed to require
charter schools to collect any data described in subsection (a).
B-3
SECTION
C
APPLICATION
CONTENTS
C-1
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
As discussed on the following pages, a complete application must include all of the documents listed
below.
Did You --
[ ] Provide one (1) original plus three (3) copies of the application (for a total of 4 copies)?
[ ] Submit a copy of the application to the State Single Point of Contact (if applicable)?
[ ] Include “Attention: CFDA 84.282D” on the cover and envelope containing your application
package?
C-2
Forms that Must be Downloaded
You will need to download the following required Federal forms. The first four forms are available at
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
C-3
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
To compete for an award under this program, your completed application must include the following
five parts:
Part II: Program Narrative Addressing the Project Selection Criteria and the
Application Content Requirements
This part of your application contains information responsive to the Project Selection Criteria and the
Application Content Requirements. Make sure that your narrative addresses all of the elements.
We strongly recommend that the information be organized around and appear in the same
sequence as the Project Selection Criteria.
In addition, provide any available statutes regarding the appropriation level for per-pupil facilities aid
for charter schools since authorized activities are not always funded. In the event that funding has
not already been enacted, please indicate which hurdles it has passed towards enactment and
which hurdles remain.
C-4
Part IV: Assurances and Certifications
Be certain to include all assurances and certifications, and sign each form in the appropriate place.
These include:
• Program-specific assurance
• Assurances── Construction Programs
• Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment; Suspension, and other Responsibility
Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements
• Disclosure of Lobbying Activity
C-5
PRIORITIES AND PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA
The Challenge: Helping Charter Schools and Promoting School Choice
Charter schools have difficulty obtaining adequate facilities for various reasons.
One major obstacle is that charter schools that are freestanding local educational
agencies (LEAs) generally lack the authority to raise property taxes. This
inability to raise taxes, combined with the inherent risk that charter schools need
to renew their charters to remain open, makes it difficult for investors to risk
financing the purchase of school facilities. A 2003 General Accounting Office
(GAO) publication, Charter Schools: New Charter Schools Across the Country
and in the District of Columbia Face Similar Start-Up Challenges, details their
difficulties obtaining facilities. This study indicates that because financing a
facility is difficult for charter schools, many of them rely on their per-pupil
operating allocations to pay for their facility costs. These allocations are
generally designed to be large enough to just cover operating expenses, not
capital expanses such as facilities. GAO notes that of the 40 States, District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico that all have charter schools, only 6 offer per-pupil
facilities aid. Perhaps as a result, over half of the nation’s charter schools are in
these six States.
The Secretary will select for funding under the State Charter School Facilities
Incentive Grants program those applications that are deemed of highest overall
quality. Experts in charter schools and education finance will review the
applications and assign to each application up to 120 points using the Project
Selection Criteria and corresponding weights described in this section and the
Competitive Priorities. Each criterion includes factors the reviewers will consider
in determining how well an application meets the criterion.
Reviewers will use their own professional judgment to assess the quality of each
application against these criteria. To be competitive, applicants must address
each of the selection criteria fully and clearly. We recommend that applicants
organize their application narrative around the Competitive Priority and the
Project Selection Criteria.
C-6
The Invitational Priority is for applicants that propose a grant project that
increases the capacity of charter schools to offer school choice in those
communities with the greatest need for public school choice.
This criterion focuses on the likelihood that the proposed project will increase
the capacity of charter schools to provide public school choice in those
geographic areas where school choice is needed most. Part of this need to
provide public school choice is related to Title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Act as amended by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Under
NCLB, school districts are required to provide public school choice to
students in schools that have either (1) failed to make adequate yearly
progress for two years, or (2) are considered to be persistently dangerous.
Although NCLB became law in January 8, 2002, school districts are already
indicating that they are having difficulty finding sufficient space in schools so
that students can transfer to quality schools that provide a safe learning
environment.
C-7
The competitive priority is for grant applicants with relatively strong
charter school programs. (20 points)
A State educational agency (SEA) that does not meet any one of the four
statutory criteria will not receive any priority points. In order to receive
preference, an applicant must identify the statutory criteria that it meets and
provide documentation supporting its claims.
C-8
A. The selection criteria related to the applicant’s capacity to carry out the
proposed grant project include:
This criterion rewards applicants that provide sufficient funds to meet the
facility needs of charter schools in the State. The second of the two
factors under this criterion is broader than the first. For instance, it takes
into account the participation of charter schools in State bonding programs
and State efforts to enhance the credit of charter schools through
guaranteeing debt for facilities. The materials that reviewers will take into
account when rating against this selection criterion include:
This criterion focuses on the quality of the State’s plan for delivering per-
pupil facilities aid to charter schools.
C-9
The materials that reviewers will take into account when rating against this
selection criterion include:
Factors that will be considered in assessing the quality of the plan include:
• The likelihood that the proposed grant project will result in the State
either retaining a new per-pupil facilities aid program or continuing
to enhance such a program without the total amount of assistance
(State and Federal) declining over a five-year period;
• The flexibility charter schools have in their use of facility funds for
the various authorized purposes;
• For projects that plan to reserve funds for evaluation, the quality of
the applicant’s plan to use grant funds for this purpose.
C-10
3) The grant project team (15 points).
This criterion focuses on the relevant training and experience of key grant
project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors. Successful applicants
will plan to use the services of individuals with substantial experience and
expertise in education finance, charter schools, and other appropriate
areas.
The materials that reviewers will take into account when rating against this
selection criterion include:
The materials reviewers will take into account when rating against this
selection criterion include:
C-11
• A description of how charter schools’ costs in total (operating,
capital, and interest costs) are financed in the State and the level of
that funding.
• 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 proposed grant project;
• The extent to which the Federal share of the costs of the project
(which may not exceed the percentages allowed under section
5205(b)(2)(C) of the ESEA) falls below the maximums allowed,
particularly in the initial years of the program; and
• The need for per-pupil charter school facility funding in the State.
C-12
Table 1 – Charter School Aid Paid by State
Source Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal
year year year year year year year year year
2001 2002 2003 20041 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
1. Per-pupil funding for charter
school facilities 2
2. Other funding for charter
schools 3
Total
1
The State’s fiscal year 2004 begins on ___________ and ends on _________. If the State has not yet made a decision about
the level of funding for these activities in Fiscal Year 2004, please indicate the status of funding for Fiscal Year 2004 in the
State for these activities. The purpose of this table is to determine total amount of per-pupil facilities aid and assistance in
general for charter schools.
2
This funding includes funds that are distributed on a per-pupil basis that are (1) dedicated solely for funding charter school
facilities and (2) the portion of funds that are dedicated for charter school facilities that are part of a distribution of funds that
may be used for other purposes, such as operating expenses for charter schools or facility funds for regular public schools.
3
These funds include operating funds for charter schools, per-pupil allocations to charter schools that are not designated solely
for facilities, facilities funds that are not awarded to charter schools on a per-pupil basis.
C-13
Table 2 -Budget Form: Grant Funds Expenditures
Budget categories Project year 1 Project year 2 Project year 3 Project year 4 Project year 5 Total
A. Administrative funds (5%)
A.1. Indirect costs
A.2. Evaluation
A.4. Dissemination
C-14
Instructions for Table 2 -- Budget Form: Grant Funds Expenditures
A. Administrative funds:
A.1. Indirect costs: Many organizations have indirect cost rates established with the U.S.
Department of Education which allow those organizations to spend a portion of their grant funds
on a share of the total organization costs such as rent and utilities. For this grant you may
choose to claim indirect costs, but the total amount may not exceed five percent. Also, if you
choose to claim indirect costs, the sum of your indirect costs and your other administrative costs
combined may not exceed five percent.
A. Total administrative costs: The total for this line should include the sum of lines A.1. through A.5.
This line cannot exceed five percent of the requested amount for the entire project period.
This funding includes funds that are distributed on a per-pupil basis that are (1) dedicated solely for funding
charter school facilities and (2) the portion of funds that are dedicated for charter school facilities that are
part of a distribution of funds that may be used for other purposes, such as operating expenses for charter
schools or facility funds for regular public schools.
C. Grand Total
The amount in the total column for this row should be the same as the request on Form ED 424.
C-15
Table 3 - Grant Funds as a Percentage of the Cost of Per-Pupil Facilities Aid
*Project Year 1 is the same as State fiscal year 2004 unless the applicant explicitly notes and explains
which project year maps to which State fiscal year.
C-16
Program-Specific Assurance
I assure that my State intends to provide (either alone or with the assistance of other parties,
such as foundations) annual funding, on a per-pupil basis, for charter school facilities.
Furthermore, I am aware that the Federal share declines in accordance with the table below:
Matching Requirement for State charter school facilities incentive grants program, by
Grant Project Year
_____________________ _____________________
Signature Title
C-17
GUIDANCE ON SECTION 427 OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION
PROVISION ACT
Notice To All Applicants
The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you about a provision in the Department of
Education's General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) – Section 427 -- that applies
to applicants for new grant awards under Department programs.
Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for new grant awards under this program. All
applicants for new awards must include information in their applications to address
this provision in order to receive funding under this program.
Section 427 requires each applicant for funds (other than an individual person) to
include in its application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to
ensure equitable access to, and participation in its Federally-assisted program for
students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs.
Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the requirements of civil rights statutes, but
rather to ensure that, in designing their projects, applicants for Federal funds
address equity concerns that may affect the ability of certain potential beneficiaries
to fully participate in the project and to achieve to high standards. Consistent with
program requirements and its approved application, an applicant may use the
Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.
What are examples of how an applicant might satisfy the requirement of this
provision?
The following examples may help illustrate how an applicant may comply with
Section 427.
C-18
(1) An applicant that proposes to carry out an adult literacy project serving, among
others, adults with limited English proficiency, might describe in its application
how it intends to distribute a brochure about the proposed project to such
potential participants in their native language.
(2) An applicant that proposes to develop instructional materials for classroom use
might describe how it will make the materials available on audio tape or in Braille
for students who are blind.
(3) An applicant that proposes to carry out a model science program for secondary
students and is concerned that girls may be less likely than boys to enroll in the
course, might indicate how it intends to conduct "outreach" efforts to girls, to
encourage their enrollment.
C-19
SECTION
D
ESTIMATED PUBLIC
REPORTING BURDEN
D-1
ESTIMATED PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN
D-2
SECTION
E
OTHER
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
AND NOTICES
E-1
INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
and to strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for State and local
Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of Contact to find out
about, and to comply with, the State's process under Executive Order 12372. Applicants
proposing to perform activities in more than one State should immediately contact the
Single Point of Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established in
each of those States under the Executive order. A listing containing the Single Point of
In States that have not established a process or chosen a program for review,
State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit comments directly to the
Department.
Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, areawide, regional, and local
entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in the actual application
insert number--including suffix letter, if any], U.S. Department of Education, room 7W301,
E-3
Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as applications (see 34 CFR
75.102). Recommendations or comments may be hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m.
(Washington, DC time) on the date indicated in the actual application notice.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE ADDRESS IS NOT THE SAME ADDRESS AS
E-4
The list below, prepared by the U.S. Department of Education is an unofficial version of the State Single
Point of Contact (SPOC) List published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Department
has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this unofficial version. It reflects
those changes made by OMB as of 08/15/01. The only official and up to date version of the State Single
Point of Contact (SPOC) List is posted on the Grants Management section of the OMB web site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. You may review and/or download the Adobe pdf (portable
document format) version of this document at the aforementioned site. Please include this statement in any
reproduction of this unofficial list.
You are strongly encouraged to access the Intergovernmental Review (SPOC List) link to the Grants
Management Information section of the OMB web page regularly in the course of completing grant
applications to be submitted to your designated State Single Point of Contact (SPOC). If you do not have
access to the Internet, please use the list below to contact the office or individual listed in order to confirm the
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC).
It is estimated that in 2001, the Federal Government will outlay $305.6 billion in
grants to State and local governments. Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review
of Federal Programs,” was issued with the desire to foster the intergovernmental
partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for the
coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal
development. The Order allows each State to designate an entity to perform this function.
Below is the official list of those entities. For those States that have a home page for their
designated entity, a direct link has been provided on the official version
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
States that are not listed on this page have chosen not to participate in the
intergovernmental review process, and therefore do not have a SPOC. If you are located
within one of these States, you may still send application material directly to a Federal
awarding agency.
Contact information for Federal agencies that award grants can be found in
Appendix IV of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/cat-app4-index.htm]
E-5
ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA
E-6
KENTUCKY MAINE
E-7
NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE
E-8
SOUTH CAROLINA TEXAS
E-9
GUAM PUERTO RICO
Changes to this list can be made only after OMB is notified by a State’s officially
designated representative. E-mail messages can be sent to grants@omb.eop.gov. If you
prefer, you may send correspondence to the following postal address:
E-10
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONTRACT AND GRANT PROGRAMS
GRANTS
Applicants for grants from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) have to compete for limited funds.
Deadlines assure all applicants that they will be treated fairly and equally, without last minute haste.
For these reasons, ED must set strict deadlines for grant applications. Prospective applicants can avoid disappointment
if they understand that:
The rules, including the deadline, for applying for each grant are published, individually, in the Federal Register. A
one-year subscription to the Register may be obtained by sending $340.00 to: Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9371. (Send check or money order only, no cash or stamps.)
The instructions in the Federal Register must be followed exactly. Do not accept any other advice you may receive. No
ED employee is authorized to extend any deadline published in the Register.
CONTRACTS
Competitive procurement actions undertaken by the ED are governed by the Federal Procurement Regulation and
implementing ED Procurement Regulation.
Generally, prospective competitive procurement actions are synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD).
Prospective offerors are therein advised of the nature of the procurement and where to apply for copies of the Request
for Proposals (RFP).
Offerors are advised to be guided solely by the contents of the CBD synopsis and the instructions contained in the RFP.
Questions regarding the submission of offers should be addressed to the Contracts Specialist identified on the face page
of the RFP.
Offers are judged in competition with others, and failure to conform with any substantive requirements of the RFP will
result in rejection of the offer without any consideration whatever.
Do not accept any advice you receive that is contrary to instructions contained in either the CBD synopsis or the RFP.
No ED employee is authorized to consider a proposal which is non-responsive to the RFP.
A subscription to the CBD is available for $208.00 per year via second class mailing or $261.00 per year via first class
mailing. Information included in the Federal Acquisition Regulation is contained in Title 48, Code of Federal
Regulations, Chapter 1 ($49.00). The foregoing publication may be obtained by sending your check or money order
only, no cash or stamps, to:
Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402-9371
In an effort to be certain this important information is widely disseminated, this notice is being included in all ED mail
to the public. You may therefore, receive more than one notice. If you do, we apologize for any annoyance it may
cause you.
ED FORM 5348, 8/92 REPLACES ED FORM 5348, 6/86 WHICH IS OBSOLETE
E-11
APPLICATION TRANSMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS
ATTENTION ELECTRONIC APPLICANTS: Please note that you must follow the
Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant
competition. Some programs may require electronic submission of applications, and those
programs will have specific requirements and waiver instructions in the Federal Register
notice.
An original and two copies of an application for an award must be mailed or hand-
delivered by the application deadline date unless it is submitted electronically.
You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided
on the e-Grants Web site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on
the application deadline date. The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants website are
6:00 a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until midnight
Saturday (Washington, DC time). Please note that the system is unavailable on Sundays,
and after 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday for maintenance (Washington, DC time). Any
modifications to these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
If you submit your application through the Internet via the e-Grants Web site, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment when we receive your application.
If an application is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary does not accept
either of the following as proof of mailing:
E-12
Applicants should note that 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.
If you send your application by mail or if you or your courier deliver it by hand, the
Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you.
If you do not receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from the mailing
of the application, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control
Center at (202) 708-9493.
You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 4 of
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424 (exp. 11/30/2004)) the CFDA
number – and suffix letter, if any – of the competition under which you are submitting
your application.
If your application is late, we will notify you that we will not consider the application.
The Application Control Center accepts deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
(Washington, D.C. time), except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays.
The Center accepts application deliveries must use the D Street entrance only. A person
delivering an application must show identification to enter the building.
E-13