FEDERAL AGENCY:

OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

AUTHORIZATION:

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title IX, Part A, Subpart 1, as amended, Public Law 103-382, 20 U.S.C. 7811-7818; 25 U.S.C. 2001.

OBJECTIVES:

Support local educational agencies in their efforts to reform elementary and secondary school programs that serve Indian students in order to ensure that programs are based on challenging State content standards and student performance standards that are used for all students, and are designed to assist Indian students meet those standards in reaching the National Education Goals.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Formula Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Grantees may use funds for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of supplementary projects specifically designed to assist Indian students in meeting State content and student performance standards. Projects must be designed in response to a locally conducted needs assessment and with the full cooperation and involvement of an elected committee representing parents of the Indian students to be served. Permissible activities include, but are not limited to: (1) Culturally related activities; (2) early childhood and family programs emphasizing school readiness; and (3) enrichment programs that directly support the attainment of State content and performance standards. This program is subject to non-supplanting requirements and must use a restricted indirect cost rate which is refereneced under 34 CFR 76.564-76.569. For assistance call the Office of the Chief Financial Officer/Indirect Cost Group on 202-708-7770.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Local educational agencies (LEAs) that enroll at least 10 Indian children or in which Indians constitute at least 25 percent of the total enrollment. These requirements do not apply to LEAs serving Indian children in Alaska, California, and Oklahoma or located on, or in proximity to, an Indian reservation. Schools that receive funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs under Section 1130 of the Education Amendments of 1978, 25 U.S.C. 2001, are deemed to be eligible to participate in this program.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Eligible Indian children enrolled in eligible local educational agencies, and BIA funded schools.

Credentials/Documentation:   The applicant must certify the number of eligible Indian children enrolled. The grant award is computed based on this information. An applicant must also assure that it has carried out a number of other required activities, including: holding a public hearing, establishing an Indian parent committee, and making arrangements for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the project. No grant will be made unless the applicant has the written approval of the applicant's Indian parent committee. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments.

Pre-application Coordination:   The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency must be used for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:   The LEA annually submits to the Department of Education an application describing its proposed project. Application forms are available from the headquarters office. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:   Awards are issued annually directly to the LEA. Awards are made to all applicants that meet the applicable requirements of the Act and that have designed a project that the Secretary of Education determines will substantially increase the educational opportunities of the Indian children served by the applicant.

Deadlines:   Deadlines are established annually. Notice of closing date is published in the Federal Register. A mailing list is maintained at the headquarters office. Application packets are generally mailed to applicants from the previous year as soon as they are available. However, if a packet is not received, the headquarters office should be contacted. The headquarters office should also be contacted for specific closing dates.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   Approximately 160 days.

Appeals:   None.

Renewals:   None.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   The Indian Education program specifies that the amount of a grant to which an LEA is entitled is computed by multiplying the number of Indian children enrolled in the LEA's schools by the average per pupil expenditure for the State in which the applicant is located, or 80 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure, whichever is greater. In setting the actual amount of a grant, an applicant's formula amount is adjusted on the basis of available appropriations. In order for an LEA to receive a grant, the appropriate State educational agency (SEA) must certify that the combined fiscal effort of that LEA and the State with respect to the provision of free public education by that LEA for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort for that purpose for the second preceding fiscal year. If an LEA does not meet this requirement and the Secretary does not grant a waiver for unusual circumstances, the LEA's grant award is reduced in exact proportion by which the LEA failed to meet the combined fiscal effort requirement. Bureau of Indian Affairs are exempt from the combined fiscal effort requirement. This program has no matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Grants are awarded for up to 60 months and funds must be spent or obligated within the project period. Payments are made by direct deposit upon request by LEAs.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Financial and performance reports are due within 90 days of the termination of the project period.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Records must be maintained three years after the completion of the activity for which grant funds were used.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   91-0101-2-1-501.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $62,000,000; FY 02 est $92,765,000; and FY 03 est Not available. It will be determined upon completion of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  
Range of New Awards: $4,000-$2,823,022; Average New Award: $78,024.

In fiscal year 2001, awards were made to 1,033 LEAs, 81 BIA grant/contract schools, and 54 BIA operated schools. The projects that were funded served approximately 448,210 Indian students in elementary and secondary schools. The average per student payment was $134.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

34 CFR 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:   Bernard Garcia, Office of Indian Education, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, District of Columbia 20202 Email: bernard.garcia@ed.gov Phone: (202) 260-1454.

Web Site Address:  
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oie/programs.html

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Instruction in reading and mathematics; counseling and guidance; native language and cultural education instruction; early childhood and family programs emphasizing school readiness; and school-to-work transition programs.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

This is a formula grant program. Applicants do not compete but rather are entitled to funds if they meet basic eligibility requirements.