Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Form for Maintenance-of Effort Waiver Requests Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended

AGENCY:

Department of Education (ED), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-0077. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E-349, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Matthew Stern, 202-453-6451.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Form for Maintenance-of Effort Waiver Requests Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.

OMB Control Number: 1810-0693.

Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 20.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,600.

Abstract: Section 8521(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA) provides that a local educational agency (LEA) may receive funds under title I, part A and other ESEA “covered programs” for any fiscal year only if the State educational agency (SEA) finds that either the combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of the LEA and the State with respect to the provision of free public education by the LEA for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding fiscal year. This provision is the maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements for LEAs under the ESEA.

The purpose of this extension request is to renew approval for the MOE waiver form; this MOE waiver form has been updated to reflect the statutory changes in the ESEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act. ED believes that the proposed form, which is slightly modified from the currently approved version, will enable an SEA to provide the information needed in an efficient manner. This collection includes burden at the SEA level.