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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

84.165:  Magnet Schools Assistance

Objectives:  To provide grants to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs for use in magnet schools that are part of approved desegregation plans and that are designed to bring together students from different social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

84.165 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Local educational agencies may apply.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Local educational agencies and participating students will benefit.

Credentials/Documentation:  Applicants must submit a copy of the desegregation plan they are implementing, or will implement, if assistance is made available. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments.

84.165 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program. 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:  Application notices are published in the Federal Register and applications must be sent to the Education Department on or before the closing date. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:  Applications are approved for awards by the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. Recommendations for the approval of applications are made by the program staff on the basis of published criteria, statutory priorities, State comments received under the E.O. 12372 process, and with the advice and assistance of a panel of reviewers. In addition, no application may be approved unless the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights determines that all required assurance will be met.

Deadlines:  The closing date for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program is published in the Federal Register.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  The range is anticipated to be 90 to 120 days from the closing date.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  The project period for a Magnet School award may not exceed 36 months. To receive continuation funding, grantees must demonstrate substantial progress toward meeting their goals and objectives.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Quality criteria to evaluate the applicant's plan of operation; personnel; project design; budget and resources; evaluation plan; and commitment and capacity. (See Section 280.31). Competitive priority is given to applicants that demonstrate the greatest need for assistance; that carry out new or significantly revised magnet schools; that select students to attend magnet schools through methods such as lottery, rather than academic examination; that implement innovative educational approaches consistent with approved State and local system reform plans; and that draw on comprehensive community involvement plans. For funds appropriated for the program in excess of $75 million, competitive priority is given to those applicants that did not receive funds under the program in the last fiscal year of the previous funding cycle.

Examples of Funded Projects:  The following are examples of the types of projects that have been funded: (1) Implementation of science and math magnet projects; (2) projects to support performing arts magnet programs at the elementary and secondary level; and (3) projects to support Montessori programs.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  In fiscal year 1999, 57 awards were made. The average award is about $1,628,000.

84.165 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 84.004 Civil Rights Training and Advisory Services.

84.165 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

New Awards to 60 school districts were made for fiscal year 1999.

84.165 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $104,000,000; FY 00 est $110,000,000; and FY 01 est $110,000,000.

Budget Account Number:  91-1000-2-1-501.

Authorization:  Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title V, Part A, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 7201-7213.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Contact the Program Office for information on regulations (34 CFR 280).

84.165 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Magnet Schools Assistance Program, School Improvement Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Room 3E112, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20202-6140. Contact: Steve Brockhouse. Phone: (202) 260-2476. Internet: Steve_Brockhouse@ed.gov.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

84.165 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  The length of grants will be up to 36 months, subject to the availability of funds.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Funds may be used for planning and promotional activities directly related to the development, expansion, continuation, or enhancement of academic programs offered at magnet schools; for purchasing books, materials, equipment; and for paying or subsidizing the salaries of teachers and instructional staff in magnet schools. Funds may not be used for transportation or activities that do not augment academic improvement. No more than 50 percent of the funds an applicant receives in the first year of a grant may be used for planning. No more than 15 percent of the funds received for the second year may be used for planning, and no more than 10 percent in the third year.

84.165 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  As part of the continuation funding process, grantees must submit performance reports annually. The program office will establish a due date.

Audits:  In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profits Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive 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:  Section 443 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act, grantees must maintain records for 3 years.