2020-28257. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) 2019-2021: Common Core of Data (CCD)

AGENCY:

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is seeking public comment on proposed changes to a currently existing information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information request by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Carrie Clarady, 202-245-6347.

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) changes that are 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: National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) 2019-2021: Common Core of Data (CCD).

OMB Control Number: 1850-0067.

Type of Review: A change to a currently existing information collection.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 56.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 6,738.

Abstract: The National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) is the Nation's only source of annual statistical information about total revenues and expenditures for public elementary and secondary education at the state level. NCES collects data annually from SEAs under Section 153(a)(1)(I) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. 9543(a)(1)(I), which authorizes NCES to gather data on the financing and management of education. NCES and the Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division of the U.S. Census Bureau collaborate to collect public education finance data. The U.S. Census Bureau (Census), Governments Division, administers the NPEFS data collection for NCES under interagency agreement.

NPEFS provides detailed finance data at the state level, including average daily attendance; school district revenues by source (local, state, and federal); and expenditures by function (instruction, support services, and non-instruction), sub function (e.g., school administration), and object (e.g., salaries). This survey also includes capital outlay and debt service expenditures. The NPEFS includes data on all public schools from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. NPEFS serves as both a statistical and an administrative collection used for a number of federal program funding allocations.

In 2019, NCES requested an extension of approval for the NPEFS data collection, OMB Control Number 1850-0067. NPEFS is an annual collection of state-level finance data that have been a component of NCES's Common Core of Data (CCD) since FY 1982 (covering school year 1981/82). On August 22, 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the collection of state-level finance data for the data collections of FY 19-FY 21 data. The expiration date is August 31, 2022. The statistical uses of NPEFS were previously set forth in National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) 2019-2021: Common Core of Data (CCD), Supporting Statement Part A, OMB# 1850-0067 v.17.

This submission for 30-day public review requests changes to the National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) data collection. As a direct result of the COVID-19 circumstances, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is requesting to:

1. Amend the instructions for Average Daily Attendance (ADA) on NPEFS;

2. Obtain approval to send a letter to Chief State School Officers (CSSOs) and State Fiscal Coordinators pertaining to ADA;

3. Amend the data plan for NPEFS;

4. Add certain data items to NPEFS;

5. Make other small changes to FY 20 NPEFS, based on regular communication with state fiscal coordinators; and

6. Change the estimated respondent burden and the costs to the federal government incurred by the above changes.

Dated: December 17, 2020.

Stephanie Valentine,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.