95-29447. Proposed Information Collection Available for Public Comment; Notice

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 232 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 62080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29447]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Proposed Information Collection Available for Public Comment; 
Notice

    In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel 
and Readiness) announces the following proposed public information 
collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments 
are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the proposed information 
collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information collection; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. Written comments and recommendations on the proposed 
information collection should be sent to the Office of the Under 
Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (Requirements and 
Resources), ATTN: Reports Clearance Officer, Room 3C980, 4000 Defense 
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-4000. Consideration will be given to all 
comments received within 60 days of the date of publication of this 
notice.
    Title: Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and 
Secondary Schools (DDESS): 1996 Impact Aid Funding Surveys.
    Summary: This information collection consists of telephone 
interviews with both state education officials and local school 
district officials regarding the levels and sources of funding for 
local education agencies (LEAs) that have over 30 percent of students 
as military dependents. The proposed information collection will use a 
computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) technique, in which 
telephone interviewers enter responses into a computerized data file. 
The primary purpose of this survey effort is to determine the 
feasibility of transferring the Domestic Dependent Elementary and 
Secondary Schools (DDESS) to local education agencies.
    Needs and Uses: The Department of Defense (DoD) currently funds the 
operation of 58 Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools 
(DDESS) on 15 military installations within the United States 
(excluding Puerto Rico). These schools were originally funded because 
the local communities could not provide a suitable education for 
military dependents living on these installations. In recent years, 
changes in local conditions and in federal funding priorities have led 
Congress to reconsider federal funding for the DDESS schools. In 1985, 
Congress required that the DoD submit a plan for the transfer of the 
DDESS schools to local education agencies. Although DoD conducted case 
studies of each DDESS, no action was taken regarding transfer. However, 
continuing efforts to reduce the federal deficit led the 103rd Congress 
to request a new study of the transfer issue. House of Representatives 
Conference Report 103-701 (pp. 963-964) requires that the Department of 
Defense collect information concerning the possibility of transferring 
the remaining 15 DDESS schools to neighboring local education agencies. 
Since a transfer to LEAs would require some mechanism to ensure 
adequate funding, the appropriate means and sources of funds for LEAs 
that enroll high proportions of military students is a critical 
determinant of the feasibility and success of any transfer effort. The 
House Conference Report, therefore, directs the DoD to conduct a survey 
of school districts operated by local education agencies in which over 
30 percent of enrolled students are military dependents, in order to 
determine the level of funding for such schools and the sources of that 
funding. The legislation further specifies that the survey collect 
information on (1) the previous level of financial support provided by 
DoD and other federal agencies, and the timing of fiscal decisions 
concerning the education of military-connected students; (2) the 
positions of the LEAs and their corresponding state education officials 
regarding the responsibility of LEAs to educate military-connected 
students who reside on military installations; and (3) how funding of 
these school districts compares with other districts within the state 
that do not have a large percentage of military-dependent students. 
Findings from the data collection (along with findings from required 
surveys of military parents regarding the quality of education at the 
DDESS schools and at the highly impacted LEAs) will be submitted in a 
report to Congress. Congress will use this information in its 
consideration of the feasibility of transferring the DDESS schools to 
local education agencies.
    Affected Public: State and local governments.
    Annual Burden Hours (Including Recordkeeping): 65.5 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 131.
    Responses per Respondent: One.
    Average Burden per Response: 30 minutes.
    Frequency: One time.
    To request more information on this proposed information collection 
or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection 
instruments, please write to the above address or call the Office of 
the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) Reports 
Clearance Officer at [phone].

    Dated: November 29, 1995.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 95-29447 Filed 12-1-95; 8:45 am]
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