2024-22279. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Education Stabilization Fund-Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient ...

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Department of Education

1. [Docket No.: ED-2024-SCC-0093]

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 30, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request (ICR) by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check the “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this information collection request. Information collection forms and instructions may be found by clicking on the “View Information Collection (IC) List” link. Supporting statements and other supporting documentation may be found by clicking on the “View Supporting Statement and Other Documents” link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Britt Jung, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department 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: Education Stabilization Fund- Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form.

OMB Control Number: 1810-0748.

Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved ICR.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,326.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 40,612.

Abstract: The Department awards GEER grants to Governors (States) and analogous ESF-Governor grants to Outlying Areas for the purpose of providing local educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), and other education related entities with emergency assistance as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Department has awarded these grants to States (Governor's offices) based on a formula stipulated in the legislation. The grants are also awarded to Outlying Areas based on the same formula: (1) 60% on the basis of the States or Outlying Areas relative population of individuals aged 5 through 24. (2) 40% on the basis of the States relative number of children counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Data collected through this information collection will inform Department monitoring and oversight, and public reporting.

This information collection requests approval for an extension to a previously approved collection that includes annual reporting requirements ( print page 79580) to comply with the requirements of the GEER/ESF-Governor program and to obtain information on how the funds were used.

The information will be reviewed by U.S. Department of Education (Department) employees to ensure that GEER/ESF-Governor funds are used in accordance with applicable requirements under the CARES Act and CRRSA Act and will be shared with the public to promote transparency regarding the allocation and uses of funds. Furthermore, the information collected will be analyzed to provide aggregate statistics on SEA and LEA use of Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) funds to address the impacts of the COVID-19 virus on students and schools. The collection was used for a similar purpose in the first three years of its administration, with reporting made public in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

Dated: September 25, 2024.

Kun Mullan,

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