Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Education Stabilization Fund-Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form

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 September 23, 2024.

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-2024-SCC-0093. 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. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will temporarily accept comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 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 Manager of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Britt Jung, (202) 453-6046.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department, 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. The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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: Private Sector; State, Local, or Tribal Governments.

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 (Governors 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 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.