Notice2025-08299
Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2025; Small, Rural School Achievement Program
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Published
May 12, 2025
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish the deadline and describe the application process for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 SRSA grant. All LEAs eligible for FY 2025 SRSA funds must apply electronically via the process described in this notice by the deadline listed below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 90 (Monday, May 12, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 90 (Monday, May 12, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20157-20159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08299]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2025; Small, Rural School
Achievement Program
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, the
U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula
basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the
unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish
the deadline and describe the application process for the fiscal year
(FY) 2025 SRSA grant.
All LEAs eligible for FY 2025 SRSA funds must apply electronically
via the process described in this notice by the deadline listed below.
DATES:
Applications Available: May 14, 2025.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 13, 2025.
Application Technical Assistance: The Department will announce via
email application technical assistance opportunities for applicants
when the application becomes available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie Poynter, Rural Education
Achievement Program (REAP) Group Leader, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 401-
0039. Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e99b8c8899a98c8dc78e869f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c5b7a0a4b585a0a1eba2aab3">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Assistance Listing Number: 84.358A.
OMB Control Number: 1810-0646.
I. Award Information
Type of Award: Formula grant.
Available Funds: $110,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $0-$60,000.
Note: The amount of an LEA's award depends on the number and makeup
of eligible LEAs that complete the SRSA application, and the amount
Congress appropriates for the program. Some eligible LEAs may receive
an SRSA allocation of $0 due to the statutory funding formula and, in
that case, will not be invited to submit an application.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4,200.
II. Program Authority and Eligibility Information
Under what statutory authority will FY 2025 SRSA grant awards be made?
The FY 2025 SRSA grant awards will be made under title V, part B,
subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA),
20 U.S.C. 7345-7345a.
Which LEAs are eligible for an award under the SRSA program?
For FY 2025, an LEA (including a public charter school that meets
the definition of LEA in section 8101(30) of the ESEA) is eligible for
an award under the SRSA program if it meets both of the criteria below:
(a) The total number of students in average daily attendance at all
of the schools served by the LEA is fewer than 600, or each county in
which a school served by the LEA is located has a total population
density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile; and
(b) All of the schools served by the LEA are designated with a
school locale code of 41, 42, or 43 by the Department's National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), or the Secretary has determined, based
on a demonstration by the LEA and concurrence of the State educational
agency, that the LEA is located in an area defined as rural by a
governmental agency of the State.
The Department provides an eligibility spreadsheet listing each LEA
eligible to apply for FY 2025 SRSA grant funds. The spreadsheet is
available on the Department's website at: <a href="https://data.ed.gov/dataset/reap-fy-2025-master-eligibility-spreadsheet/resources">https://data.ed.gov/dataset/reap-fy-2025-master-eligibility-spreadsheet/resources</a>.
If an LEA on the Department's list of LEAs eligible to apply for an
FY 2025 SRSA award will close prior to the 2025-2026 school year, that
LEA is not eligible to receive an FY 2025 SRSA award and should not
apply.
Note: The ``Choice of Participation'' provision under section 5225
of the ESEA gives an LEA eligible for both SRSA and the Rural and Low-
Income School (RLIS) program, which is authorized under title V, part
B, subpart 2 of the ESEA, the option to participate in either the SRSA
program or the RLIS program. 20 U.S.C. 7351d. An LEA eligible for both
SRSA and RLIS is henceforth referred to as a ``dual-eligible LEA.''
[[Page 20158]]
Which eligible LEAs must submit an application to receive an FY 2025
SRSA grant award?
Under 34 CFR 75.104(a), the Secretary makes a grant only to an
eligible entity that submits an application.
In FY 2025, each LEA eligible to receive an SRSA award is required
to submit an SRSA application in order to receive SRSA funds,
regardless of whether the LEA received an award or submitted an
application in a previous year. For example, if a rural community has
two distinct LEAs--one composed of its elementary school(s) and one
composed of its high school(s)--each distinct LEA must submit its own
SRSA application. This requirement applies to all eligible LEAs,
including each dual-eligible LEA that chooses to participate in the
SRSA program instead of the RLIS program and each SRSA-eligible LEA
that is a member of an educational service agency (ESA) that does not
receive SRSA funds on the LEA's behalf. In the case of an SRSA-eligible
LEA that is a member of an SRSA-eligible ESA, the LEA and ESA must
coordinate directly with each other to determine which entity will
submit an SRSA application on the LEA's behalf, as both entities may
not apply for or receive SRSA funds for the LEA. As noted above,
pursuant to section 5225 of the ESEA, a dual-eligible LEA that applies
for SRSA funds will not receive an RLIS award.
What are the Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number requirements for
the SRSA program?
As required by 2 CFR part 25, Appendix A, entities receiving funds
from the Federal government, including SRSA-eligible LEAs that apply
for an SRSA award, must maintain current entity information in the
System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the Federal government's
primary registrant database and is managed by the General Services
Administration, not the Department. The UEI, a 12-character
alphanumeric code, is the primary means of entity identification for
Federal awards.
Each SRSA-eligible LEA must provide its UEI on the SRSA
application. An LEA must have a UEI with an active registration status
in SAM to access its awarded SRSA grant funds. An LEA without a UEI may
not receive an SRSA award until it has obtained and registered a UEI.
Obtaining a UEI is free to LEAs and can be accomplished at <a href="http://www.SAM.gov">www.SAM.gov</a>.
LEAs may find SAM's guide helpful in understanding the registration
process, available at: <a href="https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration">https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration</a>. For
additional resources or technical support related to the UEI
registration process please utilize the support features at
<a href="http://www.fsd.gov">www.fsd.gov</a>.
III. Application and Submission Information
Electronic Submission of Applications Using <a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a>
The Department will send an email with a unique application link on
May 14, 2025, to each LEA that is eligible and estimated to receive a
positive allocation (i.e., an estimated amount greater than $0.00) for
an FY 2025 SRSA grant award. The email will include detailed
instructions for completing the electronic application.
An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via
<a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a> by June 13, 2025, to be assured of receiving an FY 2025
SRSA grant award. The Department may consider applications submitted
after the deadline to the extent practicable and contingent upon the
availability of funding.
Please note the following:
<bullet> The application is estimated to take 30 minutes to
complete. LEAs are encouraged not to wait until the application
deadline date to begin the application process.
<bullet> Eligible LEAs will receive periodic emails during the
application period containing a reminder to complete the SRSA
application prior to the June 13, 2025, deadline.
<bullet> An application received by <a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a> is dated and time
stamped upon submission, and an applicant will receive a confirmation
email after the application is submitted.
<bullet> If any applicant information changes (e.g., address or
contact information for the LEA) after an application has been
submitted via <a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a>, the applicant must contact the Department
directly by emailing <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#44362125340421206a232b32"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="64160105142401004a030b12">[email protected]</span></a> to update such information.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
If you are unable to submit an application by June 13, 2025,
because of technical issues, contact the Department by emailing
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bbc9dedacbfbdedf95dcd4cd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="73011612033316175d141c05">[email protected]</span></a> within 5 business days and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced. The late application will be
accepted as having met the deadline if the Department can confirm that
a technical issue occurred with the <a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a> system that affected
your ability to submit the application by the deadline. As noted above,
if you submit the application after the deadline and the late
submission is not due to a technical issue about which you have
notified the Department, the Department may consider your application
to the extent practicable and contingent upon the availability of
funding.
IV. Other Procedural Requirements
System for Award Management (SAM)
To do business with the Department, an entity must maintain an
active registration in the SAM, the Federal Government's primary
registrant database, using the following information:
a. UEI.
b. Legal business name.
c. Physical address associated with the UEI.
d. Taxpayer identification number (TIN).
e. Taxpayer name associated with the TIN.
f. Bank information to set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
(i.e., routing number, account number, and account type (checking/
savings)).
V. Accessibility Information and Program Authority
Accessible Format: Upon request to the REAP Group Leader (using the
email or phone number provided in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section above), individuals with disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in an accessible format. The
Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that
may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive,
an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other
accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/">https://www.govinfo.gov/</a>. At this site you can
view this document, as well as all other Department documents published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access Department documents published in the Federal
Register by using the article search feature at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
[[Page 20159]]
Program Authority: Sections 5211-5212 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7345-
7345a.
Hayley B. Sanon,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary,
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2025-08299 Filed 5-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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