A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

Competitive  Grant Funding Available

TO THE ELIGIBLE APPLICANT ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: Request for Application # 701-10-108 - Dropout Recovery Pilot Program Cycle 1, Year 2

Eligible Applicants

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications under Request for Application (RFA) # 701-10-108 from applicants that received Dropout Recovery Pilot Program Cycle 1, Year 1, funding (RFA #701-08-116).  In order for Dropout Recovery Pilot Program Cycle 1, Year 1 grantees to be eligible to apply for Year 2 funding, the applicant organization must currently be one of the following types: a Texas independent school district, an open-enrollment charter school, an institution of higher education, a county department of education, a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated the ability and capacity to provide educational programs to students in any grade from Kindergarten-Grade 12, or a regional education service center (ESC). Entities that received funding under the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, Cycles 2 and 3, are not eligible to apply for Cycle 1, Year 2, funding.

If an applicant is operating as an education program that issues high school diplomas, the applicant must meet one of the following conditions:

Must have received a charter from the State Board of Education, from the local school district in which it resides, or from a home-rule district in accordance with TEC §§12.011, 12.052, and 12.101, or

Must have earned accreditation through

• TEA, in accordance with TEC §39.071, as amended and renumbered to 39.051 by House Bill 3, 81st Texas Legislature, 2009, and 19 TAC §97.1053
• An accrediting entity operating as a member of the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission, or
• Another accrediting entity approved by the commissioner.

The following eligibility requirements also apply:

• TEA reserves the right not to award a grant to a district or charter school that is identified by TEA as a high-risk grantee.
• An open-enrollment charter campus shall become ineligible for grant funding (or, if a campus has applied for and received funding for this grant, will have its grant funding placed on hold) if the commissioner notifies the campus’ charter holder of the commissioner’s intent to: (1) revoke or non-renew such charter under TEC Chapter 12, or (2) close the campus under TEC Chapter 39, for any of the reasons set forth in either statutory provision. If the commissioner ultimately revokes or denies renewal of an open-enrollment charter of a charter holder or closes a campus that has been awarded funds under this grant program, grant funding shall be discontinued.
• Nonprofit organizations, including open-enrollment charter schools operated by a nonprofit charter holder, must attach to the application a copy of the current (i.e., within the last 10 years) proof of nonprofit status for the application to be eligible for funding. (Refer to Part 1: General and Fiscal Guidelines for acceptable proof of nonprofit status.)

Description of Program

The purposes of the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, Cycle 1, Year 2, grant are to (1) identify and recruit students who have already dropped out of Texas public secondary schools and who are not currently enrolled in a Texas public secondary school; and (2) provide those students with services designed to enable them to succeed through a high school diploma path to college or an alternative path to college, as defined in the RFA.

The goals of the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, Cycle 1, Year 2, are to (1) expand the state's capacity to provide dropout recovery resources to students who have dropped out of public middle and high school; (2) provide Texas students who have dropped out of public middle or high school with an opportunity to obtain a high school diploma or complete an alternative path to college; (3) develop a flexible mechanism to respond to the particular needs of students who have dropped out of public middle and high school to facilitate their ability to earn a high school diploma or earn a high school equivalency credential (GED) and become college ready; (4) increase the number of students who earn a high school diploma; and (5) increase the number of students who earn a GED and become college ready.

Project Funding

The Dropout Recovery Pilot Program Cycle 1, Year 2, grant will be implemented during the 2010-2011 school year(s).  Applicants should plan for a starting date of no earlier than July 1, 2010, and an ending date of no later than August 31, 2011.

Approximately $1.7 million is available for funding the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, Cycle 1, Year 2, grant project. The number of projects funded will depend on the number of students applicants selected for funding plan to serve. Grantees will be awarded a base amount of funding, not to exceed $75,000, based on the number of participants they plan to serve for the 2010-2011 project period. This project is funded 100 percent with state funds.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be selected based on the independent reviewers' assessment of each applicant's ability to carry out all requirements contained in the RFA and upon satisfactory completion of year 1 objectives and activities. Reviewers will evaluate applications based on the overall quality and validity of the proposed grant programs and the extent to which the applications address the primary objectives and intent of the project. Applications must address each requirement as specified in the RFA to be considered for funding. TEA reserves the right to select from the highest-ranking applications those that address all requirements in the RFA and that are most advantageous to the project.

TEA is not obligated to approve an application, provide funds, or endorse any application submitted in response to this RFA. This RFA does not commit TEA to pay any costs before an application is approved. The issuance of this RFA does not obligate TEA to award a grant or pay any costs incurred in preparing a response.

Requesting the Application

RFAs are no longer available in print.  The announcement letter and complete RFA will be posted on the TEA website at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms for viewing and downloading.  In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the RFA from the drop-down list.  Scroll down to the “Application and Support Information” to view all documents that pertain to this RFA.

Applicants’ Conference

An applicants’ conference will be held on Monday, February 8, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the Texas Educational Telecommunication Network (TETN) available at each regional education service center (ESC) (TETN Event # 7083). To locate the nearest TETN facility, please contact the TETN site manager at your regional ESC. (The following webpage includes links and contact information for each ESC in Texas: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ESC/.)

Questions relevant to the RFA may be sent to Angela de Leon at Angela.Deleon@tea.state.tx.us or faxed to (512) 462-4246 prior to Friday, February 5, 2010. These questions along with other information will be addressed in the presentation. The conference will be open to all potential applicants and will provide prospective applicants an opportunity to receive general and clarifying information about the program and RFA.

The entire applicants’ conference will be digitally recorded. Prospective applicants who are not able to attend the applicants’ conference may request a password to download a video stream that is viewable on their computer desktop. Applicants should contact the TETN site manager at their local ESC to request the procedures to download the video stream. 

For Further Information

For clarifying information about the RFA, contact Donnell Bilsky, Division of Discretionary Grants, TEA, (512) 463-9269.

In order to assure that no prospective applicant may obtain a competitive advantage because of acquisition of information unknown to other prospective applicants, any and all questions pertaining to the RFA must be submitted in writing to the TEA contact person.

Copies of the questions and the written answers thereto will be posted on the TEA website in the format of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms.  In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the program/RFA from the drop-down list.  Scroll down to the “Application and Support Information” to view all documents that pertain to this RFA.  

Deadline for Receipt of Applications

Applications must be received in the Document Control Center of TEA by 5:00 PM (Central Time), Thursday, March 4, 2010, to be eligible to be considered for funding.

Sincerely,

Nora Ibáñez Hancock, Ed.D.
Associate Commissioner
Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation