[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 34, Volume 1] [Revised as of July 1, 2006] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 34CFR222.40] [Page 520-521] TITLE 34--EDUCATION CHAPTER II--OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PART 222_IMPACT AID PROGRAMS--Table of Contents Subpart C_Payments for Federally Connected Children Under Section 8003(b) and (e) of the Act Sec. 222.40 How does a local educational agency select a local contribution rate based on generally comparable local educational agencies? (a) In selecting an LCR based upon generally comparable LEAs, an LEA shall use the following steps: (1) Step 1. The LEA shall select the factor or factors in Sec. 222.39 the LEA wishes to use as the basis for general comparability. (2) Step 2. Using State-supplied data, the LEA shall identify within the State the entire group of LEAs (containing at least 10 LEAs exclusive of significantly impacted LEAs described in Sec. 222.39(b)(1)) that matches the factor or factors selected in Step 1 and that contains the applicant LEA or would contain the applicant LEA if it were not significantly impacted. (3) Step 3. The LEA shall recommend to the Secretary the LCR, which the SEA has computed according to the provisions of Sec. 222.39, based on the group identified in Step 2. (b) A significantly impacted LEA described in Sec. 222.39(b)(1) may-- (1) Apply for assistance under this program; and (2) Under the generally comparable LEA method, recommend for itself the LCR of any group in which it would be included based on grade span/ legal classification, size, location, or a combination of these factors, if it were not excluded as significantly impacted in Sec. 222.39(b)(1). Example. An LEA applies for assistance under section 8003 and wishes to recommend to the Secretary an LCR based on generally comparable LEAs within its State. 1. Characteristics of Applicant LEA The grade span of the applicant LEA is kindergarten through grade 8 (K-8). In the applicant's State, legal classification of LEAs is based on grade span, and thus does not act to further subdivide groups of LEAs. The ADA of the applicant LEA is above the median ADA of LEAs serving only K-8 in the State. The applicant LEA is located outside an MSA. 2. Characteristics of Other LEAs Serving Same Grade Span The SEA of the applicant's State groups all LEAs in its State according to the factors in Sec. 222.39. (a) The SEA identifies the following groups: (i) One hundred and one LEAs serve only K-8. The SEA has identified a group of 50 LEAs having an ADA above the median ADA for the group of 101, one LEA having an ADA at the median, and a group of 50 LEAs having an ADA below the median ADA; and according to Sec. 222.39(a)(2)(i), the SEA considers 51 LEAs to have an ADA below the median ADA. (ii) Of the 101 LEAs in the group, the SEA has identified a group of 64 LEAs as being inside an MSA and a group of 37 LEAs as being outside an MSA. (iii) Among the group of 50 LEAs having an ADA above the median, the SEA has identified a group of 35 LEAs as being inside an MSA and a group of 15 LEAs as being outside an MSA. (iv) Among the group of 51 LEAs having an ADA at or below the median, the SEA has identified a group of 29 LEAs as being inside an MSA and 22 LEAs as being outside an MSA. (v) One LEA has 20 percent of its ADA composed of children identified under section 8003(a)(1)(A)-(C) and, therefore, must be excluded from any group it falls within before the SEA computes an LCR for the group. The LEA has an ADA below the median ADA and is located outside an MSA. (b) On the basis of Sec. 222.41, the SEA computes the LCR for each group of generally comparable LEAs that the SEA has identified. 3. Selection of Generally Comparable LEAs The applicant LEA selects the group of generally comparable LEAs matching the factor or factors it wishes to use as the basis [[Page 521]] for general comparability. Under the requirements of Sec. 222.39, the applicant LEA must begin with the group that includes all LEAs with its grade span, and, if relevant and sufficiently different, legal classification. In this case, grade span and legal classification happen to be the same. Thus, the group would include 100 LEAs, after excluding the one significantly impacted LEA. The applicant LEA then has several options: (a) Option 1. The applicant LEA may select as its group of generally comparable LEAs on which to base its recommended LCR the entire group of 100 LEAs serving K-8, after excluding the one significantly impacted LEA. The applicant LEA then recommends to the Secretary as its LCR the rate computed for this group by the SEA. (b) Option 2. Instead of selecting the group of 100, the applicant LEA may select as its generally comparable group only those LEAs within the 101 (the significantly impacted LEA must be included initially for the purpose of determining the median ADA) that have an ADA above the median ADA, that is, the group of 50. The applicant LEA then recommends to the Secretary as its LCR the rate computed for the group by the SEA. (c) Option 3. Instead of selecting either of the groups described in Options 1 and 2, the applicant LEA may select as its generally comparable group only those LEAs within the 100 that are outside an MSA; that is, the group of 36, after excluding the one significantly impacted LEA. The applicant LEA then recommends to the Secretary as its LCR the rate computed for this group by the SEA. (d) Option 4. Instead of selecting any of the groups described in Options 1, 2, and 3, the applicant LEA may select as its generally comparable group only those LEAs that both have an ADA above the median ADA for the 101 and are outside an MSA; that is, the group of 15. The applicant LEA then recommends to the Secretary as its LCR the rate computed for this group by the SEA. However, as provided in Sec. 222.39(b)(2), if the SEA were to have identified fewer than 10 LEAs under any factor or combination of factors, the SEA would not have computed a rate for such a group. Therefore, an applicant LEA included in such a group would not be able to use this factor or combination of factors in recommending its LCR to the Secretary. The significantly impacted LEA described in Sec. 222.39(b)(1), while included for determining the median ADA, is excluded from the computation of any group's LCR. However, the significantly impacted LEA may recommend for itself the LCR of any group it matches in grade span/legal classification, size, location, or a combination of these factors, (that is, in the case of the significantly impacted LEA referred to in this example, below the median ADA and outside an MSA), provided the group contains at least 10 LEAs that are not significantly impacted. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1810-0036) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7703(b)(1)(C)(iii) and 7703(f)(3)(A)(i)(II) and (III))