Hi, Rachel,
Here is additional information in response to your questions regarding our OMB clearance package (or as much as we are able to supply at this time).
1) Unfortunately, we
cannot make the e-Signature happen without financial and technical support from
ED's highest echelons. As you know, our managers are continuing to request
assistance in implementing this. The record of our many attempts to make this
happen is lengthy and was provided with the current package. Other offices in ED
have offered little or no help with this endeavor, and we have not even been
provided with a promised cost estimate from the Office of the Chief Financial
Officer. We were adivsed, however,
that implementation of e-signature will take one year (at the very minimum),
assuming that there are absolutely no delays or problems. Please l be advised that TQE Team Leader
Kathy Price and Teacher and Student Development Services Director Lynn Mahaffie
have been and are doing everything possible to emphasize the importance of this
initiative to upper management and will continue to do so. Moreover, the
implementation of e-signature would provide great benefit to the program office
in administering the program and is supported by program leadership. Unfortunately, mandating this from our
office is not possible.
2) There were no
changes. The numbers in the earlier package had been miscalculated, but the
mistake was not caught at that time.
3) We need SSNs on the
verification forms because it's the only sure way to track individuals in our
system. As might be expected given the demographics of this group, many of the
women who receive scholarship assistance marry shortly after finishing college.
As a result, their forms are submitted under a variety of names, including
maiden names, married names, and double names. Additionally, given the number of
students who have received awards (approximately 5000 to date), we do have
multiple students who have the same name but are separate individuals; for
example: Graciela Garcia, Melissa Garcia, Mariel Garcia, Maria Sanchez, Maria
Sandoval, and Jamie Smith.
4) The most recent OMB
approval numbers for the three TQE programs are listed below. All of the
packages were formally allowed
to expired by the proper
procedures (83-D) as of this time. Since we have no new competitions
scheduled at this time, it is not known if/when they will be
renewed.
TQE-Partnerships OMB
1840-0007
TQE-Recruitment OMB
1840-0767
TQE-States OMB
1840-0007
Given that we are unable to fulfill the requirement regarding the e-Signature initiative at this time, is there any way that we can at least get a six-month approval for the package? We are currently tracking over $20.5 million in scholarship dollars and our grantees desperately need the use of our forms as they award scholarships for the fall semester. The lack of the form's availability is causing severe hardship to grantees and their scholarship recipients and is seriously impeding the office's ability to track students who have completed--or who have failed to complete--their teaching obligation. With regard to the former group, this results in poor customer service. With regard to the latter, it is impeding our ability to identify individuals who have a debt to the Department.
Rachael A. Shultz, Ed.D.
Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants
U.S. Department of Education
1990 K Street, NW, Room 7102
Washington, DC 20006-8526
202-219-7113
Phone
202-502-7699 Fax
www.pt3.org