Part B - Rural Education Initiative

Intent and Purpose

The purpose of these programs is to address the unique needs of rural school districts that frequently:

1. lack the personnel and resources needed to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants; and

2. receive formula grant allocations in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes. (Title V, Part B, ESSA § 5202)

Title V, Part B – Rural Education Initiative

Title V, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, authorizes the Rural Education Initiative, which comprises two formula grant programs:

1. small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant [ESEA, Title V, Part B, Subpart 1] Direct Grant, Project 588

2. rural, Low-Income Schools (RLIS) grant [ESEA, Title V, Part B, Subpart 2] State Administrated Grant, Project 587

Subpart 1, Small Rural School Achievement Program (SRSA)

SRSA Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for an SRSA grant and to make use of the Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) also cited as REAP, an LEA must:

1. have a total average daily attendance (ADA) of less than 600 students, or serve only schools that are located in counties that have a population density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile; and

2. serve only schools that have a school locale code of 41, 42 or 43 (assigned by the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics) or

3. be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.

SRSA Allowable Program Activities

1. Activities authorized under Part A of Title I.
2. Activities authorized under Part A of Title II.
3. Activities authorized under Part A of Title III.
4. Activities authorized under Part A of Title IV.
5. Activities authorized under Part B of Title IV.

Eligibility for the SRSA program is determined by the United States Department of Education and funds are allocated directly to eligible LEAs. At the state level, the Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) provide eligible LEAs with greater flexibility in using the formula grant funds they receive under certain state-administered federal programs.

Subpart 2, Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS)

RLIS Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to participate in the RLIS grant program, an LEA must meet the following criteria:

1. 20 percent or more of the children ages 5 to 17 served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and

2. all schools that comprise the LEA have been assigned a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 by NCES, or are located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.

RLIS Allowable Program Activities

1. Activities authorized under Part A of Title I.

2. Activities authorized under Part A of Title II.

3. Activities authorized under Part A of Title III.

4. Activities authorized under Part A of Title IV.

5. Family and parent engagement activities.