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New Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers
Request for Proposals

2006-2007

The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities. Portion of any publication designed for distribution can be made available in a variety of formats, including Braille, large print or audiotape, upon request. Inquiries regarding this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.

Application Guidance and Instructions

Purpose

Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers were established by the New York State Legislature in 1984 to provide systematic, ongoing professional education services to the State's teachers. Currently there are 127 Teacher Centers that provide high-quality professional development services to more than 230,000 educators annually in New York State. These Centers serve over 680 public school districts, 35 BOCES, and over 1000 non-public and charter schools.

Teacher Center programs must address the following purposes prescribed in statute:

• Assist educators in assessing and meeting the learning needs of students.

• Provide computer demonstration and training sites and programs for educators.

• Promote educators' use of and involvement in educational research to develop and produce curricula and curricular material.

• Provide educators with training for the improvement of teaching skills.

• Provide a location and atmosphere to foster sharing and increased understanding of resources, ideas, methods, approaches, information and materials among educators.

• Train educators to prepare students to use high technology and to teach the critical thinking and related skills needed for the changing world community.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is seeking proposals for new Teacher Centers.

Available Funding

$600,000 is available to fund new teacher centers

Project Period

7/1/06 to 6/30/06

Eligible Applicants

Public School Districts and BOCES

Application Submission Instructions

Only complete applications will be reviewed. A complete application must include the following and be assembled in the following order:

1. Application Cover Page signed in blue ink by the Chief Administrative Officer

2. Application Checklist

3. List of Participating Members

4. Signed Declaration of Participation

5. Signed Verification of Policy Board Composition

6. Program Narrative

7. Budget Category and Narrative Forms
8. Budget Summary Form (FS-20)

9. NYS Assurances and Certifications (Appendix A and Appendix A-1 G)

Method of Award

Incomplete proposals and proposals received after the due date will not be reviewed.

Each eligible proposal will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. Each reviewer will score the proposal according to the indicated point criteria in the Project Description and the Budget using the Proposal Evaluation Rubric. If individual scores are more than 20 points apart, another reviewer will rate the application. The two scores closest in numeric value will be averaged to calculate the final average score of the application.

Budgets will be adjusted to eliminate any unallowable or inappropriate expenditures.

Proposals will be separated into two groups:

• Group 1-- proposals with districts that have never been served by a teacher center and

• Group 2 -- proposals with districts that have previously been served by a teacher center.

Proposals will be ranked in order of final average score from highest to lowest. Proposals that receive a final average score of 75 or more will be considered for funding. Awards will be made to the highest ranking proposal(s) in Group 1 until funds are insufficient to fund the next ranking proposal in full. If any funds remain after all proposals in Group 1 with a final average score of 75 or more are funded, awards will be made to the highest ranking proposal(s) in Group 2 until funds are insufficient to fund the next ranking proposal in full. If funds still remain, the remaining funds will be offered to the next ranking proposal to operate a smaller project. In the event of tie scores, proposals with the highest score on item #2 in the Project Description will be ranked higher.

Entities’ Responsibility

Projects must operate under the jurisdiction of the local board of education, or other appropriate governing body, and are subject to at least the same degree of accountability as all other expenditures of the local agency. The local board of education, or other appropriate governing body, is responsible for the proper disbursement of, and accounting for, project funds. Written agency policy concerning wages, mileage and travel allowances, overtime compensation, or fringe benefits, as well as State rules pertaining to competitive bidding, safety regulations and inventory control must be followed. Supporting or source documents are required for all grant related transactions entered into the local agency’s recordkeeping systems. Source documents that authorize the disbursement of grant funds consist of purchase orders, contracts, time and effort records, delivery receipts, vendor invoices, travel documentation and payment documents, including check stubs.

Supporting documentation for grants and grant contracts must be kept for at least six years after the last payment was made unless otherwise specified by program requirements. Additionally, audit or litigation will “freeze the clock” for records retention purposes until the issue is resolved. All records and documentation must be available for inspection by State Education Department officials or its representatives.

For additional information about grants, please refer to the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants, http://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/guidelines.html.

Reporting

Grant recipients will be required to submit an annual report to the State Education Department by July 31, 2007. The report must include all elements required in Education Law 316, Section 9. Forms for completing this report and technical assistance for documenting the data will be provided by the SED program office. The report should be submitted to:

Office of Planning and Professional Development
Room 464 EBA
New York State Education Department
Albany, NY 12234

Application (in Word)
Scoring Rubric (in Word)
Reviewer's Rating Comment Sheet (in Word)

10/31/2006