83 FR 20790 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 89 (May 8, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20790-20791]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09766]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of

[[Page 20791]]

information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Annual Survey of School System Finances.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0700.
    Form Number(s): F-33, F-33-L1, F-33-L2, F-33-L3.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,681.
    Average Hours per Response: 1 hour and 4 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 3,951.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the U.S. 
Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics 
(NCES), requests an extension of approval for the Annual Survey of 
School System Finances, the source of the most comprehensive national 
data set on school district finances.
    The Census Bureau collects these data from the universe of school 
districts using uniform definitions and concepts of revenue, 
expenditure, debt, and assets as defined by the NCES handbook Financial 
Accounting for Local and State School Systems. This survey and the 
Annual Surveys of State and Local Government Finances (OMB No. 0607-
0585) are conducted as part of the Census Bureau's State and Local 
Government Finance program. Through this program, the Census Bureau 
collects data from cities, counties, states, and special district 
governments as well as local school systems in order to produce state 
and national totals of government spending. Local school system 
spending comprises a significant portion of total government spending. 
In 2015, public elementary-secondary expenditures accounted for 34 
percent of local government spending.
    This comprehensive and ongoing time series collection of local 
education agency finances, dating back to 1957, provides historical 
continuity in the state and local government statistics community. 
Education finance statistics provided by the Census Bureau allow for 
analyses of how public elementary-secondary school systems receive and 
spend funds and is vital for policy making. Increased focus on 
education has led to a demand for data reflecting student performance, 
graduation rates, and school finance policy--all of which are related 
to the collection of this local education finance data. State 
legislatures, local leaders, university researchers, and parents 
increasingly rely on data to make substantive decisions about 
education.
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses data from the survey to 
develop figures for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Elementary-
secondary education finance data items specifically contribute to the 
estimates for National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), Input-Output 
accounts (I-O), and gross domestic investments. BEA also uses the data 
to assess other public fiscal spending trends and events.
    The NCES use these annual data as part of the Common Core of Data 
(CCD) program. The education finance data collected by the Census 
Bureau are the sole source of school district fiscal information for 
the CCD as well as for the publication of annual reports on the fiscal 
state of education.
    Form (F-33) covers elementary-secondary education finance items. In 
practice, this form serves more as a data processing guide rather than 
as a data collection instrument because the Census Bureau relies 
heavily on collecting this public school system finance data centrally 
from state education agencies centrally via the internet using File 
Transfer Protocol (FTP). Supplemental forms are sent to school systems 
in states where the state education agency cannot provide information 
on assets (F-33-L1), indebtedness (F-33-L2), or both (F-33-L3).
    The Census Bureau makes available detailed files for all school 
systems from its internet website, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances.html. That website currently contains data 
files and statistical tables for the 1992 through 2015 fiscal year 
surveys. Historical files and publications prior to 1992 are also 
available upon request for data users engaged in longitudinal studies. 
In addition to numerous academic researchers who use F-33 products, 
staff receive inquiries from state government officials, legislatures, 
public policy analysts, local school officials, non-profit 
organizations, and various Federal agencies.
    Affected Public: State, local or tribal government.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 8(b), 161, and 182 
(Census authority); Title 20 U.S.C., Sections 9543-44 (NCES authority).
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202)395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-09766 Filed 5-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P