700 KAR 1:010.

Adult Literacy Program fund.

 

      RELATES TO: KRS

158.795

      STATUTORY

AUTHORITY: KRS 158.795

      NECESSITY,

FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: The Education and Humanities Cabinet is authorized by

KRS 158.795 to administer a statewide adult literacy program. The Governor's

Commission on Literacy is authorized by KRS 158.795 to provide advice and

counsel to the Education and Humanities Cabinet in administering the statewide

adult literacy program and the provision of services in every county. This

administrative regulation is necessary to assure uniformity in the administration

of literacy program grants under the statewide adult literacy program.

 

      Section 1.

Program Purpose and Announcements. (1) The goal for the use of the literacy

program grants is to encourage and promote the development and implementation

of local literacy programs, or the improvement or supplementation of existing

programs, in each county. Except as special circumstances require and as

recommended by the Governor's Commission on Literacy, hereinafter referred to

as the commission, no more than one (1) grant per county will be awarded each

funding cycle.

      (2) Funding

cycle(s) during which applications will be received for the program will be

announced annually. Deadlines for receiving proposals will be established and

advertised in each county. More than one (1) funding cycle is anticipated

annually, but this will be dependent upon the level of funding available and

number of applicants funded during the first funding cycle.

 

      Section 2. Eligibility

Requirements. (1) The following may apply for funding:

      (a) State

agencies and units of local government (including county, municipality, city,

town, local public authority and special district agencies). This also includes

such intrastate entities as districts, councils of governments and multicounty

units, and other state and local organizations and institutions.

      (b) Profit or

nonprofit public or private businesses.

      (c) Community

based organizations or subgroups of such organizations organized expressly for

the purpose of providing adult literacy services and who are incorporated, or,

are a legal entity, or who have an individual who accepts responsibility for

appropriate use of the grant funds.

      (2) To be

eligible for funding, projects must:

      (a) Provide or

coordinate direct adult literacy services or provide training or technical

assistance to such programs.

      (b) Provide

services to individuals age sixteen (16) and above who read at or below a fifth

grade level, unless the application demonstrates the need and method for

providing services to different ages and reading abilities, and can demonstrate

that this is not a duplication of services.

      (c) Be conducted

in and applicable to use in Kentucky.

      (d) Not charge

for services except material costs may be borne by program participants;

however, charges will be an exact rate paid by the program/service provider. In

no instance will services be denied to persons who cannot pay.

      (e) Show

evidence of cooperation and coordination with other literacy programs within

the community.

      (f) Comply with

nondiscrimination requirements.

      (g) Show

documentation of cooperative referral between literacy and adult basic

education programs.

      (3) Proposals

which are incomplete, subcontract for services, duplicate existing programs in

the locality, or which request funds beyond the allowable maximum may be

rejected.

      (4) Project

expenditures eligible for funding may include salaries, training, travel,

operating expenses, books and materials, printing and duplicating, and

equipment within limits set by the proposal guidelines. Construction

expenditures are not eligible.

 

      Section 3.

Submission of Proposals. (1) Proposals must be submitted on application forms

provided and within the deadline established in each funding cycle. A proposal

submitted for consideration but not funded in any cycle may be resubmitted for

consideration in any new funding cycle announced, providing signatures of

responsible parties carry a current date.

      (2) Proposals

must be signed by a person who has the authority to obligate the organization

to the terms of the grant or who accepts personal liability.

      (3) Each

applicant will be notified immediately by return postcard when a proposal is

received by the commission.

 

      Section 4.

Evaluation of Proposals. (1) Project applications will be reviewed by the

commission's Grant Development and Review Committee and one (1) individual

involved in literacy programs in another state.

      (2) After the

application submittal deadline, applicants shall not be permitted to initiate

contact with anyone involved in the review and evaluation process or to

initiate changes in their proposal. Proposal changes or budgetary amendments

may be requested by the Project Review Committee or its designee.

      (3) The proposal

screening process consists of the following steps:

      (a) The Project

Review Committee will evaluate each proposal not eliminated in the prescreening

process. During this evaluation, the applicant may be contacted for additional

information or clarification on the project. Criteria which will be utilized to

evaluate the proposals will be:

      1. The

documented need for an adult literacy program, considering both the number of

adults who cannot read or read well (as defined in Section 2(2)(b) of this

administrative regulation) and the extent to which there are existing literacy

programs in the county.

      2.

Qualifications and appropriateness of the applicant agency and agency staff to

carry out adult literacy programs.

      3. Quality of

the implementation and operation plans, including clear objectives; methods for

recruiting, training and managing volunteers; outreach plans; plans for

standardized measures of student progress; and instructional design.

      4. Ability to

evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

      5. Extent of cooperation

and coordination with and support of other literacy programs.

      6. Ability to

keep required records.

      7. Completeness

and appropriateness of budget and cost effectiveness.

      8. Strength of

plans for continuation of projects.

      (b) The Project

Review Committee reserves the right to recommend for funding any, all, or none

of the proposals submitted in response to requests for proposals. The committee

may also choose to negotiate with competing applicants from any county to

encourage a joint program.

      (c)

Recommendations of the Project Review Committee will go to the full commission

for consideration. The recommendations of the commission will be forwarded to

the Secretary of Education and Humanities Cabinet who will make the final

decision regarding funding awards.

      (d) Applicants

selected for funding will be notified by mail of the decision of their

proposals no later than sixty (60) days after the deadline established for the

funding cycle.

 

      Section 5.

Funding Terms and Conditions. (1) State funds appropriated for literacy

programs will be allocated by county, based on the percent of adults in that

county as compared to the state total who have completed only the eighth grade

or less. Funds not granted to that county during the first funding cycle each

year will subsequently be made available statewide.

      (2) Grant fund

awards will be made in two (2) semiannual payments. The initial payment for

fifty (50) percent of the award will be made at the beginning of the project

period and the remainder will be made at the middle of the project period

contingent upon the recipients meeting reporting and monitoring requirements.

The entire grant may be paid at the beginning of project period when the

applicant has a demonstrated need for receiving the payment at that time. If

inappropriate or unapproved use of funds occurs, the remainder of the award may

be suspended or revoked. Misused funds will be recovered.

      (3) Funding of

projects will be established by a document of grant conditions to be finalized

after grantees are notified. The document will include requirements stipulated

in this administrative regulation and in the application guidelines.

      (4) To insure

proper use of funds, grantees will be held accountable for project expenses in

a manner acceptable to the commission and the Secretary of the Education and

Humanities Cabinet. A separate bank account for each project requiring two (2)

signatures on each check is required. All records will be kept for three (3)

years after the end of the funding cycle, or until any audits have been

completed.

      (5) Grantees may

invest grant funds and retain any interest earnings except that such earnings

shall be deemed grant funds and be used only for express purposes of the grant

and shall be reported in all documents recording project financing.

      (6) After

completion of each project grantees shall return any unspent grant funds.

      (7) Equipment

and material purchased with grant funds is owned by the grantee. If the grantee

organization dissolves, the property must be given to an organization serving a

public purpose and meeting nondiscrimination requirements. This organization

will be selected by the commission.

 

      Section 6.

Reporting Requirements. (1) Grantees will be required to submit to the

commission quarterly reports on progress of projects and financial expenditures

and encumbrances. The quarterly reports are due ten (10) working days after the

end of the quarter. A final report will be required within fifteen (15) working

days of the completion of the project year. Reports will be in a format

designed by the commission and may include but not be limited to request for

demographic data, copies of materials produced, test results, equipment

inventory, and financial activities.

      (2) Grantees

will be required to submit information in standardized summative form which

reflects student progress in the adult literacy programs.

 

      Section 7.

Requirements for Public Access. (1) Individuals authorized by the commission

may visit the project site at mutually agreed upon times to observe progress,

provide guidance and analyze and publicize projects supported under this

program.

      (2) Sharing and

distributing information and materials developed under this project is a major

goal of this program. Therefore, except for confidential information clearly

identified in the project proposal, the results of the projects will be made a

matter of public record and grantees will make their projects available for

public observation at mutually agreed upon times.

 

      Section 8.

Confidentiality of Information. (1) Data which is specifically identifiable to

individual students is considered confidential and recipient of project awards

will develop a written policy concerning its protection.

      (2) Summative

information which outlines progress of students and demographic information

will not be considered confidential when no particular individual can be

identified by the information.

      (3) The

commission reserves the right to use and disseminate information and data

derived from the use of these project funds to the extent such information is

not protected by any claim of confidentiality. (12 Ky.R. 1194; Am. 1508; eff.

2-4-86; 13 Ky.R. 1260; eff. 2-10-87.)