Title V, Part B & Rural Education Resources

Purpose: Supplemental Support for Small Rural Districts

Title V, Part B of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), which is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is intended to address the unique needs of rural school districts (sometimes referred to as Local Educational Agencies or LEAs) that frequently lack the personnel and resources needed to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and receive formula grant allocations in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purpose.

Title V, Part B is also referred to as the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which is comprised of two formula grant programs:

1. The Rural, Low-Income School (RLIS) program [ESSA, Title V, Part B, Subpart 2]. The RLIS program targets rural school districts that serve large numbers of low-income students.
   • The U.S. Department of Education makes allocations to the Colorado Department of Education, who in turn makes sub-grants to eligible school districts through the Title V section of the ESEA Consolidated Application.
2. The Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program [ESSA, Title V, Part B, Subpart 1]. The SRSA program provides funds to very small, rural school districts.
   • The U.S. Department of Education (ED) awards these grants directly to eligible school districts through applications submitted directly to ED.
   • SRSA eligible school districts also qualify for the Alternative Fund Use Authority [Section 522 (a) & (c)] that provides additional flexibility in how they can expend federal education funds in the other titles in the ESEA Consolidated Application.

Each year, CDE works with ED to determine which Colorado districts are eligible for each of the programs based on enrollment and poverty data. When ED sends final eligibility, CDE notifies districts that are eligible for SRSA. When CDE receives funds for RLIS, CDE notifies districts when their allocation has been added to the ESEA Consolidated Application and is ready for them to enter their budgets.

Program Requirements and Eligibility

Districts do not need to submit any data as part of eligibility determination. Data is obtained through existing sources.

Rural Low Income School (RLIS) eligibility requires that:

1. 20 percent or more of children aged 5 to 17 served by the school district must be from families with incomes below the poverty line, AND
2. All schools served by the district must have a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 (assigned by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics) OR be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.

Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) eligibility requires that:

1. The total number of students in average daily attendance (ADA) at all of the schools served by the district is fewer than 600 OR each county in which a school served by the district is located has a total population density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile and;
2. All of the schools served by the district are designated with a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the secretary of education OR be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.

Dual-Eligibility: Under ESSA (beginning FY2017)

• School districts can be eligible for both SRSA and RLIS and must choose one grant under which to receive funds in any given fiscal year.
• School districts that are eligible to participate in SRSA may exercise the Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) (regardless of whether or not SRSA funds are accepted) in the ESEA Consolidated Application when budgeting funds from other titles. All districts wishing to use the AFUA must notify CDE in the Consolidated Application. *Note: School districts eligible only for RLIS cannot exercise the Alternative Fund Use Authority.

Use of Funds

Title V, Part B funds for both RLIS and SRSA programs can be used flexibly and in various ways to support any activities authorized under ESEA, including:

• Recruitment and retention of teachers, including signing bonuses and other incentives.
• Professional development for teachers, including programs that train teachers to utilize technology to improve instruction or work with students with special needs.
• Parental Involvement activities.
• Activities authorized under:
  • Student Support and Academic Achievement (Title IV, Part A)
  • Title I, Part A:
    • Improving basic programs operated by local educational agencies.
    • Activities for schools identified with the highest needs.
  • Title III Language Instruction for limited English proficient and immigrant youth.

Application Process

Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program:

• SRSA is a direct grant from the USDE. These funds do not pass through the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).
• Eligible school districts need to apply via Grants.gov.
• The application deadline is usually in late spring. Eligible school districts receive a notification from CDE when the U.S. Department of Education has opened the application window.

Unique Entity IDs (UEIs)

To apply for and access awarded SRSA grant funds in G5/G6 (the U.S. Department of Education’s grants management system), a school district must have a 12-character alphanumeric Unique Entity ID (UEI), assigned by and registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). The district’s UEI must go through the one-time, initial registration process and then be renewed annually in SAM.gov. The Department recommends that districts check their UEI in SAM.gov as soon as possible to ensure that it will maintain an active registration. If the UEI registration will expire, Districts are encouraged to ensure that it will be renewed in a timely manner. An active and registered UEI is required to access awarded SRSA funds in G5/G6.

For additional information on how to request a UEI or renew a UEI registration, see the UEI Support Guide for SRSA Grantees on the REAP website. Districts facing outstanding difficulties with the UEI registration or renewal process may contact REAP@ed.gov to request additional assistance. 

The Federal Service Desk at 1-866-606-8220 can provide additional technical services for any districts that continue to experience difficulties with the SAM website. 

For questions related to G5/G6, contact the G5/G6 Hotline at 1-888-336-8930.

Rural Low-Income School (RLIS) Program:

• RLIS is a state administered formula program, managed by CDE.
• Eligible school districts will apply for this grant via CDE's ESEA Consolidated Application.

Monitoring and Evaluation

For additional information, contact: