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|Funding Available |

TO THE ELIGIBLE APPLICANT ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: Request for Application (RFA) #701-07-103

Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 Grant

Eligible Applicants:

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications under Request for Applications (RFA) #701-07-103 from school districts or open enrollment charters on behalf of a single eligible campus for the T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 grant if the school district or open enrollment charter school:

1) Serves a student population of between 50 percent and 60 percent economically disadvantaged students and have received a rating of Exemplary or Recognized under the 2006 state accountability rating system; or

1) Serves a student population of greater than 60 percent economically disadvantaged students and has a received a rating of Exemplary, Recognized, or Academically Acceptable under the 2006 state accountability rating system.

An eligible school district or open-enrollment charter school shall also demonstrate how it will meet all of the requirements in this RFA for opening a T-STEM Academy no later than the fall of 2008.

A T-STEM Academy shall:

1) Be an autonomous school, with a unique AskTED Campus ID (county-district-campus number), located on a stand-alone facility or sharing a facility with an existing school;

2) Serve Grades 6-12 or Grades 9-12 with an active relationship with the feeder middle school(s);

3) Be small, serving approximately 100 students per grade;

4) Be open enrollment, hosting lotteries for admission;

5) Serve a student population of greater than 50 percent economically disadvantaged students;

6) Not share a facility with a campus that received a rating of Academically Unacceptable under the state accountability rating system in 2006 or that receives a rating of Academically Unacceptable in 2007; and

7) Follow all requirements and indicators outlined in this RFA and in the T-STEM Academy Design Blueprint.

A campus that fails to meet one or more of the campus eligibility requirements by the end the planning year will not receive implementation funding under this grant program.

The following eligibility requirements also apply:

1) A district or open enrollment charter applying for this grant must be financially viable as determined through fiscal review by the Division of Financial Audits at TEA;

2) An open enrollment charter school applying for this grant must have the proper approved amendment request to the open enrollment charter from the commissioner;

3) A T-STEM Academy shall not be located on a campus receiving funding from Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) under any of the following grant programs: a TEA Texas High School Redesign and Restructuring Grant, Cycle 2 or Cycle 3; a TEA or CFT Early College High School Grant; a TEA or CFT T-STEM Academy Grant; a CFT Redesigned High School Grant; a CFT New Schools Grant; or a BMGF Redesign Grant;

4) An open enrollment charter campus shall become ineligible for grant funding (or if a campus has applied for and received funding for this grant, will have its grant funding placed on hold) if the commissioner notifies the campus’ charter holder of the commissioner’s intent to: (1) revoke or non-renew such charter under TEC Chapter 12, or (2) close the campus under TEC Chapter 39, for any of the reasons set forth in either statutory provision. If the commissioner ultimately revokes or denies renewal of an open enrollment charter of a charter holder or closes a campus that has been awarded funds under this grant program, grant funding shall be discontinued;

5) Campuses receiving funds under this grant program must be rated under the standard accountability rating system; and

6) All applicants must attend TEA Applicant’s Conference on Monday, March 19, 2007 or secure a video tape of the Applicant’s Conference in order to remain eligible.

Campuses qualifying for this grant are listed on the following site: .

Notice of Intent to Apply:

Prospective applicants are requested to submit the Notice of Intent to Apply (NOI) by Tuesday, April 3, 2003, specified in Application Guidelines—Part 2: Program Guidelines. Failure to notify the TEA of the intent to apply will not disqualify the applicant from submitting the application.

Description of Program:

The purpose of the T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 grant is to increase student achievement by engaging and exposing students to innovative science and math instruction while simultaneously acting as demonstration sites to inform math and science teaching and learning statewide. To that end, every academy will: provide a rigorous, well-rounded education; establish a personalized culture with the expectation that all students will achieve postsecondary success; and provide teacher and leadership development.

Dates of Program:

Applicants should plan for a starting date of no earlier than August 1, 2007, and an ending date of no later than May 31, 2009. Applicants must be prepared to open the T-STEM Academy no later than August 2008.

Program Funding:

This grant is competitive. A total of approximately $3,000,000 is available for funding T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 grants during the August 1, 2007 through May 31, 2009 project period. It is anticipated that approximately 4 – 7 applicants will be awarded grants to form T-STEM Academies. Applicants are eligible to apply for up to $1,050 per student for the projected capacity enrollment of the planned academy. Due to the limit on enrollment of 100 students per grade level, applicants proposing to serve grades 6-12 are eligible for a maximum amount of $735,000, and applicants proposing to serve grades 9-12 are eligible for a maximum amount of $420,000.

Requesting the Application:

A complete copy of RFA #701-07-103 may be obtained by writing the Document Control Center, Room 6-108, Texas Education Agency, William B. Travis Building, 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701; by calling (512) 463-9304; by faxing (512) 463-9811; or by e-mailing dcc@tea.state.tx.us. Please refer to the RFA number and title in your request. Provide your name, complete mailing address, and phone number including area code. The announcement letter and complete RFA will also be posted on the TEA website at for viewing and downloading.

For Further Information:

For clarifying information about the T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 grant program, contact Karen Harmon, Discretionary Grants Division, Texas Education Agency, (512) 463-9269. In order to assure that no prospective applicant may obtain a competitive advantage because of acquisition of information unknown to other prospective applicants, any additional information, that is different from or in addition to, information provided in the RFA will be provided only in response to written inquires. Copies of all such inquiries and the written answers thereto will be posted on the TEA website in the format of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at .

Deadline for Receipt of Applications:

Applications must be received by the Texas Education Agency, Document Control Center, by 5:00 p.m. (Central Time), Tuesday, May 15, 2007, to be considered for funding.

Sincerely,

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Nora Ibáñez Hancock, Ed.D

Associate Commissioner

Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation

cc: Karen Harmon

Kelvey Oeser

Barbara Knaggs

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