Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Grant ProgramMay 10, 2007St. Louis, MO

Tara HillMichelle SinkgravenOffice of Safe and Drug-Free SchoolsU.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools400 Maryland Avenue, SW / Washington, DC 20202

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Overview of Session

• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Grant: Overview

• FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Resources Available to Support FY 2007 REMS Applicants

• Questions and Answers

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Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools:

Overview• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Competition:

• Formerly known as the Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) grant; however, the CFDA number (84.184E) remains unchanged.

• Discretionary grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools to assist with school emergency management planning.

• Purpose is to provide resources to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve and enhance emergency management plans.

• Since fiscal year 2003, 413 ERCM grants have been awarded to LEAs in 44 states and Puerto Rico.

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ERCM/REMS Grant: Overview• FY 2003: First cohort of ERCM grants awarded

• 134 local educational agencies (LEAs) awarded• Grants ended 3/31/05

• FY 2004: Second cohort of ERCM grants awarded• 109 LEAs awarded• Grants ended on 3/31/06

• FY 2005: Third cohort of ERCM grants awarded• 93 LEAs awarded• Grants end on 3/31/07

• FY 2006: Fourth cohort of ERCM grants awarded• 77 LEAs awarded• Grants end on 3/1/08

• FY 2007• Expect to make approximately 73 REMS awards by

September 30, 2007

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition

• Fiscal Year 2007 Grant Competition:

• $24M available

• Estimated: 73 new awards

• Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs). Note: Current grantees with “active” grants are ineligible for funding in FY 2007.

• Application Release Date: April 6, 2007

• Application Due Date: May 21, 2007

• Expected Award Notification: No later than September 30, 2007

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition

• Priority: Improve and strengthen emergency response plans at the district and school building level to include training for school staff and students, coordination with community partners, and a plan for communicating crisis response plans to parents/guardians.

• Competitive Preference #1: LEAs located within Urban Areas Security Initiative jurisdictions and that have not yet previously received funding under this program.

• Competitive Preference #2: LEAs that have not previously received funding under this program.

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition

• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)

• The UASI Program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security, focuses on the unique planning, equipment, training and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas. It assists them in building sustainable capacity to prevent, protect, respond, and recover from acts of terrorism.

• The definition of the Urban Area is limited to jurisdictions contiguous to the geographic area used to determine eligibility, or with which jurisdictions in that area have established formal mutual aid agreements.

• 45 urban areas included in the initiative; 6 are designated as highest risk

• Additional information is available at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/info200.pdf

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition

• Urban Areas Security Initiative:

• Tier 1 (Highest Risk)

• Bay Area, CA

• Chicago

• Houston

• Los Angeles/Long Beach

• Washington, DC region

• New York City/Northern New Jersey (NYC and Jersey City/Newark)

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FY 2007 REMS Grant CompetitionUrban Areas Security Initiative

Tier 2 Sites

• Anaheim/Santa Ana, CA• Atlanta• Baltimore• Boston• Buffalo• Charlotte• Cincinnati• Cleveland• Columbus• Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington• Denver• Detroit• El Paso• Fort Lauderdale• Honolulu• Indianapolis• Jacksonville• Kansas City• Las Vegas• Memphis

• Miami• Milwaukee• New Orleans• Norfolk, VA• Oklahoma City• Orlando• Philadelphia• Phoenix• Pittsburgh• Portland• Providence• Sacramento• San Antonio• San Diego• Seattle• St. Louis• Tampa• Tucson• Twin Cities

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition• Fiscal Year 2007 Grant Requirements:

• Applications must include partner agreements from local law enforcement, public safety, public health, mental health, and local government.

• Emergency management plans should be coordinated with state or local Homeland Security Plan(s).

• Applicants must support the implementation of the FY 2007 NIMS requirements.

• Emergency management plans must take into consideration the needs of individuals with special needs.

• Applicants must develop a written infectious disease plan, to include pandemic influenza.

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition• Fiscal Year 2007 Grant Requirements, cont.:

• Participation by private school children and teachers:• LEAs are required to engage in meaningful

consultation with private schools prior to submitting an application

• LEAs are required to provide for the equitable participation of private school children and staff

• Evaluation:• All grantees are required to evaluate the

effectiveness and outcomes of grant activities

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measures

• Project-specific measures

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FY 2007 REMS Grant Competition• Lessons learned from prior grantees:

• Strong community partnerships improve the overall outcomes of the grant and can ensure sustainability of project activities

• Obtaining buy-in from administrators can be challenging—think about the best way to involve them in the process

• Training programs need to be developed with sustainability in mind

• Obtaining reliable cost estimates is important prior to submitting the grant application

• Successful projects clearly define needs and incorporate activities designed to address those needs

• Evaluation plans should be well developed and outline objectives and measures. These objectives and measures should be directly related to the needs of the district and the proposed activities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• How much is a typical REMS grant award? • A typical award for small districts (i.e.,

districts with 1-20 school facilities) is about $100,000 for an 18-month period.

• A typical award for medium districts (i.e., 21-75 school facilities) is about $250,000.

• A typical award for large districts (i.e., more than 75 school facilities) is about $500,000.

• Applicants must provide careful and detailed justification for any amounts in excess of these averages.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Where can the application package be accessed?

• For more information on the grant, including application procedures, visit

• http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpemergencyresponse/applicant.html

• How should REMS grant applications be submitted to the Department of Education?

• Applications may be submitted in either hard copy or electronically through Grants.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions• What are the requirements for community

collaboration?

• Grant applications must demonstrate collaboration with local government agencies, fire departments, police departments, public health agencies, mental health agencies, and homeland security agencies.

• Grant applications must demonstrate partnerships related to supporting the National Incident Management System (NIMS) implementation. Applicants must also demonstrate that their emergency management plans are coordinated with their State or Local homeland security plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions• Is there a cap on the amount that grantees can

spend on technology or equipment?

• There is no specific cap; rather the amount of funds proposed will vary from applicant to applicant depending on their proposed project and needs.

• Any equipment purchases should be directly related to district needs and the costs should be reasonable and allocable to the project.

• NIMS requires equipment interoperability and compatibility.

• Applications that rely heavily on equipment (and do not demonstrate a comprehensive approach to emergency management) are not likely to score highly in the peer review process.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• May applicants hire a consultant to assist with implementation of grant activities?

• Yes, however grantees are required to follow basic procurement guidelines outlined by the U.S. Department of Education as well as the district’s State/local procurement policies.

• Recommend using a competitive bid process for all major procurements. Goal is to obtain best quality services at a price that is best value to the government.

• Applicants should not name specific vendors in the application packages; rather, applicants should outline qualifications that will be sought in vendors and activities to be completed by various contractors.

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Resources Available to Support FY 2007 REMS Applicants

• REMS Grant Q & A Calls are held throughout the grant application period

• Calls provide an opportunity for question and answer dialogue between applicants and Federal staff

• For the schedule of calls and dial-in information visit:

http://www.ercm.org/index.cfm?event=faqs

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THANK YOUFor More Information Contact:

Tara Hill: tara.hill@ed.gov Michelle Sinkgraven: michelle.sinkgraven@ed.gov

Sara Strizzi: sara.strizzi@ed.gov

or call: 202-708-4850