Section 205.40  Application Procedure and Content

It is the intention of the State Board of Education to approve truants' alternative and optional education programs for a three-year period.  Funding for the second and third years of operation (i.e., beginning the year following the initial grant award) shall be contingent upon the availability of funds for the program, the grantee's progress toward meeting its objectives, and the evidence presented in the proposal that a sufficient need continues to exist for the program (see Section 205.40(f) of this Part).

a)         The State Board of Education will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) specifying the information that applicants shall include in their proposals  and requiring that proposals be submitted to the State Board of Education no later than the date specified in the RFP.  The RFP shall provide at least 45 calendar days in which to submit proposals.

b)         Each RFP shall indicate the descriptive information (e.g., needs assessment, community-based planning procedures, indicators used to identify students for the program, program objectives and activities, individualized optional education plan development, means of evaluation) that initial applicants will be required to provide about their proposed programs.  Initial applicants are those that did not receive funding under this Part for a truant's alternative and optional education program in the year previous to an application or that are completing the last year in a three-year funding cycle.  Each RFP shall identify any area or areas of high priority for the funding  cycle.

c)         Each RFP shall describe the proposal format that applicants will be required to follow (e.g., cover page, program staffing, proposal abstract, proposal narrative).

d)         Each proposal shall include a budget summary and payment schedule and a narrative budget breakdown (i.e., a detailed explanation of each line item of expenditure), completed on forms provided by the State Board of Education.

e)         Each proposal shall include a Certification and Assurances for Application and Award and  a Drug-Free Workplace Certification, submitted on forms supplied by the State Board of Education.

f)         Each proposal for renewal shall contain at least the following:

1)         a mid-year report of the current year's program, documenting the services provided and describing the degree to which the grantee is achieving its stated objectives;

2)         an updated narrative description of the objectives, activities, timelines, evaluation procedures, and the personnel to be responsible for them in the renewal year, relating the objectives and activities proposed to the results to date, as described in the mid-year report required under subsection (f)(1) of this Section;

3)         an updated budget summary and payment schedule, with narrative budget breakdown, for the renewal year; and

4)         the assurances and certification forms referred to in subsection (e) of this Section, bearing a current signature and applicable to the renewal period.

g)         Incomplete proposals will not be considered for funding.

(Source:  Amended at 25 Ill. Reg. 2399, effective January 25, 2001)