Section 365.40  Application Procedure

a)         When State funding is available for this program, the State Superintendent of Education shall issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in order to solicit proposals from eligible entities.

b)         The RFP shall describe the format that applicants will be required to follow and the information they will be required to submit, including at least:

1)         a description of the project and its intended outcomes;

2)         identification of the specific schools, or classrooms in a school, to be served;

3)         a description of the building infrastructure, including technological and electrical capacity, of each participating school;

4)         the number of students and the grade levels involved; and

5)         the rationale for these choices.

c)         The RFP shall require the completion of a budget summary and payment schedule as well as a budget breakdown, i.e., a detailed explanation of each line item of expenditure.

d)         The RFP shall identify the data that recipients will be required to collect and report regarding the activities conducted with program funds and the results of those activities, as well as the timelines for reporting.  The data shall at least include those elements required under Section 25 of the Act.

e)         The RFP shall include such certifications and assurances and program-specific terms of the grant as the State Superintendent may require, to be signed by each applicant that is a party to the proposal and submitted with the proposal.

f)          The RFP shall specify the deadline for submission of proposals, which shall provide potential applicants with at least 30 days to respond.

g)         Separate proposals shall be required for renewal of grant funding.  Each proposal for renewal shall include at least a description of activities during the year just concluded, demonstrating that the project has been implemented in conformance with the approved grant agreement and that the recipient continues to exhibit need for assistance for this purpose.

h)         Applicants may be requested to clarify various aspects of their proposals.  The contents of the approved proposal shall be incorporated into a grant agreement to be signed by the State Superintendent of Education or designee and the school district superintendent or, in the case of a non-school district applicant, the official authorized to sign the agreement and legally bind the applicant to its provisions.

(Source:  Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 19252, effective November 29, 2010)