UPDATE: Funding Available – TEA is reopening the competitive grant process for the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Academies –Startup, Cycle 2 Grantprogram to allow additional applicants the opportunity to participate. The new competitive deadline is Thursday, June 21, 2007.

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 singleeligible campus for the T-STEM Academies – Startup, Cycle 2 grant if the school district or openenrollment charter school:

  1. Serves a student population of between 50 percent and 60 percent economicallydisadvantaged students and have received a rating of Exemplary or Recognized underthe 2006 state accountability rating system; or
  2. Serves a student population of greater than 60 percent economically disadvantagedstudents and has a received a rating of Exemplary, Recognized, or AcademicallyAcceptable under the 2006 state accountability rating system.

An eligible school district or open-enrollment charter school shall also demonstrate how it willmeet all of the requirements in this RFA for opening a T-STEMAcademy no later than the fall of

2008.

A T-STEMAcademy shall:

  1. Be an autonomous school, 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 middleschool(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 disadvantagedstudents;
  6. Not share a facility with a campus that received a rating of Academically Unacceptableunder the state accountability rating system in 2006 or that receives a rating ofAcademically Unacceptable in 2007; and
  7. Follow all requirements and indicators outlined in this RFA and in the T-STEM AcademyDesign Blueprint.

A campus that fails to meet one or more of the campus eligibility requirements by the end theplanning 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 asdetermined 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 approvedamendment request to the open enrollment charter from the commissioner;
  3. A T-STEM Academy shall not be located on a campus receiving funding from TexasEducation Agency (TEA), the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), or the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) under any of the following grant programs: a TEATexas High School Redesign and Restructuring Grant, Cycle 2 or Cycle 3; a TEA or CFTEarly College High School Grant; a TEA or CFT T-STEM Academy Grant; a CFTRedesigned 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 acampus has applied for and received funding for this grant, will have its grant fundingplaced on hold) if the commissioner notifies the campus’ charter holder of thecommissioner’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 eitherstatutory provision. If the commissioner ultimately revokes or denies renewal of an openenrollment charter of a charter holder or closes a campus that has been awarded fundsunder this grant program, grant funding shall be discontinued;
  5. Campuses receiving funds under this grant program must be rated under the standardaccountability rating system; and
  6. All applicants must attend TEA Applicant’s Conference on Monday, March 19, 2007 orsecure 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 notifythe 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 studentachievement by engaging and exposing students to innovative science and math instructionwhile simultaneously acting as demonstration sites to inform math and science teaching andlearning statewide. To that end, every academy will: provide a rigorous, well-roundededucation; establish a personalized culture with the expectation that all students will achievepostsecondary 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 dateof no later than May 31, 2009. Applicants must be prepared to open the T-STEMAcademy nolater 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 projectperiod. It is anticipated that approximately 4 – 7 applicants will be awarded grants to form TSTEMAcademies. Applicants are eligible to apply for up to $1,050 per student for the projectedcapacity enrollment of the planned academy. Due to the limit on enrollment of 100 students pergrade 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 DocumentControlCenter,

Room 6-108, Texas Education Agency, WilliamB.TravisBuilding, 1701 N. Congress Avenue,

Austin, Texas78701; by calling (512) 463-9304; by faxing (512) 463-9811; or by e-mailing

. Please refer to the RFA number and title in your request. Provide yourname, complete mailing address, and phone number including area code. The announcementletter and complete RFA will also be posted on the TEA website at for viewingand 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 advantagebecause of acquisition of information unknown to other prospective applicants, any additionalinformation, that is different from or in addition to, information provided in the RFA will beprovided only in response to written inquires. Copies of all such inquiries and the writtenanswers 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, DocumentControlCenter, by5:00 p.m. (Central Time), Thursday, June 21, 2007, to be considered for funding.

Sincerely,

Nora Ibáñez Hancock, Ed.D

Associate Commissioner

Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation