A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Letter to chief state school officer of Louisiana regarding waivers

October 27, 2006

Honorable Cecil J. Picard
Superintendent of Education
State Department of Education
626 North 4th Street, 12th Floor
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9064

Dear Cecil:

This is in response to your October 4, 2006 letter in which you request waivers relative to (1) maintenance of effort and (2) any non-Federal share or capital contribution required to match Federal funds, under the waiver authority in section 105 of the Hurricane Education Recovery Act (HERA).

We have reviewed your requests, and I am pleased to respond. Under the recently enacted extension of the HERA waiver authority, I am waiving, for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2007, the following requirements, as applicable, for all Federal education programs (except programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) administered by the U.S. Department of Education:

• maintenance of effort; and
• any non-Federal share or capital contribution required to match Federal funds.

These HERA waivers apply to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) and all local educational agencies affected by the hurricanes. Please note that at this time we are not waiving any supplanting requirements for FY 2007 because you have not requested any waivers of those requirements.

We remain committed to working with you as the LDE addresses the many difficult issues resulting from last year's hurricanes. Do not hesitate to contact me for further assistance.