U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request

Dear FOIA Officer,

Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), I am requesting access to or copies of records pertaining to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget allocated and spent on office supplies for the calendar year 2023.

Specifically, I am seeking detailed information regarding:

1. The total budget allocated for office supplies within the Department for the year 2023.
2. A breakdown of expenditures on office supplies by month for the year 2023.
3. A list of types of office supplies purchased in 2023, including, but not limited to, paper, writing instruments, printing materials, and electronic office equipment.
4. Details of any contracts or agreements made with suppliers for office supplies during this period.
5. Any internal memos, emails, or other communications related to the budgeting, procurement, or use of office supplies within the Department for the year 2023.

Please include all relevant records, regardless of format or medium, that fall under the scope of my request. If certain parts of the requested records are exempt from release, please provide the remainder of the records, indicating the portions that have been redacted and the exemption under which they are being withheld.

I understand that I may be charged for the cost of copying and processing this request. Please inform me of any such costs prior to incurring them.

Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to your prompt response within the 20 business day period as outlined in the FOIA guidelines.

Sincerely,

### Contact the agency

- **Deborah O. Moore, Ph.D., Chief FOIA Officer**
  - Phone: 202-401-8365
  - Email: [deborah.moore@ed.gov](mailto:deborah.moore@ed.gov)

- **FOIA Hotline, FOIA Requester Service Center**
  - Phone: 202-401-8365
  - Email: [edfoiamanager@ed.gov](mailto:edfoiamanager@ed.gov)

- **Robert Wehausen, FOIA Public Liaison**
  - Phone: 202-401-8365, 202-205-0733
  - Email: [robert.wehausen@ed.gov](mailto:robert.wehausen@ed.gov)

- **FOIA Service Center, Office of Secretary**
  - Address: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4536
  - Email: [EDFOIAManager@ed.gov](mailto:EDFOIAManager@ed.gov)

---

Request Acknowledgement by Department of Education

Request #24-00836-F has been assigned to the request you submitted. In all future correspondence regarding this request, please reference FOIA tracking number 24-00836-F.

Formal acknowlegement letter

United States Department of Education
Office of the Secretary
FOIA Service Center

January 16, 2024

Stephen Bolin

RE: FOIA Request No. 24-00836-F

Dear Stephen Bolin:

This is an acknowledgment of your request for information pursuant to the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, dated January 13, 2024, and received in the
Department of Education’s (Department) FOIA Service Center (FSC) on January 16, 2024.

You requested the following:

“Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), I am requesting access to or copies of
records pertaining to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget allocated and spent on office
supplies for the calendar year 2023.
Specifically, I am seeking detailed information regarding:
The total budget allocated for office supplies within the Department for the year 2023.
A breakdown of expenditures on office supplies by month for the year 2023.
A list of types of office supplies purchased in 2023, including, but not limited to, paper,
writing instruments, printing materials, and electronic office equipment.
Details of any contracts or agreements made with suppliers for office supplies during this
period.
Any internal memos, emails, or other communications related to the budgeting, procurement,
or use of office supplies within the Department for the year 2023.”

Please review the Additional Information section below to learn if we need additional
clarification and/or documentation in order to continue processing your request. If no
additional information is needed, nothing more is required from you at this time. If we
do require supplemental information, you have ten business days to respond. If you do not
respond within this time frame, we will administratively close your case. An administrative
closure is not a denial of your request and does not preclude you from making requests in the
future.

Please be advised that the current average request processing time is 185 business days. If
you have any questions, please contact the FSC at 202-401-8365 or
EDFOIAManager@ed.gov. You may also check the status of your request at
https://foiaxpress.pal.ed.gov/app/CheckStatus.aspx.

Additional Information
No additional information is needed at this time. However, we will contact you if, in the
future, any additional information is needed in order to complete our search for documents.
Fees and Expedited Processing
There are currently no fees associated with this request. If we determine that a fee
assessment is necessary, we will provide you with a fee estimate and the status of your
requester category. If you requested a fee waiver and we determine a fee assessment is
necessary, we will include our determination along with the fee estimate.

Additional Assistance
You have the right to seek assistance and/or dispute resolution services from the
Department’s FOIA Public Liaison or the Office of Government Information Services
(OGIS). The FOIA Public Liaison is responsible, among other duties, for assisting in the
resolution of FOIA disputes. OGIS, which is outside the Department, offers ombuds
services, including dispute resolution, to assist FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a
non-exclusive alternative to litigation. Please note, OGIS’s assistance does not replace the
administrative appeal process described below. You may contact the FOIA Public Liaison
or OGIS at:
FOIA Public Liaison
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW, LBJ 7W104
Washington, DC 20202-4500
Email: robert.wehausen@ed.gov
Phone: 202-205-0733
Fax: 202-401-0920
Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: OGIS@nara.gov
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448
If expedited processing and/or a fee waiver was requested and denied, you have the right to
appeal the Department’s decision by submitting an appeal to the address below, no later than
90 calendar days from the date of this letter. Using the FOIA Public Liaison or OGIS
services described above does not affect your right or the deadline to file an appeal. Your
appeal must be in writing and must include a detailed statement of all legal and factual bases
for the appeal. It should be accompanied by this letter, a copy of your initial letter of request,
and any documentation that supports the argument you wish the Department to consider in
making an administrative determination on your appeal. You may submit your appeal by:
Mail: Appeals Office
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, LBJ 7W104
Washington, DC 20202-4536
Online Form: www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/foia/foia-appeal-form.pdf
E-mail: EDFOIAappeals@ed.gov
Fax: 202-401-0920
Sincerely,
ED FOIA Service Center
Office of the Secretary

In Possess

Dear Stephen Bolin,

The status of your FOIA request #24-00836-F has been updated to the following status ‘In Process’. To log into the DoEd FOIA Portal click on the Application URL below.

https://foiaxpress.pal.ed.gov/

Sincerely,
Department of Education