RALEIGH — Career and Technical Education programs across the state will get a boost from a $3M allotment from the General Assembly from which State Superintendent Catherine Truitt can oversee awards to districts.
The money will fund two grant programs with $2 million going to the CTE Modernization and Support in Grades Six through Eight and $1 million to support the Ancillary Items Necessary for the CTE Program.
“I want all students to pursue the post-secondary plan of their choice with confidence, and I want them to feel empowered by their knowledge and the paths before them,” Truitt said in a statement. “My hope is that these grants will help districts across the state continue to advance their CTE opportunities and help teachers and other educators ensure that students are exposed to the widest range of careers available to them and to begin learning the skills they’ll need to be successful.”
“Funding priority was given to districts with at least one school that received low-wealth supplemental funding in the previous fiscal year and districts with a large population of at-risk students or students with disabilities,” according to Jan. 17 NCDPI press release.
According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), 66 school districts statewide and have been awarded funds from one or both of the grant programs. The full list of allotments can be found on the NCDPI website in the corresponding Jan. 17 news release.
Per NCDPI, the programs aim to “modernize systems that support career awareness, exploration, and planning for students in grades 6-8 and assist PSUs with upgrades to infrastructure or equipment.”
Similarly, grants for ancillary items include “material and equipment needed for CTE programs that typically can’t be covered under rules governing other state or federal CTE funding resources.”
Examples of awards provided in NCDPI’s statement include building new greenhouses, purchasing livestock for Agricultural Education programs, purchasing necessary tools and equipment such as food safety and preparation materials for Culinary Arts.
Additional examples included career exploration and planning programs at middle schools; lab and 3-D anatomy equipment for Health Science; welding and other modern tools for Construction Trades; and drones for Transportation and Public Safety.
