SUBJECT: Application for Career and Technology Education Funding

Enclosed is the Career and Technology Education Funding Application package for the 2000-2001 school year. This application will be used to apply for federal funds for career and technology education for the period indicated.

1. Standard Application (SAS-A309-01). The priority for use of these federal funds shall be to improve and/or develop new career and technology education programs.
   
   For the 2000-2001 program year, federal basic and special grant funds will be distributed by a new federally mandated formula. If the district's total grant planning allocation is less than $15,000, the district is not eligible to receive federal grant funds, even if the district qualified in the prior school year. The district may enter into a consortium with one or more districts to file an application for grant funding. School districts whose high school campus is located at least 30 highway miles from the nearest neighboring high school campus and are unable to enter into a consortium may qualify for a waiver and receive the proposed grant funding regardless of the amount. State funds for career and technology education will be distributed to school districts on the basis of the number of contact hours generated by eligible students enrolled in courses approved by the State Board of Education and listed in the career and technology education guidelines. The rules for coding career and technology contact hours may be found in the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook.
   
2. Career and Technology Education Guidelines. The guidelines provide detailed information essential for planning career and technology education programs, services, and activities in the district, claiming vocational contact hours, using federal funds, and reporting information necessary to ensure compliance. All instructional and support personnel involved in career and technology education in the district should review the guidelines prior to planning the 2000-2001 career and technology education program.
   
   Incorporated into these guidelines is a program manual and instructions, which must be used in order to complete the Program Description (Schedule #4C) and Equitable Access and Participation (Schedule #4D) portion of the application. The manual provides various options that allow an applicant to describe programs, services, and activities that are being provided or will be provided in the coming school year.
   
3. Notice of Available Federal Career and Technology Education Planning Allocations. The notice of available funds reflects the proposed amounts of federal career and technology education funds anticipated to be available to the district for the period July 1, 2000, through June 30, 2001. These amounts should be used for initial budgeting and financial management purposes and as the basis for preparation of the application. Any federal career and technology education funds that have not been applied for by October 15, 2000, will be reallocated to those districts and consortia approved to receive federal grant funds.
   

4. Federal Formula.
   
   

   BASIC GRANT
   75% of state allocation ($35,782,603) to each eligible recipient is based on:
   1. Thirty percent of the 75% that each recipient receives is based on the number of individuals age 5-17 that reside in the district as a percent of the state total of individuals age 5-17.
      
   2. Seventy percent of the 75% that each recipient receives is based on the number of individuals age 5-17 that are from families with incomes below the poverty line as a percent of the state total of these same individuals.
   SPECIAL GRANTS A & B
   10% of state allocation ($4,771,014) to each eligible recipient is based on:
   1. One half of this allotment is based on the percent of CATE students in a coherent sequence (codes 2 or 3 PEIMS voc indicator code) as a percent of the state total coherent sequence takers.
   2. One half of this allotment is based on the percent of CATE full time equivalent students (FTEs) as a percent of CATE statewide FTEs.

Districts are invited to participate in our pilot project to automate the application process for funding under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act (SAS-A309-01). The application will automatically provide data for some fields which now have to be filled in by each district or consortia. Districts wishing to participate may view the sample application via the Internet at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/Cate. Click on Automated Perkins Application Demo. The sample application is available for your inspection by clicking on the login box. This will get you in the application at Perkins Grant Pilot. Click on this and click on enter at county district number 000000. Districts wishing to participate in this pilot project can sign up via the Internet at http://www.tea.state.tx.us under Career and Technology/Funding/Budgeting/Perkins Sign-up.

The completed and signed application should be submitted by June 15, 2000, to the Division of Career and Technology Education, Texas Education Agency, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701. The application becomes effective on July 1, 2000, or the date received in the Division of Career and Technology Education, whichever is later.

If you have questions concerning the application, guidelines, and/or available funds, please contact Hank Madeley, Career and Technology Education at (512) 463-9245.

Respectfully,
Robert Muller, Associate Commissioner
Continuing Education and School Improvement

Enclosures

A MS Word version of this letter is available for download.

For further information on this topic, contact Career and Technology Education at (512) 463-9245.

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