In an effort to continue to modernize Career and Technical Education programs and classrooms across North Carolina, the General Assembly allotted $3 million in 2022 for State Superintendent Catherine Truitt to award funds to school districts via two grant programs: CTE Modernization and Support in Grades Six through Eight ($2 million) and Ancillary Items Necessary for the CTE Program ($1 million). In all, 66 school districts statewide and have been awarded funds from one or both of the grant programs.
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.
These programs will modernize systems that support career awareness, exploration, and planning for students in grades 6-8 and assist PSUs with upgrades to infrastructure or equipment. The Modernization and Support grants support a wide range of instructional components to assist teachers in preparing students for high-wage, high-growth career areas, including lesson plans, content, guided projects and activities and guidance about earning industry certifications. 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.
Superintendent Truitt said she was impressed by the funding requests and the opportunities to innovate and improve local programs.
“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. “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.”
Examples of awards include building new greenhouses and purchasing livestock for Agricultural Education programs; career exploration and planning programs at middle schools; purchasing necessary tools and equipment such as food safety and preparation materials for Culinary Arts; lab and 3-D anatomy equipment for Health Science; welding and other modern tools for Construction Trades; and drones for Transportation and Public Safety.
Go here for the list of local districts that have been awarded grant funds.