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c. Fiscal Responsibility

  • 1. Describe the criteria and process for how the eligible agency will approve eligible recipients for funds under this Act, including how—
    • a. Each eligible recipient will promote academic achievement;
    • b. Each eligible recipient will promote skill attainment, including skill attainment that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential; and
    • c. Each eligible recipient will ensure the local needs assessment under section 134 takes into consideration local economic and education needs, including, where appropriate, in-demand industry sectors and occupations. (Section 122(d)(5) of Perkins V)
  • 2. Describe how funds received by the eligible agency through the allotment made under section 111 of the Act will be distributed—
    • a. Among career and technical education at the secondary level, or career and technical education at the postsecondary and adult level, or both, including how such distribution will most effectively provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the workplace; and
    • b. Among any consortia that may be formed among secondary schools and eligible institutions, and how funds will be distributed among the members of the consortia, including the rationale for such distribution and how it will most effectively provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. (Section 122(d)(8) of Perkins V)
  • 3. For the upcoming program year, provide the specific dollar allocations made available by the eligible agency for career and technical education programs and programs of study under section 131(a)-(e) of the Act and describe how these allocations are distributed to local educational agencies, areas career and technical education schools and educational service agencies within the State. (Section 131(g) of Perkins V)
  • 4. For the upcoming program year, provide the specific dollar allocations made available by the eligible agency for career and technical education programs and programs of study under section 132(a) of the Act and describe how these allocations are distributed to eligible institutions and consortia of eligible institutions within the State.
  • 5. Describe how the eligible agency will adjust the data used to make the allocations to reflect any changes in school district boundaries that may have occurred since the population and/or enrollment data was collected, and include local education agencies without geographical boundaries, such as charter schools and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education. (Section 131(a)(3) of Perkins V)
  • 6. If the eligible agency will submit an application for a waiver to the secondary allocation formula described in section 131(a)—
    • a. Include a proposal for such an alternative formula; and
    • b. Describe how the waiver demonstrates that a proposed alternative formula more effectively targets funds on the basis of poverty (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) to local educational agencies with the State. (Section 131(b) of Perkins V)

Also indicate if this is a waiver request for which you received approval under the prior Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

  • 7. If the eligible agency will submit an application for a waiver to the postsecondary allocation formula described in section 132(a)—
    • a. Include a proposal for such an alternative formula; and
    • b. Describe how the formula does not result in a distribution of funds to the eligible institutions or consortia with the State that have the highest numbers of economically disadvantaged individuals and that an alternative formula will result in such a distribution. (Section 132(b) of Perkins V)

Also indicate if this is a waiver request for which you received approval under the prior Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

  • 8. Provide the State’s fiscal effort per student, or aggregate expenditures for the State, that will establish the baseline for the Secretary’s annual determination on whether the State has maintained its fiscal effort, and indicate whether the baseline is a continuing level or new level. If the baseline is new, please provide the fiscal effort per student, or aggregate expenditures for the State, for the preceding fiscal year. (Section 211(b)(1)(D) of Perkins V)

Current Narrative:

(c)  Fiscal Responsibility

 

  1. Describe the criteria and process for how the eligible agency will approve eligible recipients for funds under this Act, including how—

 

A. Each eligible recipient will promote academic achievement;

B. Each eligible recipient will promote skill attainment, including skill attainment that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential; and

C. Each eligible recipient will ensure the local needs assessment under section 134 takes into consideration local economic and education needs, including, where appropriate, in-demand industry sectors and occupations. (Section 122(d)(5) of Perkins V)

 

Each eligible recipient is approved based on their responses to the local application. For FY 2021, the local application must correlate to the recipient’s CLNA results. The Office of CTE staff will complete an extensive review of each recipient’s CLNA and Local Application to ensure the necessary alignment and to identify potential concerns or the need for technical assistance.  During the first year, this review process will be the primary method of monitoring recipients. 

 

The CLNA process provided disaggregated data for each Perkins V Performance Indicator, including academic skill attainment. Recipients identified performance gaps through analysis of this data. One challenge that recipients face is that many students completed the ESSA required student assessments before enrolling in a CTE program of study. This challenge will require the GWC, the Office of CTE, and eligible recipients to look for other ways to promote academic attainment. 

 

As a first step, integrated academic standards will be included in each Next Level Program of Study. The Office of CTE will encourage schools and career centers to integrate the assessments of these academic skills into their technical skill assessments. 

 

Many individuals have expressed concern about the ability of CTE students to earn the academic dual credits required to complete a technical certificate (TC) or certificate of graduation (CG). Completion of postsecondary math, language arts, and communication courses are often a requirement for earning a TC or CG and also serve as a gateway to higher levels of postsecondary education and training.  In order to increase the number of postsecondary credentials awarded, we must integrate these skills into our programs of study and provide support to CTE instructors for integrating core academics into their curriculum. To increase the integration of core academics into CTE requires developing and encouraging teachers of CTE courses and academic courses to work together to align their coursework and jointly teach cross-disciplinary projects that tackle real-world problems. Through project-, problem-, or work-based learning opportunities, in partnership with employers or higher education, coordinating academia with the applied learning of CTE will help students understand the breadth and depth of career opportunities in Indiana’s economy. The Office of CTE will also work with traditional high schools to increase the number of opportunities for CTE students to complete required academic dual credit courses and to identify best practices of cross-disciplinary approaches.

 

Beyond providing students the opportunity to earn a TC or CG, industry-recognized certifications will be embedded into the Next Level Programs of Study whenever available and appropriate. Industry certification exams may be used as a measure of technical skill attainment. The Office of CTE, through our pathway development groups, must identify or develop common assessments for courses and programs of study that do not have an aligned industry certification exam. 

 

Indiana has funded the cost of certifications through Perkins Leadership funds. Prior to this year, only a limited selection of assessments were funded through a contract between select vendors and the state.  This year, the state increased the amount of funds set aside to cover the cost of assessments; and the funds were distributed directly to eligible recipients. This process gives recipients more flexibility to choose which assessments to fund and will lead to improved reporting of the results. While the new process is an improvement over previous years, Indiana needs to explore more sustainable ways of covering the expenses for certifications in the future.

 

As part of the CLNA process, the Office of CTE provided eligible recipients with relevant labor market information aligned to CTE courses for their economic region. Recipients will utilize this information to identify gaps between the needs of the community and the programs of study they offer. Prior to the CLNA process for FY22, the Office of CTE will explore the possibility of having eligible recipients of an economic region collaborate on the CLNA process. 

 

  1. Describe how funds received by the eligible agency through the allotment made under section 111 of the Act will be distributed—

 

A. Among career and technical education at the secondary level, or career and technical education at the postsecondary and adult level, or both, including how such distribution will most effectively provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the workplace; eligible recipients must use Perkins distribution funds in ways that correlate to the results of their CLNA and section 135 of Perkins V legislation

 

Indiana has traditionally withheld a minimal amount for Leadership funding, choosing to allocate about 93% of the total award to eligible recipients. In order to meet the requirements of Perkins V, the eligible agency will increase Perkins Leadership to approximately 8.25% of the total allocation for the upcoming fiscal year; approximately 90% of the total award will support the Local Formula Distribution for secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients.  

 

Indiana Code [IC 20-20-38-12] requires that at least 60% of Perkins funds be allocated to secondary level career and technical education. Indiana currently allocates 65% of the local formula distribution to secondary eligible recipients and 35% to postsecondary eligible recipients. Indiana has not traditionally included adult education providers as eligible recipients. This split was originally determined by DWD and has been in place for several years. Given the shift in priorities in the Combined Plan and the change in eligible agency, the split will be reevaluated prior to the FY22. 

 

Indiana will also set aside 3-5% of the distributed funds for the Reserve Fund.  These funds will be used for competitive grants to prioritize the implementation of programs of study and narrow equity gaps in performance. 

 

B. Among any consortia that may be formed among secondary schools and eligible institutions, and how funds will be distributed among the members of the consortia, including the rationale for such distribution and how it will most effectively provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. (Section 122(d)(8) of Perkins V).

 

Nearly all secondary public, non-charter schools are members of a consortium or CTE district. Some consortia are organized as cooperatives with the individual schools offering shared programs, while most consortia share a common career center for the district. Secondary schools and charter schools that meet the minimum funding level required by Perkins legislation can become CTE districts.

 

In most cases, Perkins funds are distributed to the CTE District through a fiscal agent for the consortium.  In consortia where there is a centralized career center, Perkins funds go to the career center. In consortia that are organized as a cooperative, Perkins funds are distributed through local processes established by the consortium board of directors and are guided by the CTE director. State CTE funds are distributed to the individual secondary schools based on student enrollments regardless of where the student receives the training. In most cases, sending schools pay a tuition fee to the career center. 

 

3. For the upcoming program year, provide the specific dollar allocations for each eligible recipient made available by the eligible agency for career and technical education programs and programs of study under section 131(a)-(e) of the Act and describe how these allocations are distributed to local educational agencies, areas career and technical education schools and educational service agencies within the State. (Section 131(g) of Perkins V).

 

The specific allocations for each eligible recipient will be included in this Plan once the amount of the FY 21 Perkins State Allocation is made available. Indiana utilizes the formula set forth in Perkins legislation to determine the allocation for each recipient. 

 

70% to the number of individuals aged 5-17, inclusive, who reside in the school district and are from families below the poverty level for the preceding fiscal year;

 

30% to the number of individuals aged 5-17, inclusive, who reside in the school district.

 

The Office of CTE calculates the distribution for each school district. The CTE District’s total award is determined by the sum of the formula distribution for each school district in the consortium or cooperative.

 

4. For the upcoming program year, provide the specific dollar allocations for each eligible recipient made available by the eligible agency for career and technical education programs and programs of study under section 132(a) of the Act and describe how these allocations are distributed to eligible institutions and consortia of eligible institutions within the State. Section 132 relates to the distribution of funds for postsecondary education programs. We calculate the distribution based on the formula requirements in Perkins V:

 

Each eligible institution or consortium of eligible institutions shall be allocated an amount that bears the same relationship to the portion of funds made available under section 112(a)(1) to carry out this section for any fiscal year as the sum of the number of individuals who are Federal Pell Grant recipients and recipients of assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs enrolled in programs, which meet the requirements of section 135, offered by such institution or consortium in the preceding fiscal year bears to the sum of the number of such recipients enrolled in such programs within the state for such year.

 

5. Describe how the eligible agency will adjust the data used to make the allocations to reflect any changes in school district boundaries that may have occurred since the population and/or enrollment data was collected, and include local education agencies without geographical boundaries, such as charter schools and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education. (Section 131(a)(3) of Perkins V).

 

Each year, the Office of CTE makes adjustments to the membership of each eligible recipient’s consortium or cooperative. These changes will lead to changes in the amount of the eligible recipient’s allocation due to the formula and process utilized to determine the local allocation. Indiana utilizes the data provided as is by the US Census Bureau to determine allocation amounts. No adjustments to the data are made due to changes in district boundaries. 

 

Allocations for charter schools and other schools without boundaries are determined based on the proportion of students enrolled in the charter school compared to the number of students enrolled in the public school corporation where the charter is located.

 

6. If the eligible agency will submit an application for a waiver to the secondary allocation formula described in section 131(a)—

 

Indiana does not plan to apply for a waiver to the secondary allocation formula for FY21.

 

A. Include a proposal for such an alternative formula; and

 

N/A

 

B. Describe how the waiver demonstrates that a proposed alternative formula more effectively targets funds on the basis of poverty (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with section 673 (2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) to local educational agencies with the State. (Section 131(b) of Perkins V).

 

N/A

 

C. Also indicate if this is a waiver request for which you received approval under the prior Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

 

N/A

 

7. If the eligible agency will submit an application for a waiver to the postsecondary allocation formula described in section 132(a)—

 

Indiana does not plan to apply for a waiver to the secondary allocation formula for FY21.

 

A. Include a proposal for such an alternative formula; and

 

N/A

 

B. Describe how the formula does not result in a distribution of funds to the eligible institutions or consortia with the State that have the highest numbers of economically disadvantaged individuals and that an alternative formula will result in such a distribution. (Section 132(b) of Perkins V). Also indicate if this is a waiver request for which you received approval under the prior Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

 

N/A

 

8. If the eligible agency will award reserve funds to eligible recipients under section 112(c) of Perkins V, describe the process and criteria for awarding those funds.

 

For FY21, the Office of CTE will set aside a Reserve of $1,000,000 for secondary and postsecondary recipients. The distribution of Reserve funds will be based upon the 65%/35% split between secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients. 

 

Secondary Reserve grants during FY 2021 and FY 2022 will be utilized for the Next Level Programs of Study Pilot Programs. Reserve funds will be used to fund pilot programs offered through eligible recipients in rural areas; area with high percentages of CTE concentrators or CTE participants; areas with high numbers of CTE concentrators or CTE participants; or areas with disparities or gaps in performance as described in section 113(b) (3)(C)(ii).  Preference will be given to eligible recipients who plan to offer one of the state-identified priority pathways. Competitive grants will be awarded based upon the development of an implementation plan submitted through the planning grant process (May 2020). Remaining Reserve funds in FY 2021 and FY 2022 will used to foster innovative practices aimed at reducing or eliminating performance gaps. 

 

Postsecondary grants during FY 2021 and FY 2022 will be used for either purpose outlined above, with priority placed on programs or practices that are offered collaboratively with secondary and/or adult education. 

9. Provide the State’s fiscal effort per student, or aggregate expenditures for the State, that will establish the baseline for the Secretary’s annual determination on whether the State has maintained its fiscal effort, and indicate whether the baseline is a continuing level or new level. If the baseline is new, please provide the fiscal effort per student, or aggregate expenditures for the State, for the preceding fiscal year. (Section 211(b)(1)(D) of Perkins V).

 

Indiana’s aggregate expenditures for Career and Technical Education are $158,972,889.00.  This includes the state’s Perkins allocation of $28,478,889.00 (FY20). The state match for Perkins Administration is $494,000.00. The state-level additional pupil count funding totals $130,000,000. The additional pupil count funds represent state funds that are distributed directly to public and charter LEAs for student enrollments in CTE courses. The $130,000,000 represents a cap that has been established through legislation for the FY 2021.