FY2022: Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V) Secondary Allocation Grant

Fund Code: 400

Purpose:

The mission of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is to strengthen the Commonwealth's public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps.

The goal of Massachusetts' public K–12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Our five core strategies to accelerate the pace of school improvement are:

1. Strengthening standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment
2. Promoting educator development
3. Supporting social-emotional learning, health, and safety
4. Turning around the state's lowest performing districts and schools
5. Enhancing resource allocation and data use

Massachusetts Acceleration Roadmap
Additionally, Massachusetts has developed a tool to support acceleration of student learning in the 2021-2022 school year. Schools and districts are encouraged to use the self-assessment resources in the Roadmap to identify key areas of focus and related action steps in their work accelerating learning for the 2021-22 school year, and then align their funding requests with these identified steps.

Applicants for this grant opportunity should be deliberate and intentional in the use of grant funds to support DESE's standards and priorities.

The purpose of this federal grant is to assist school districts in improving secondary-level programs that meet the definition of career and technical education as contained in the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act P.L. 115-224 (Perkins V)

Priorities:

The priority is to close the achievement gap on the Perkins core indicators of performance for populations who are chronically unemployed or underemployed, including special populations.

Eligibility:

A district or collaborative is eligible to receive funds based on criteria established by the United States Department of Education (USED). Districts must offer Career Technical Education programs that comply with the various elements of Perkins V. In addition, districts must develop a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment. Grants are awarded to local school districts after the state reviews and approves a district's grant application.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA 84.048

Funding:

FY2022 FC 400 Perkins V Allocations
Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Allocation funds must be used in accordance with Perkins V. Funds shall supplement and not supplant non-Federal funds.

Project Duration:

Upon approval through 08/31/2022

Program Unit:

Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning

Contact:

federalgrantprograms@mass.gov

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

Monday, September 27, 2021

Grant applications are reviewed in the order they are received. A 9/27/2021 deadline has been established for submission of the grant application. In order to be reasonably assured that funds will be available for the beginning of the school year, the application should be submitted no later than Friday, August 27, 2021.

Required Forms:

• FY22 Consolidated Perkins Grant Application Workbook

  • Signature Page — Standard Contract Form (Tab 1 of Perkins Consolidated Application Workbook) with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director. Note: Please sign and date the cover page and ensure the amount matches the amount budgeted. We cannot approve any grant without a signed, properly dated, uploaded signature page. Certain types of Electronic signatures are now accepted.
    • A scan of an original signature uploaded, or a picture of the original signature inserted into the document
    • An electronically signed document using Adobe or DocuSign which is a true electronic signature, and not just cursive characters typed into the document.
    
    

  • Schedule A (if applicable)

  • Schedule A Member Supplement

  • FY22 Federal Grant Assurances — to be uploaded with the district's FY22 FC 305 Title I submission in EdGrants. Signature Page (Page 1 only) completed and signed by the superintendent/Executive Director. If your district does not receive a Title I grant, contact your district's DESE grant liaison or the federal grants programs office at federalgrantprograms@mass.gov for submission instructions. We cannot approve any federal entitlement grant without a signed, properly dated and uploaded Federal Grant Assurance signature page.

Additional Information:

• Resource Guide — Allowable Costs for Strengthening Career and Technical Education Entitlement Grants

• Quick Reference Guide — Perkins Secondary Allowable and Unallowable Costs

• Quick Reference Guide — Perkins V Funding and High-Quality College and Career Pathways (HQCCP)

• Massachusetts Perkins V Manual

• Prenatal through Young Adulthood Family Engagement Framework in Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Acceleration Roadmap

• Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)

• Grants for Schools: Getting Them and Using Them, A Procedural Manual

Applicants may only legally claim expenses to the grant starting from the date of final DESE approval. The start date for the grant is the date on which the district submits substantially approvable budget and information for the grant. Therefore, to expedite approval, it is essential to have district staff who can be reached in July and August to respond to questions, as needed.

Submission Instructions:

Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants

In EdGrants, districts are required to create and name the project. Please use the following naming convention for your "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants:

FY22 FC400 Applicant LEA Code

In EdGrants, district staff assigned the role of "Front Office User" should enter the grant budget and attach the FY22 Perkins Consolidated Application Workbook, attach a PDF of the Signature Page with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director, a PDF of the signed FY22 Federal Grant Assurance Signature page, and any of the forms applicable to your FY22 submission. The completed FC 400 application workbook must be uploaded with your Perkins Secondary Budget in EdGrants.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides and Information.

Please note: It is up to the district to determine who they want to add as EdGrants Front Office users in order to submit the grant application as well as payment request information. Please review the EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding assigning your district level users.

Last Updated: August 4, 2021