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

Fund Code: 452

Purpose:

The purpose of this competitive federal grant is to assist state and county correctional agencies with education 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 (Perkins V).¹

Proposed programs of study must offer a sequence of at least two courses that: (a) results in an industry-recognized credential or certificate², and (b) provides justice involved individuals with coherent and rigorous educational activities that develop the academic, technical, and career management knowledge and skills required to secure employment in an identified career pathway or enroll and complete a postsecondary program in the pathway.

The proposed programs of study must:

• include both distance learning³ and transition support services that are informed by evidence-based practices in re-entry⁴.

• demonstrate meaningful collaboration between correctional institutions; community corrections; career and technical education (CTE) providers; and local area employers

• include a strategic recruitment and cohort determination plan that yields at least one cohort of ten or more students, or two cohorts with a minimum of six students each, who can begin the CTE program while committed and, if necessary, complete it post-release.

Priorities:

The priority is to support the establishment or substantial improvement of career & technical education programs in correctional institutions that prepare returning citizens to succeed in CORI-neutral, in-demand, career pathways that offer an entry-level sustainable living wage and:

1. must be delivered fully, or in part, via technology-based distance learning and
2. include transition support services that are clearly tailored to support success in the career pathway before and after release.

Eligibility:

Eligibility is limited to the following correctional institutions that qualified to compete by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the FY21 Perkins planning grant:

• Bristol County Sheriff's Office
• Franklin County House of Correction
• Hampden County Sheriff Department
• Norfolk County Sheriff's Office

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA: 84.048

Funding:

Approximately $245,000 will be available in FY2022 (maximum award of $100,000) to support one or more competitive implementation grants which can be renewed for another two years based on satisfactory program performance.

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.

Subject to federal appropriation, the continuation of FY22 awards will be based on: (1) the quality of applicants' mid-year and final reports and (2) a satisfactory on-site monitoring report

Fund Use:

Perkins V allocation funds must be used in accordance with Perkins IV and the Massachusetts Perkins V Manual.

The Perkins grant is a restricted rate program that is subject to a statutory "supplement not supplant" restriction. Grantees are required to use a restricted indirect cost rate of 5%, unless your calculated indirect cost rate is less than 5%, then you must use the lower rate for your budget. If you have an approved negotiated federal indirect cost rate, it must be submitted to DESE. If you do not have an approved indirect cost rate agreement, you must apply annually to DESE for an approved indirect cost rate. The indirect cost rate is calculated using costs specified in the grantee's indirect cost plan. Those specified costs may not be charged as direct costs to the grant or to any other grant under any circumstances.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 8/31/2022. Grants may be conditionally renewable for an additional two years subject to satisfactory performance and federal appropriation.

Program Unit:

Adult and Community Learning Services

Contact:

Toby Maguire

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3814

Date Due:

Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Proposals must be received at the Department (thru online portal) by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

Required Forms:

• Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

• Part II — Budget Details

• Part III — Required Program Information

• Statement of Assurances

• GEPA Statement

• MOU (provided by applicant)

Additional Information:

• Scoring Rubric

• Budget Workbook Instructions

Submission Instructions:

Proposals must be submitted electronically by 3pm on September 21, 2021 via the online portal.

Applicants will create an account and be able to enter the portal for the RFP. Once you have created a user account and entered the portal, you will be asked to:

• Enter basic information

• Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. You will not be able to submit your grant unless you include data or uploads in all required fields.

  Please note that you are presented with two choices at the bottom of the submission webpage: <Save Draft> and <Submit>. Once you choose Submit, you are no longer able to make edits or change the files you wish to upload. Save Draft should be used routinely until you have completed the entire process and are certain you are ready to send your materials submission to us.

  Also, please note that the Part II-Budget is an Excel for PC document. Please do not work on this document in Excel for Mac, as it will not render properly, even if you subsequently save the document in a PC environment.

  If problems occur while using the portal anytime, or if you encounter technical difficulties with the Class Plan/Budget workbook after August 24^th, 2021, contact Paula Jurigian.

Submit a response to all narrative prompts as applicable. (Note: The narrative response may not exceed 15 pages.)

Applicants are required to provide page numbers on every page of the narrative response. All narrative responses must be in a font no smaller than Arial 10 font, with 1" margins on all sides.

Pages that exceed the above page limits will not be reviewed and scored. Required forms, appendices, and the class plan/budget workbook are not included in these page limits.

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Part I in EdGrants. Total administrative cost must not exceed 5%. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.

Note: DESE reserves the right to conduct an interview or a site visit prior to award.

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¹ The definition of career and technical education is contained in Perkins V.

² ServSafe and OSHA 10 training do not qualify as courses, although OSHA 30 or another 30+ hour credential-focused class may, provided it results is an industry-recognized certification or credential.

³ A combination of actual (face-to-face) contact and contact through telephone, video, teleconference or online communication, where student and program staff can interact, and through which learner identify is verifiable. (OCTAE's 2016 NRS Implementation Guidelines)

⁴ E.g., Rated Practices

Last Updated: August 10, 2021