[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6114658,"mediaKeyId","2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460","parentId",2742581,"title","Appropriations committee reviews CTE budget, hears VR career-exploration pitch and funding requests","audioSeconds",1088,"startMs",4198000,"endMs",5286000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460&start=4198&end=5286","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460/thumbnail_4198000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6114658/North-Dakota/Appropriations-committee-reviews-CTE-budget-hears-VR-career-exploration-pitch-and-funding-requests","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6114658-81066a393acd8a40f9dcea00c0020b69/orig.mp4?Expires=1770739859&Signature=d~uHQgqF1YRiHMfi2jZ8745IBRO2~gNbkSfPUGks0eCK0KyT2HzjdJ4QERs8QryDJhUWKCkkNONGVTPB-kJK3oL29UfBZpsDZLhzt5BGdNRduQfjIumb2q2abR8p2xFREGy8yofLdYRBkcSZSPHku9QcO-HWs0u1rCF9XXjQSjL-nuM430H2m3T~pi1oJgwpDFMNBVsy5kNNqFH4JgWpz6LCXeSgwkf8GiWtrHRFf~oHdgJXMu0IO6qycIrcRS13mXqC-XBsohrvbPWRjCGG8L2-HxEQFctNJVfsTkruCdbQHsonPqB6~z-PziyiZdiqXkc41769TJYLIPkc~2Vj9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-03-21T00:00:00Z","article","The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division held an extended review of the Career and Technical Education budget contained in Senate Bill 2019, heard a virtual-reality career-exploration pitch, and questioned agency officials about a series of funding requests.

A remote presenter, Matthew Chelsea of Be More Colorful (the CareerVXR/ CareerView product), described a statewide pilot that used immersive media and virtual reality headsets to expose K–12 students to careers. Chelsea said the private company and partners had deployed nearly 100 virtual field trips, installed an immersive room at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds, and developed a professional-development course at North Dakota State University for teachers. He said the state’s prior appropriation of $500,000 leveraged roughly $2,000,000 of in-state production spending, helped secure $9,900,000 in federal funding for Bismarck State College, and attracted headset donations that supplied a device to every middle and high school in the state. Chelsea asked the committee to restore a CTE line item intended to support virtual-reality career exploration (the agency requested $2,000,000; the Senate included $1,000,000 in the long sheet).

Committee members then worked through CTE budget line items with agency staff. Key points:

- Cost-to-continue for CTE reimbursement rates: The agency requested $4,000,000 to maintain reimbursement rates for CTE centers and high schools (historically reimbursed at 40% for centers and 27% for high schools). The department proposed splitting that $4,000,000 across the biennium to preserve program funding and to consider quality/access-adjusted reimbursements.

- TrainND expansion / satellite locations: TrainND asked to expand regional satellite positions. The agency’s original request was $1,600,000; the Senate provided $750,000. Agency testimony said $750,000 would be tight but could support staff to begin satellite operations; the original $1.6 million request would better cover first-year costs.

- New and expanding secondary CTE programs (capital/program growth): The department asked for $22,000,000 to support new center projects and program expansions; the Senate provided $3,000,000. Agency staff explained that an existing line in the budget (about $41.5 million) funds ongoing secondary grants and that needs vary by project (Cass County, Grand Forks, Devil’s Lake, Valley City, Bismarck, Jamestown, Williston). The department said additional dollars would support program starts, satellite sites and capacity increases at growing centers.

- Work-based learning coordinators: The department described an initiative launched with prior funding that created a grant to place work-based learning coordinators in regions. The department said the program trained more than 70 coordinators and funded 16 positions; the ask included sustaining and expanding coordinators to additional economic development regions. The agency requested $1,500,000 (the governor proposed $500,000; the Senate left it at $0). Internal tracking by the department shows rapid growth in sustained work-based placements after the initial roll-out (from dozens to thousands of student placements in recordings provided to the committee).

Officials from regional CTE centers and college partners testified about program growth, mobile training assets (CDL trucks, mobile meat and ag-processing trailers), and partnerships that supplement state funds with industry or federal grants. Lyle Krueger (Central Regional Area CTC) and Dan Spelberg (Southeast Region CTC) described enrollment increases, the variety of programs offered (agriculture, aviation, health sciences, welding, IT, precision ag), and how mobile units expand rural access. Eric Ripley (Grand Forks CTE) described the Career Impact Academy and said the new facility will allow the region to meet demand in health sciences and add new programs such as manufacturing and culinary arts.

Committee members asked about instructor shortages, program churn caused by teacher departures, the role of middle-school exposure in building interest, and parent engagement. Agency staff confirmed that statute requires each high school to provide access to at least one CTE pathway, either directly or through a center, and stressed that some enrollment fluctuations are caused by instructor recruitment challenges rather than lack of student interest.

Ending: The committee did not vote on SB 2019 line items during this session of the meeting. Lawmakers asked staff to return with more detailed fiscal breakdowns, and members signaled support for continued discussion about funding levels, especially for work-based learning coordinators and the readiness of TrainND satellite expansions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations - Education and Environment Division Friday, Mar 21, 2025 7:55 AM - 10:42 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Lawmakers reviewed the Career and Technical Education portion of Senate Bill 2019, heard a virtual-reality career-exploration demonstration from a private company, and questioned agency and center representatives about several funding requests, including reimbursement rates, TrainND expansion, capital for new programs, and work-based learning coordinators.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28886,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6114660,"Higher-education IT leaders ask appropriations panel for $10M to prepare ERP systems for cloud transition",1506,1068000,2574000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460&start=1068&end=2574","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460/thumbnail_1068000.jpg","/articles/6114660/North-Dakota/Higher-education-IT-leaders-ask-appropriations-panel-for-10M-to-prepare-ERP-systems-for-cloud-transition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6114660-bdff7f2e063332ea2a2ed7083d72b8c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770739859&Signature=EiWDsslYMoLrRC5XfBzKkBIaTM-H5rYJq1SRuIIT4gPzqwL2qk2m3dRMZALAQq4prKPMw1ycqhUxPsxxHWIoA8fD5M8t1vNJAO1GHtvFl9r27yuW7PBzDfMs1Yqx6l7~CGrhN06gHfewBl8H0-NofzdvvTTmH67TbvrNnGBEHSxZPayp5SrUIu6UTbFj4l1nFt6wnMGo9IdVsgkRuxcOP4KorRHcmVMGcFrePO8OiWFz~8YOrUOfCBwPmMfRS6tCNaasUI7JqwKAvsR0wNi6MoC28inWtY7fsKQjVbtHM8cZUXPxkg~M1~JR6Jmelk8b7xBnJi2wrtGIWXWYnvKuGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Corey Quirk, deputy chief information officer for the state's information-technology organization that supports higher education, told the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division that the North Dakota University System's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is aging and heavily customized and that preparatory work is needed now to move toward a cloud-delivered replacement.

Quirk said the system (PeopleSoft) has been in production for more than 22 years and now contains more than 7,000 customizations added to meet campus needs, which increases the complexity of upgrades, security patching and eventual migration. \"It's not even an off the shelf product anymore,\" Quirk said. He described a three-phase review that included a market analysis, outreach to peer institutions that have modernized, and a catalog of more than 140 cleanup items that must be addressed before selecting an implementation partner.

Quirk told lawmakers the system vendor (Oracle) has put the on-premises version on a deprecation timeline and the state faces a choice: plan the transition or risk a compressed market with fewer implementation partners and higher costs. The NDUS request — included in agency materials for Senate Bill 2003 — asks for $10,000,000 for two years of \"cloud readiness\" work, Quirk said. The Senate left the line at $0; Quirk asked the committee to consider funding at some level to avoid being forced into a rushed, costlier migration.

On timing and scale, Quirk said the $10 million is the beginning: the first two years to get the project ready for a procurement and selection. The implementation for the HCM (human capital management) and financial pillars is typically 3 to 4 years while the student information system is often a separate 4 to 5 year effort, producing an overall multi-year modernization program. Quirk estimated total implementation costs — based on market conversations and December 2024 prices — in the $100 million to $150 million range across the multi-year window.

Committee members asked about security, customization and whether Microsoft or other vendors were viable options. Quirk said cloud architectures reduce some security burden by centralizing patches and security delivery. He also described the trade-off between on-premises customizations and cloud configuration: \"You move from a customization environment to a configuration environment,\" he said, which limits some local tailoring but reduces long-term upgrade risk.

Quirk emphasized people and workforce as the largest program risk: many of the staff who implemented the current system will retire or decline to participate in another multi-year ERP conversion. The $10 million cloud-readiness ask contains backfill and consulting dollars to supplement campus staff and protect ongoing operations during preparatory work.

Ending: Quirk said the window to prepare is closing as market capacity for legacy PeopleSoft migration services tightens. He asked the appropriations committee to consider the request and to work with campuses to balance the short-term cost against a larger, later implementation expense.","State higher-education IT leaders told the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division that North Dakota’s 22-plus-year PeopleSoft ERP needs preparatory work to move to a cloud-delivered system; the campuses requested $10 million for cloud-readiness to document and clean up customizations before a formal procurement.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6114665,"Appropriations panel trims supplemental state grant funding, advances Senate Bill 2147 as amended",657,379000,1036000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460&start=379&end=1036","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2742581-492cb5c7aaafa51311a4873999351460/thumbnail_379000.jpg","/articles/6114665/North-Dakota/Appropriations-panel-trims-supplemental-state-grant-funding-advances-Senate-Bill-2147-as-amended","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6114665-c8fe5f7b7c7dbe346e0c46c7130f8dc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770739859&Signature=VBU4vU3k5GqCd5R1CaYdTmjcjpyvfXv9QQyLBRs3KPO21SY26qm0RSz~T3w-tkjG0dG0nq~kY2Du9z5r8XbsehFafo6kJ6CvK0XOVqSy6Atl8mRe6vzsixnBE2Y7EdYzXTMlmHx3R5kFjjK8nRB1risfSDQZmkn62wikOBvV35mt5UgS8piBB1wiY3VLzzVPy-jM7mzmeUofx5328RyOQksoSA7Wxrs-rUfnzjW3DRH8msbCHc6YBk4Q3vQ71Zc9N4j5L1Z4NuPTl-AlYhEEHSUMfzN82gc1pYIjRJ51JBH0qNuZb7eZkbon8kzZUOoyzCaTCKDQTlslHLdPGhGZvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on Friday amended and approved Senate Bill 2147, a measure that would establish a supplemental state grant program tied to a household income cutoff and a tuition-gap payment for eligible students. The committee voted to reduce the initial appropriation in the bill from $12,200,000 to $2,000,000 and then voted to advance the amended bill to full appropriations.

Committee members focused discussion on an $80,000 household income cutoff embedded in the bill and on how awards would be administered if demand outstrips the available funds. Brenda Zaspel, representing the North Dakota University System, told the panel the $80,000 figure was a committee-derived number and that the system could re-run eligibility using FAFSA data if the dollar threshold were changed. \"The 80,000 tells us which students to include,\" Zaspel said, adding that the program would still calculate each student's award as the tuition gap for those included in the income pool.

Members discussed using the pilot as a proof of concept. Representative Richter said keeping the $80,000 cutoff \"increases the pool and so more kids would get at least something.\" Committee leadership suggested treating the initial appropriation as a pilot and returning next session with data to expand the program if it met expectations.

The committee approved a motion to change the funding amount in the bill from $12,200,000 to $2,000,000. The roll call on that amendment recorded a 4-1 vote; the transcript shows: \"Chairman Nathan. Yes. Vice chair of Swantek. Representative Henson. No. Lowser. Yes. Martinson. Yes.\" The motion to adopt the amended bill and forward it to the full appropriations committee then passed on a 5-0 roll call; the transcript records the final tally as \"Motion passes five-zero.\"

Committee members and staff also discussed implementation language drafted into the bill to handle situations where applications exceed available funds. Brenda Zaspel described a deadline-based application window and a pro rata reduction if total requested awards exceed the appropriation: \"If we have more students than the pool of funds, we'd have to reduce it ... maybe by a percentage, you get 80% of your gap in tuition or whatever it might be to utilize the pool of money we have.\" That built-in mechanism would ensure all eligible applicants received a reduced award rather than closing the application window if demand were high.

Representative Hansen and other members praised related improvements to existing programs, such as the Career Builders framework, and emphasized that the supplemental grant program was designed to complement, not replace, other financial-aid efforts.

The committee chair said staff would return the amended SB 2147 to full appropriations for consideration with the reduced initial appropriation. The bill moves forward as amended; additional fiscal details will be fleshed out in the full committee process.

Ending: The committee took up the SB 2147 amendment early in the morning to meet scheduling needs and completed the vote before moving on to other agenda items. Committee members asked staff to return data and fiscal adjustments as the bill proceeds to full appropriations.","The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division amended and approved Senate Bill 2147, reducing the initial funding request from $12.2 million to $2 million and sending the bill to the full appropriations committee. Members debated an $80,000 income cutoff for eligibility and implementation mechanics if demand exceeds funding.","actionData","errors"]

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Appropriations committee reviews CTE budget, hears VR career-exploration pitch and funding requests

Higher-education IT leaders ask appropriations panel for $10M to prepare ERP systems for cloud transition

Appropriations panel trims supplemental state grant funding, advances Senate Bill 2147 as amended