Vermont committee reviews Perkins V funding, considers single statewide CTE district

The Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development heard detailed briefings Wednesday on career and technical education (CTE) governance, federal Perkins V funding and options for creating a single statewide CTE district.

Agency of Education CTE lead Jen (Agency of Education staff) told the committee that Vermont’s Perkins V allocation is about $5 million this fiscal year and that federal rules require the state to retain 15% for administration and statewide leadership while roughly 85% must be granted to eligible recipients. “Perkins really focuses on special populations,” Jen said, describing federal priorities that include individuals with disabilities, students from low-income families, English learners and others.

The Committee’s discussion centered on two policy threads: how Perkins dollars are currently distributed to 17 regional CTE centers and Community College of Vermont (CCV), and how a single statewide CTE district might change governance, reporting and program alignment.

Under current federal requirements summarized for the committee, 15% of Vermont’s Perkins allocation is retained by the Agency of Education (AOE) for grant administration and statewide leadership; a designated reserve (described in testimony as $650,000) supports statewide professional development, teacher preparation, dual-enrollment costs and shared curricula. The remainder is distributed by federal formula to regional CTE centers (a formula that weights secondary population and poverty measures)…