Panel restores ability to spend state CTE funds for student organization activities, keeps restriction on fund carryforward; places JAG increase in reserve

The subcommittee voted to allow state career and technical education (CTE) funds to be used for leadership and training activities of career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) while simultaneously retaining language that prevents the Department of Education from balancing forward unexpected CTE state funds at fiscal year‑end.

What the subcommittee decided - Members voted to omit the historic restrictive language in the 2025 K‑12 education funding bill that had prevented using state CTE funds for pupil organization leadership and training activities (motion approved by voice). Staff materials said the U.S. Department of Education’s Perkins grant now limits per‑organization federal awards to $20,000 and that students and families have borne more costs for participation in recent years. - On the related question of whether the department should have authority to balance forward unexpected state CTE funds at the end of a fiscal year, the subcommittee voted to retain the historic revisionary language in the funding bill and directed the department to study potential impacts on the federal Perkins maintenance‑of‑effort requirement (motion approved by voice). Retaining the restrictive language preserves the existing conflict between statute and funding‑bill language identified by staff, while directing a future study.

Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates (JAG Nevada) - The subcommittee approved placing a proposed increase of $314,293 per year for Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates into the other state education programs reserve and required the Nevada Department of Education to submit a work program if federal or local revenues were not received as budgeted (motion approved by voice). Fiscal staff said the appropriation would be needed to maintain 52 programs and that reserves and local transfers had been used in prior years to stabilize the program.

Context and rationale Fiscal staff described tradeoffs: removing the restriction on pupil organization funding would allow districts to use state CTE funds so pupils would not bear participation costs, but balance‑forward changes could affect Perkins maintenance‑of‑effort calculations. Committee members argued reinstating funding authority for CTSOs would help students participate without out‑of‑pocket costs.

Implementation - Fiscal staff requested authority to include the language changes in the 2025 K‑12 funding bill and to draft any necessary study language for consideration by the 2027 Legislature.