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Lawmakers hear CTE budget questions and a plea to lift restrictions on CTSO funding
Summary
Officials discussed Perkins grant administration, a proposed workforce platform and a requested reallocation of general fund support for career and technical education; a Washoe County CTE director urged the committee to remove language that prevents statewide state support for Career and Technical Student Organizations.
The subcommittee reviewed budget account 2676, which funds Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs including administration of the Carl D. Perkins federal grant and state workforce alignment activities.
Deputy Superintendent Megan Peterson said the account includes federal Perkins funds and state support for programs that align with Nevada's workforce priorities. Fiscal staff described constraints tied to federal administrative caps on Perkins funds and explained how those caps affect the amount of administrative work the grant can pay for.
Celeste Donald, the department's director of fiscal operations, told the committee the Perkins grant allows a 5 percent administrative allocation and that the department had to make late adjustments to align administrative costs with federal limits. Donald said department salary increases and routine operating cost growth increased pressure on the general fund portion of the account.
During public comment by phone, Dr. Joshua Hartzog, director of career and technical education for the Washoe County School District, asked lawmakers to remove language in the K‑12 budget that restricts state funds from supporting Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) leadership activities on a statewide basis. He said such organizations "provide students with hands on leadership experience, professional networking opportunities, and the chance to develop essential workplace skills" and told the committee, "I respectfully urge the committee to take action and remove the restricting language to allow for full support of CTSOs across Nevada." Hartzog argued that unrestricted use of available funds would increase equity and student access.
Peterson said a workforce development platform contract will be moved to the correct budget account (2712) and that the department will continue to monitor how grants and administrative caps affect services to districts. Committee members asked follow‑up questions about whether the governor's recommended general fund increases were necessary and how reduced federal funding would affect the program; the department said impacts would depend on federal decisions and that more detail would be provided to fiscal analysts as needed.
