Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence

Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence

This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to replace the existing Tech Prep program with a new competitive grant program to support career and technical education. Under the program, local educational agencies and their partners may apply for grant funding to support:

• career and technical education programs that are aligned with postsecondary education programs,
• dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college programs,
• certain evidence-based strategies and delivery models related to career and technical education,
• teacher and leader experiential and informational-gathering site visits,
• professional development of educators and business partners,
• structured interdisciplinary collaboration and common planning time,
• teacher and leader externship programs,
• cross-credentialing for teachers,
• paid student internships or other paid work-based learning experiences, and
• guidance counseling.

Unless granted a waiver, a grant recipient must provide specified matching funds in the fourth and fifth years of the five-year grant.