The Tennessee Department of Education on Wednesday announced over $2 million in Perkins Reserve Grant awards to 38 school districts for the 2021-22 school year to support career and technical education across the state. Area school districts receiving the grants include Bledsoe, Bradley, Cleveland and McMinn counties.
The Perkins Reserve Grant is a competitive grant opportunity made possible through the federal Perkins V legislation passed in 2018. In 2020, the PRG grant opportunity was redesigned under the four-year Strengthening Career and Technical Education in Tennessee state plan to foster local innovation and support implementation of CTE programs and career pathways, especially in more rural areas, aligned with regionally identified high skill, high wage, and/or in-demand occupations or industries.
At the K-12 level for the 2021-22 school year, 38 Tennessee school districts, 13 of which are in economically at-risk or distressed counties, will receive a total of $2.3 million in Perkins Reserve Grant awards.
"Tennessee is continuing to focus on career and technical education to boost student readiness and postsecondary success, and the Perkins Reserve Grant awards help support this work especially in our rural districts,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “These grant awards will ensure districts, schools and partners can continue coming together to help expand CTE opportunities for all students.”
The 38 school districts receiving a 2021-22 Perkins Reserve Grant award are as follows:
|
School District
|
Secondary Award
|
Regional Career Pathways Awards
|
Program(s) Funded
|
|
Alcoa City Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
Taking EPSO's to the Next Level at Alcoa High School
|
|
Bledsoe County Schools
|
$12,000.00
|
-
|
Strengthening Career and Technical Education in Bledsoe County
|
|
Bradley County Schools
|
-
|
$195,461.75
|
LINKS (Linking Individuals to Nursing Knowledge Successfully) @ PIE (Partners in Industry and Education) Innovation Center
|
|
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
|
$ 50,000.00
|
-
|
Expanding and Strengthening CTE Programming to Meet Student and Labor Force Needs
|
|
Cannon County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
$200,000.00
|
- College and Career Awareness of High Skill, High Wage, and In-Demand Occupations at the Middle Grades Level
- Expansion of STEM Pathway
|
|
Clay County Schools
|
$7,310.00
|
$53,293.94
|
- Industry Credentials: Investing in Our Students Future
- TurningClay County Students into Clay County Teachers
|
|
Cleveland City Schools
|
$43,121.90
|
-
|
Raider Evolve
|
|
Cocke County Schools
|
$45,101.00
|
-
|
Work-Based Learning: Providing Opportunities for CTE students to Bridge the Gap Between High School and High Skill, High Wage and High Demand Careers
|
|
Coffee County Schools
|
$41,079.38
|
-
|
Career and Job Skills for All
|
|
Dyersburg City Schools
|
$44,900.00
|
-
|
Employ Dyersburg: Turning Career Dreams into Reality
|
|
Fayetteville City Schools
|
-
|
$192,397.08
|
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Industrial Maintenance
|
|
Giles County Schools
|
-
|
$75,000.00
|
With Equity for All
|
|
Grainger County Schools
|
$45,440.00
|
-
|
Knowledge is Power
|
|
Greeneville City Schools
|
$21,111.11
|
-
|
IMPACT project
|
|
Hawkins County Schools
|
$34,890.00
|
-
|
Expanding Snap-On PMI Industry Certifications to Students
|
|
Hickman County Schools
|
$42,000.00
|
-
|
College and Career Centers
|
|
Jackson County Schools
|
$44,800.50
|
-
|
- Industry Credential Exam Fees
- Precision Measurement Instrument (PMI) Equipment
|
|
Jefferson County Schools
|
$48,066.97
|
-
|
- CTE Summer Camp for Middle School Exploration
- Accessibility to High Demand Industry Credentials and Instructional Materials
|
|
Lenoir City Schools
|
-
|
$200,000.00
|
Co-location for TCAT in Building Construction Technology and Tiny Home Construction Project for Regional Career Pathways Grant
|
|
Lewis County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
- High-Quality Learning Experience: Funding for Industry Certifications/ Credentials
- Aligned Career Pathways: Funding to Purchase and Expand Appropriate Equipment & Technology
|
|
Macon County Schools
|
$41,498.21
|
-
|
- Industry Credentials Fees and Reporting System
- Careers in IT, It’s Never Too Early to Build the Next Generation of IT Professionals
|
|
Madison County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
Transporting Students from Learning in the Classroom to Learning on the Worksite
Equipment Grant
|
|
McMinn County Schools
|
$45,461.00
|
-
|
Mechatronics Program Enhancement
|
|
Montgomery County Schools
|
$49,997.60
|
-
|
- Training to Retain - Developing a Local EPP
- Engage, Explore, and Aspire
|
|
Morgan County Schools
|
$34,000.00
|
-
|
The CTE Roadshow
|
|
Perry County Schools
|
$26,945.00
|
-
|
- Expand EPSO offerings to Agriculture-Horticulture Program of Study with Equipment
- Support Existing EPSOs, Credentialing, and Work-Based Learning
|
|
Roane County Schools
|
-
|
$199,036.91
|
High Level Machining
|
|
Robertson County Schools
|
-
|
$61,460.45
|
TCAT Dual Enrollment
|
|
Rutherford County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
- Student Industry Certification Initiative
- New Audio/Visual Production CTE Program of Study
|
|
Tipton County Schools
|
$49,994.30
|
-
|
VET Laboratory - Vertically Aligned Training for Animal Systems Pathway
|
|
Trousdale County Schools
|
$3,710.00
|
-
|
Tennessee Promoted Industry Credentials
|
|
Van Buren County Schools
|
$5,000.00
|
-
|
Industry Certifications - Student Testing Fees
|
|
Warren County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
- CTE Industry Certification Exam/EPSO Dual Credit Initiative
- Virtual Job Shadow
- BOXLIGHT Technology
|
|
West Carroll Special School District
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
STEM: Reflecting Real Life Careers
|
|
White County Schools
|
$49,330.00
|
-
|
- Certs for All
- Pick A Path
- Warrior Innovation Fab Lab
|
|
Wilson County Schools
|
$50,000.00
|
-
|
Closing the Gap with CNA
|
This year’s Perkins Reserve Grant recipients submitted applications for programs, initiatives, and strategies that help to ensure their students succeed in exploring, choosing, and following a career pathway to success, whether by providing equitable access, aligned career pathways, high-quality learning experiences, or a combination thereof.
“Thanks to the Perkins Reserve Grants, Rutherford County Schools’ students will benefit from additional opportunities and support around career and technical education through industry certifications and CTE equipment, which is so essential to helping prepare them for future postsecondary and career success,” said Tyra Pilgrim, CTE director, Rutherford County Schools. “We appreciate the commitment of the Tennessee Department of Education to this critical work and keeping our state focused on education, skill, and workforce development.”
Applications were reviewed by a team of TDOE staff from the Division of College, Career and Technical Education and partners from the Tennessee Board of Regents. All applications needed to address at least one of the priority areas of the state plan - ensuring equitable access, aligning career pathways, and/or ensuring high-quality learning experiences, and the Regional Career Pathways application must also include a regionally focused secondary and postsecondary or workforce partnership.
More information on the Perkins Reserve Grant may be found here.