Section 6 - The Local Application

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Local Application Process

To receive funds under Perkins V, a consortium must develop and submit a combined secondary/postsecondary application every other year (May 2020, May 2022, etc.). Updated budgets are required annually. The application must address secondary and postsecondary CTE programming. This is described in Section 134 of the Perkins V Act.

The local application, due May 1, must be signed by each participating college president and each participating school district superintendent using the Statement of Assurances & Certifications document. The plan must also include strategies to meet the state-determined performance levels required under the law. If, in the previous reporting year, the consortium failed to meet state-determined performance levels on one or more core indicators, the local application must also include appropriate improvement plan(s).

The approved local application–with statement of assurances signatures–serves as the consortium’s formal application for receiving Perkins funding.

Submission of the Local Application

Local Perkins applications are submitted through the Minnesota State SharePoint system. The application consists of several documents, allowing consortium users to respond to narrative and budget questions separately. All document files and instructions are available on the CTE Perkins Local Application page.

Application Components

The Perkins Local Consortium application consists of the following:

Consortia will indicate the amount of secondary and postsecondary Perkins funds or in-kind contributions that will be used in collaboration with Workforce Centers. 

The body of the local application is structured around narrative questions that address the specific requirements identified in section 134(b) of the Perkins V Act. A summary of these requirements is included here. Each consortium application will include/describe: 

  • Results of the comprehensive local needs assessment 
  • CTE course offerings and activities provided with Perkins V funding 
  • How the consortium will:
    • Provide career exploration, development, and guidance 
    • Improve academic and technical skills of CTE students 
    • Prepare special populations for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations, provide equal access, ensure they are not discriminated against, and prepare students for nontraditional fields 
  • Work-based learning opportunities available to students and how they will be developed or expanded 
  • Postsecondary credit opportunities for high-school students 
  • Recruitment, preparation, retention, and training of CTE professionals 
  • Gaps or discrepancies in performance 

Additional narrative questions will address the consortium’s governance structure and how reserve funding will be used to foster innovation and/or improve programs of study. The state may include additional requirements as necessary. 

Perkins V requires a comprehensive local needs assessment to be completed prior to application submission every two years. Results of the CLNA must be incorporated into the local consortium application and will drive consortium spending decisions. Please note that the first question required in the local application asks for a summary of the CLNA and how that work informed the selection of activities funded through Perkins V. 

The comprehensive local needs assessment must include the following: (Sec.134(c)(2)) 

  • An evaluation of student performance with respect to state-determined and local levels of performance, including an evaluation of performance for special populations and subgroups 
  • A description of how CTE programs offered are of sufficient size, scope, and quality–and aligned to in-demand industry sectors 
  • An evaluation of progress toward the implementation of CTE programs and programs of study 
  • A description of how local recipients will improve recruitment, retention and training of CTE teachers, faculty and specialized instruction support personnel 
  • A description of progress toward implementation of equal access to high-quality CTE courses and programs of study 

The CLNA Results and Priorities is a standardized reporting tool for consortia to report their needs assessment results. Consortia will submit the completed CLNA Results and Priorities along with the local consortium application. It will be uploaded as a separate document in the Minnesota State SharePoint system. The CLNA Results and Priorities is available on the CTE Perkins Local Application page.

The CLNA Guide (PDF) is available to consortium leaders to provide guidance on the process of conducting a needs assessment.

Consortia will provide the names and duty titles of all employees whose salaries are partially or fully funded with Perkins funds. In addition, the percentage of an employee’s worktime spent on Perkins-related tasks will be reported here along with the amount budgeted for their salaries. Personnel Activity Reports (PAR) document 100% of an employee’s time and effort, noting the percentage breakdown for all activities and programs, including Perkins. The PAR is completed on a schedule established by the consortium and kept on file for audit purposes. 

Position descriptions for Perkins-funded personnel must be uploaded to the Perkins application as attached documents. Position descriptions should reflect duties related to Perkins grant implementation. Since Perkins funding is intended to provide for innovation in CTE, long-term funding of positions is not supported. If an individual’s duties change and are reflected in their revised position descriptions, continued funding of the position with Perkins grant funds may be justified. Consult with state staff to discuss specific circumstances. Under no circumstances can grant funds supplant state or local funding. 

Each consortium must submit with the application the S-R POS - Funding POS spreadsheet identifying at least six state-recognized programs of study. These programs of study must represent a minimum of four of the six career fields listed on the Minnesota Career Fields, Clusters & Pathways Framework “Wheel” (PDF). The POS Spreadsheet is available on the CTE Perkins Local Application page.

Each consortium is also encouraged to have at least one state-recognized program of study in each career field to provide broad opportunity and experience for students. This may require collaboration or brokering of services with other educational institutions. No more than one of the six required state-recognized programs of study will be brokered with institutions outside the consortium. State-recognized programs of study should be developed in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations reflecting regional needs and in concert with WIOA regional plans.

For each program of study, the following information is required in the application:

  • Program of study career field, cluster, and pathway as identified in the Minnesota Career Fields, Clusters & Pathways Framework “Wheel”
  • All associated high schools and applicable MDE approved program codes
  • The postsecondary institution, postsecondary CTE program, and postsecondary academic award (certificate, diploma, AAS or AS degree)
  • Work-based and experiential learning opportunities at the secondary and/ or postsecondary levels

In addition to these required components, consortia are asked to provide information on any technical skills assessments (TSAs), licensure, certification, or industry-recognized credentials offered as part of the program of study. Consortia must also evaluate each program of study against the criteria provided in the State-recognized Program of Study User Guide.

Minnesota State and the Minnesota Department of Education are responsible to annually review each consortium Perkins program based on its performance on federally determined accountability indicators. Minnesota will monitor compliance with this requirement by collecting Improvement Reports or Improvement Plans. If a consortium’s actual performance falls below 90 percent of the state-determined performance levels for any core indicator of performance, the consortium must write an improvement plan for that indicator. The Improvement Plan Guide and Improvement Plan Template can be accessed through the Coordinators’ Portal. 

Although applications are required to be submitted every other year (biennially), budgets must be submitted annually. The budget total must match the total allocation amount provided to the consortium by state staff. Consortia can budget up to 5% of their allocation for administrative expenses. This must be reflected separately under basic funds and reserve funds. The budget submitted with the local consortium application must include both secondary and postsecondary expenditures. Keep in mind that this is a planning budget and must reflect your best estimate of how awarded Perkins funding will be expensed during the year. Be as specific in the budget as you can, given the understanding that specific details may not be available when the budget is due for submission. You may not know, for example, which specific equipment items your consortium will purchase for the year, but you should at least have an idea of the total amount you plan to budget for equipment.

Budgeting decisions should be driven by the comprehensive local needs assessment. When your consortium’s application is reviewed, the budget is likely to generate a number of questions for further clarification. Be sure to enter, as specifically as possible, a description for each budget line item. You should always be able to justify your budget line items by tying them back to the comprehensive local needs assessment. Consortia also should determine which of the uses of funds from Section 135 of Perkins V supports those expenditures.
 

Combined Secondary and Postsecondary Budget Spreadsheet

Each consortium will complete the required Combined Secondary and Postsecondary Budget spreadsheet. This Excel spreadsheet includes tabs for Secondary and Postsecondary to budget Basic and Reserve funds and provide supporting narrative. Instructions for completing the combined budget are provided on the first tab of the file. The Budget spreadsheet is available on the CTE Perkins Local Application page. The consortium will upload the completed budget spreadsheet as a separate document in the Minnesota State SharePoint system.

The statement of assurances & certifications form must be signed by all members of the consortium, that is, each college president and each school district superintendent. Once all signatures have been collected, the form should be scanned into a single PDF document and uploaded to the Minnesota State grant management system application. Consortia must also mail the hardcopy statement of assurances and certifications, with original signatures, to the Minnesota State System Office.

Each consortium is required to submit a single, consolidated equipment inventory with the local application. This inventory will include both secondary and postsecondary equipment assets purchased with Perkins funds in past years. It will be uploaded to the local application as a separate document. Because a single, consolidated inventory is required, consortia should determine one individual who will be responsible for creating and updating this document to keep it current. This will require coordination between secondary and postsecondary consortium leaders. Although the state does not provide a specific format for this inventory, federal law requires specific property management standards for equipment acquired with federal funds. Refer to the information in Capital Assets (Equipment) for additional information.

Local Application Approval Process

Once consortium applications are completed and submitted through the Minnesota State grant management system, a full staff review of all applications is conducted by MDE and Minnesota State staff. The purpose for this review is to ensure the grant application meets all requirements under the Perkins V legislation. Application review meetings are scheduled with each consortium to allow state staff to discuss the application with consortium leaders and to ask clarifying questions. These meetings can be conducted via a remote communication platform or consortium leaders may prefer to meet face-to-face with state staff at the System Office. During this 60- to 90-minute meeting, state reviewers may ask for additional information or suggest revisions to the application. Once all questions about the local application are answered satisfactorily and the consortium provides any additional information, the application is approved by state staff and the consortium is officially notified by email from the State Director.

Implementation of the Plan

The approved local application serves as the formal document detailing goals, outcomes, and approved expenditures. The Perkins V application describes activities aligned with the CLNA, state-determined performance levels, and federal legislation.

Once the local application is approved by state staff, efforts to implement it are focused on supporting and improving CTE curriculum, instruction and assessment, the implementation of Programs of Study, and supporting CTE teachers and faculty.

Approved consortium Perkins applications become a matter of public record and are published on the Minnesota State CTE website.>

Local Application Budget Changes within the Fiscal Year

During the fiscal year, local application budget changes of 10 percent or more, within a UFARS line item, must be pre- approved before the expenditure(s) can be made. To request a change, a consortium must:

  • Identify the original purpose for which the funds were allocated and the amount
  • Identify the proposed change(s) in expenditures and the amounts
  • Provide the rationale for the requested change, including how the change is supported by CLNA results
  • Send the request to the MDE supervisor for career development and CTE for approval
  • Provide clarification and follow-up as requested
  • Receive written action on the change request

All budget changes will be recorded as part of the secondary Perkins V file.

Secondary Perkins Change Request Template (WORD)Secondary Perkins Change Request Template (PDF)

 

Annual Performance Report

Consortia are required to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) in October of each year using the questions and instructions posted to the Perkins Local Application page. This report identifies the progress made in implementing the activities and goals outlined in the local consortium application. State staff will provide additional guidance to consortium leaders on APR requirements for the year, as well as how to successfully submit the report. Note that the format and questions for the APR are likely to change from year to year. Input from consortia on APRs is used by state staff to complete the state Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) required by the federal government every January.

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