AB247 PASSES, PROVIDING $600 MILLION FOR CTE PROGRAMS

The California Department of Education (CDE) is already in the process of preparing an application for school districts to apply for renovation and new construction of needed facilities. Applications are expected to be available in late November or December of 2024.

What Career Technology Education (CTE) Instructors Need to Know

To be part of this funding cycle, here’s what CTE instructors should be aware of:

The landmark Prop 47 school renovation legislation was passed and implemented in the early 2000s. During that same period, CITEA actively sponsored Ed Code 17070.955, which was also passed into law by the California Legislature. With the help of our Legislative Advocate at the time, CITEA convinced the elected members of the Joint Senate/Assembly Education Committee to require that Ed Code 17070.955 be an integral part of all school renovation/construction applications. This code became part of the Prop 47 application, and district administrations had to verify that the requirements of Cal. Ed. Code §17070.955 were met.

Cal. Ed. Code §17070.955 is still in effect and has been a part of every K-12 California school CDE renovation/construction project since Prop 47 was passed.

Overview of Cal. Ed. Code §17070.955

As part of its application for large construction and modernization projects, a school district must certify, in consultation with the Career Technical Education Advisory Committee established under Section 8070, that it has considered the need for vocational and career technical facilities to meet program needs. This certification must align with Section 51224, subdivision (b) of Section 51225.3, and Section 52336.1. The board shall adopt regulations necessary for the administration of this section.

CITEA expects that the provisions of Ed. Code §17070.955 will be part of the grading and funding requirements section in the application for AB247 funds currently being prepared by the California Department of Education.

Steps for CTE Instructors

If you, as a CTE instructor in your school district, want your department to have a voice in the upcoming CDE funding cycle, you need to prepare to meet the requirements of Ed. Code §17070.955:

• Industry Advisory Committee Meetings: You and your department colleagues must start holding Industry Advisory Committee meetings as soon as possible, as required by CDE Ed Code.
   

• Program Assessment: The Industry Advisory Committee must perform a physical assessment of each program in the department (e.g., OSHA safety, equipment needs, power requirements, fire safety, space, and classroom needs).
   

• Funding Evaluation: Establish and evaluate funding levels needed to meet the curriculum requirements for course goals and standards.
   

• Documentation: Ensure that minutes of all meetings reflect that the school district “shall certify, in consultation with the Career Technical Education Advisory Committee… that it has considered the need for vocational and career technical facilities to meet its program needs.”
   

• Submission to School Board: The Career Technical Education Advisory Committee and district administration must submit the results of a CTE program evaluation to the district school board, ensuring it has considered the need for vocational and career technical facilities.
   

• Compliance: Advisory Committee minutes should reflect that the school board has complied with the Ed. Code §17070.955 requirement that “the (school) board shall adopt regulations necessary for the administration of this section.”
   

• Familiarization with Codes: CTE instructors and district administration should become familiar with the codes cited in Ed. Code §17070.955 (Ed Code Section 8070, Section 51224, subdivision (b) of Section 51225.3, and Section 52336.1).

If you have any questions about this article or the conference, contact CITEA at info@citea.org.