Public schools get millions in state grants for career-ready programs | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is David Bass.

    Career and Technical Education programs in public schools across North Carolina are getting a boost in the form of $3 million in new funding for 2022, announced Jan. 17 by Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt.

    The funds will flow through two state government grant programs passed by the N.C. General Assembly in the last budget: $2 million for the CTE Modernization and Support in Grades Six through Eight and $1 million for Ancillary Items Necessary for the CTE Program.

    CTE programs in public schools are geared toward making students aware of alternative career tracks. There are current 931,801 CTE participants, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

    "I want all students to pursue the post-secondary plan of their choice with confidence, and I want them to feel empowered by their knowledge and the paths before them," said Truitt in a statement. "My hope is that these grants will help districts across the state continue to advance their CTE opportunities and help teachers and other educators ensure that students are exposed to the widest range of careers available to them and to begin learning the skills they'll need to be successful."

    Funding priority was given to districts with at least one school that received low-wealth supplemental funding in the previous fiscal year and districts with a large population of at-risk students or students with disabilities.

    Examples of programs funded include:

• Building new greenhouses and purchasing livestock for agriculture education programs.
• Career exploration and planning programs at middle schools.
• Purchasing necessary tools and equipment, such as food safety and preparation materials for the culinary arts.
• Lab and 3-D anatomy equipment for the health sciences.
• Welding and other modern tools for construction trades.
• Drones for transportation and public safety.

    A full list of school systems and grant award amounts can be found here.