Ag Career Technical Education Incentive Grant

May 10, 2012

Dear District Superintendents, District Career Technical Education Directors, High School Principals and Teachers Conducting Programs of Agricultural Career Technical Education:

2012–13 AGRICULTURAL CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION INCENTIVE GRANT

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the availability of funds through the Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program. This award program is contingent upon the availability of funds. If the Legislature takes action to reduce or defer the funding upon which this award program is based, then awards will be amended accordingly.

Application materials are available on the following Web sites:

• California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r17/agin12rfa.asp
• California Agricultural Education http://www.calaged.org/educator-teacher-resources

Forms available on the web include:

• 2012–13 application with detailed instructions
• Timeline for managing the grant
• General assurances

The 2012–13 matching requirements will be the same as 2011–12. Please keep the following considerations in mind as the Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant budgets are planned:

• The funding amount approved for each Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant will be based on the application submitted and the availability of funding.
• The first payment (75 percent) will be released approximately September 15, 2012.
• The second payment, final 25 percent plus/minus any adjustments and any specialized grant allocations, will be released approximately April 1, 2013. Failure to meet any Quality Criteria could result in the loss of 10 percent of the approved grant. In addition, failure to submit the Program Enrollment Report, Final Expenditure Report, or Future Farmers of America (FFA) Membership Roster by October 15, 2012 will result in a loss of 10 percent of the approved grant.
• The total cost of each item or service in budget classifications 5000 and 6000 upon which Incentive Grant funds are expended must be matched with other funds.
• Item-by-item matching is not required for Incentive Grant fund expenditures in budget classification 4000, Books and Supplies. However, the total cost for items purchased in budget classification 4000 must be matched by other funds.
• School districts participating in the Incentive Grant must certify that the funds will be used to supplement, not supplant, the district’s regular on-going expenditures for the agricultural education program.
• School districts participating in the Incentive Grant must specify the items and services upon which they intend to expend Incentive Grant funds and the expected costs of those items and services.

Regional Supervisors are available to answer questions and assist school personnel in completing and submitting the Incentive Grant application:

North Coast Region and Central Region’s Delta/Cal, Sacramento, and Yolo Sections
Hugh Mooney, Agricultural Education Consultant
916-319-0488
hmooney@cde.ca.gov

San Joaquin Region and Central Region’s Merced/Mariposa and Stanislaus/Tuolumne Sections
Charles Parker, Agricultural Education Consultant
559-278-5777
cparker@cde.ca.gov

South Coast Region
Greg Beard, Agricultural Education Consultant
805-756-2402
gbeard@calpoly.edu

Southern Region
Jack Havens, Agricultural Education Consultant
909-869-4496
jhavens@csupomona.edu

Superior Region
Jeanette Sturzen, Agricultural Education Consultant
530-342-7541
agreducation@csuchico.edu

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Bob Heuvel, Manager, Agriculture and Home Economics Education Unit, by phone at 916-319-0673 or by e-mail at bheuvel@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Lupita Cortez Alcala, Deputy Superintendent
Instruction and Learning Support Branch

LA:bh