Expenditure Guidelines

All grant and matching funds are supplemental and may not supplant what is normally and legally provided by the school and district. California Partnership Academies (CPA) grant funds are instructional in nature and must be spent only on CPA resources and activities for CPA staff, students, and programming.

The CPAs are funded through general funds—Career Technical Education Initiative, Proposition 98, and Green Technology Partnership Academies (formerly known as SBX1 1). CPA funds must be used in accordance with California Education Code (EC) sections 54690–54697 . In addition, the Green Technology Partnership Academies (formerly known as SBX 1 1) must adhere to EC Section 54750 .

Examples of Allowable Expenditures

• Personnel expenses: When developing the annual Proposed Budget, any expenses in line items 1000, 2000, and 3000 inclusive (Certificated, Classified, and Benefits) may not exceed 40 percent of the overall budget. Allowable expenditures may include:
  • An extra prep period for the project coordinator to manage and oversee the critical CPA components, e.g., meetings and agendas, mentorship program and activities, internships, field trips, and industry/advisory partnerships. The Academy prep period should be supported as part of the school district’s matching funds, whenever practical
  • Small stipends for teachers developing and implementing CPA components, such as project-based and integrated curriculum development, mentorship programs, internships, field trips, academic support programs, or teacher externships
  • Substitute costs for CPA team and/or project coordinator to attend conferences/workshops, field trips, or release days for program and/or curriculum development
  • Clerical support on an “as needed” basis for specific academy requirements
  • Academic and student support systems, e.g., academy tutoring programs
  • Note that funding provided is not adequate to pay staff for all CPA-related tasks, and it is expected that some additional workload should be expected when volunteering to be a part of a CPA team
• Instructional supplies and materials supplemental to the program such as supplemental books and classroom technology required for the career theme
• Capital Outlay purchases: a single purchase of $5000 or more, requires pre-approval from California Department of Education (CDE) CPA Staff
• Transportation for field trips: Field trips must be instructional in nature and tied to the career focus of the CPA
• Admission to selected field trip venues: When using grant funds for admission costs, the field trip must be directly related to the career focus of the CPA with an assignment. Be prepared to submit all curriculum associated with this activity to the CDE for review
• Any food expense specifically for academy advisory/mentor meeting. These are state funds and such expenses should be guided by district policy
• Travel costs covered: CPA staff in-state travel and per diem expenses, as well as student bus/vans transportation costs. Out-of-state travel is not permitted
• Equipment/items appropriate to the CPA career focus and used only for/by CPA students and staff
• Awards such as certificates, pins, and medallions reasonable in cost
• Uniforms/clothing is allowable at a reasonable cost with approval from CDE.
  • If the clothing item is intended for CPA identification and/or considered part of a required uniform and is reasonable in cost, with approval from CDE, it is an allowable expenditure. T-shirts are a non-allowable expenditure of CPA funds because they are not made of quality materials that can be reused in subsequent years. Any clothing item that remains in the personal possession of a CPA staff member or student is considered a gift of public funds and is not an allowable expenditure. — Clothing items must remain the property of the CPA for reuse in subsequent years
• Technology used only for CPA students and programming. All expenses for technology should be aligned with the approved district technology plan.
  
  What constitutes “technology” for the purpose of CPA grant expenditures?
  • Hardware, including but not limited to: computers, laptops, tablets, and smart boards
  • Software and licenses
  • Incidentals such as cables, connectors, and routers
  • Servers
  • Maintenance and maintenance contracts
  • Racks or tables for placement or storage of hardware and/or software
  • Storage lockers for security of equipment and technology
  • Identification or devices for marking and inventory of technology, such as barcode devices or engravers
  • Security devices

Examples of Non-Allowable Expenditures

• Supplanting salaries or other district responsibilities: CPA funds must supplement, not supplant state general fund and local dollars. CPA funds may not free up state or local dollars for other purposes but should create or augment programs to an extent not possible without CPA funds. You must be able to demonstrate that CPA funds are supporting items that would not, in the absence of CPA funds, be made available for uses specified in your plan
• Contract-negotiated certificated teacher salaries may not be applied as a district match or paid through CPA grant funds
• Facility Costs: Modification, maintenance, and repair costs of facilities if directly related to the CPA and with CDE approval, e.g., modifying an automotive repair facility to include electric vehicle repair capabilities. Facility projects must be completed within the grant term.
• Vehicle Purchase: This is NOT an allowable expenditure.
• Gift of public funds: Any item which becomes the personal property of a student or staff, such as:
  • Clothing or items that can become individual property of a student or CPA staff member. Clothing or items must remain the property of the CPA for reuse in subsequent years.
  • Membership dues/fees in associations/organizations unless the membership is for the entire CPA student body and not for specific individual students, e.g., career technical education student organizations (CTSOs)
  • Scholarships, student stipends, testing fees, or endowment funds
  • Teacher certification/credentialing costs
• Cost of admission for students and staff to attend educational field trips at entertainment/theme parks
• Out-of-state travel
• Student lodging, airfare, or food
• Food (unless specifically used for academy advisory/mentor meeting)
• Hardware, software, wireless, or other technology which, intentionally or inadvertently, serves students, staff, or others who are not current CPA students or staff

Examples of District Match

• An extra prep period for the project coordinator to coordinate and oversee the critical academy components, common planning, mentors, internships, field trips, and business partners or paid out of CPA grant funds
• Smaller class size
• Release time for curriculum development, program planning, and team building
• Counselor assignment for supplemental CPA-only activities or smaller counselor-to-student ratio than other counselors in the school.
• Additional staff and administrative hours spent on CPA events/needs that are not provided for other programs/students.
• Staff development, in-services, and workshops provided only for CPA teachers
• Transportation for field trips, to postsecondary classes, to internships, and job shadowing locations. Transportation for CPA students is an excellent example of a district match
• Program activities applied using any part of another grant (Perkins, Smaller Learning Communities, Agriculture Incentive Grant, Proposition 1D, etc.)
• Substitute costs to support program activities
• Equipment purchased for specifically for the academy and the career focus, not provided to the school at large, and maintained only for the use by CPA students and staff
• Instructional and classified assistants for academy-only projects that are over and above normal workload
• Facility modernization and construction expenditures that are specific to the CPA and being done just to meet the "unique" needs of the CPA may be used as part of the district match (Perkins, Proposition 1D, etc.)

Examples of Business Partners Match

• Serve on an Advisory Committee
• Help develop career technical curriculum
• Provide speakers for academy classes
• Host field trips giving a workplace perspective
• Provide mentors who serve as career-related role models and personal points of contact
• Provide job shadowing, internships, and other work experience opportunities
• Provide student scholarships
• Provide equipment and technology
• Offer externships for academy staff
• Provide additional funds for academy
• Sponsor students to go to Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) events
• Provide facilities, food for academy activities, clothing items for identification purposes, equipment, and/or transportation.
• The partnership academy ROP class can be counted as a business match if the funding for this class is allocated from the county office of education and if the ROP class is academy-pure, meaning that it is being offered to only academy students as a class for the partnership academy.
• Note: Cost of industry partner in-kind contribution should be valued at $75 dollars per hour

Examples of Motivational Activities

• Motivational activities need to be connected to increasing student achievement and occupational preparation. They cannot be activities and/or items that are considered a "gift of public funds" or for social events. Public and personal recognition and selection for special business partnership activities, etc., are ways of motivating students and not considered a "gift of public funds.” The state-district-private sector partnership structure encourages use of private sector support to provide for activities at job sites and other motivational activities
• Job shadowing
• College visitations to collaborating colleges and departments within the focus of the Industry Sector
• Team building activities
• Field trips providing the opportunity for learning in context
• Involvement in CTSOs and competitive events for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), and the CTSOs enrolled in Home Economics Careers and Technology (HECT) Programs (FHA-HERO), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), SkillsUSA, Future Farmers of America (FFA). Information about CTSOs on the California Department of Education Student Organizations Web page
• Fund-raising events
• “Academy Awards” presentations

CPA Contact Information

Program Contacts

Maria Burright, Education Administrator
CPAcademies@cde.ca.gov

Eliese Rulifson, Education Programs Consultant
CPAcademies@cde.ca.gov

Serene Yee, Education Programs Consultant
CPAcademies@cde.ca.gov

Fiscal Contacts

Career Technical Education Initiative (CTEI) Funded CPAs

• Alicia Aguirre, Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA), CPAFISCAL@cde.ca.gov

Proposition 98 (Prop 98) Funded CPAs

• Michelle Upton, AGPA, CPAFISCAL@cde.ca.gov

Green Technology Partnership Academies Funded CPAs (formerly known as SBX1 1 – Clean Technology & Renewable Energy)

• Cindy Rose, AGPA, CPAFISCAL@cde.ca.gov