The State Of Carl Perkins

--In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield. --Warren Buffet

With spring on the horizon and deadlines approaching for the next fiscal year we just wanted to help clear the view from the Carl Perkins windshield as we all move forward in a tight fiscal year.

Below you will see a complied Q & A that will hopefully help lead each of your schools in a positive direction as we continue into a new year of the Carl Perkins legislation.

As always we at the Oklahoma CareerTech Federal Legislation office are happy to help and look forward to answering any questions that may evolve in the coming months.

My district is facing budget shortfalls for the coming school year. Can I use this year’s Perkins funds to make purchases for next year?

- No, you need to use your Perkins allocation as intended during the year. The intent is for the funds to improve your CURRENT YEAR programs / courses / services for students. Remember that non-salaried expenditures should already be in place by now, and the final date for purchases is April 15, 2010.

How will you know if we make purchases for next year, especially for things normally paid for with state CTE funds, or for consumables, when not all invoices are required on Claims for Reimbursement?

- Although we cannot monitor every purchase, the expectation from this office is for all recipients to maintain high ethical standards and accountability when using these funds.

My district is considering closing CareerTech program(s) this coming school year. Can we use our Perkins funds to pay for the salary so we can keep the program(s) open?

- No, this would put the district into a supplanting situation by using federal funds to replace non-federal funds for an ongoing expenditure. In addition, at the request of the federal monitoring team, we asked districts to move (non-guidance) positions away from Perkins funding over the past three years and will not support using these funds in place of local losses.

My district is closing CareerTech program(s). What do we do with the equipment, etc. purchased with Perkins funds?

- Generally there are two scenarios:

(1) Equipment that is non-specific to the program (i.e., computers, printers, etc.) and less than three to five years old should stay within the remaining CareerTech program(s).

(2) Equipment that is specific to a program (i.e., welders) and less than three to five years should transfer to a similar program in another district

- If the equipment is older than three to five years, the district should follow the normal dispensation policy for outdated items.

- It may be a good idea to contact the Federal Legislation Assistance division to discuss appropriate solutions for your district.

How soon will we know about FY11 Perkins funds?

- The timeline from the US Department of Education is about the same every year. States typically receive their notification of funding around mid- to late March. Our office makes every effort to complete the allocation process and send the Allocation and Options funding notices by mid- to late April.

Will the FY11 Perkins Local Application still be online?

- Yes, the application process and online format will stay the same. However, there are plans underway to include the Self-Evaluation and the Size, Scope and Quality (career cluster) documents into the online system. You will continue to submit the Excel Budget Spreadsheet as an email attachment.

Can my district fax or email PDF documents to send the FY11 Perkins Local Application?

- In FY11, unless you are directed otherwise, we will collect all applications sections, except the Budget Spreadsheet, via the online system.

We hope that these questions and answers are helpful to all of you and look forward to discussing the innovative ideas that are sure to develop during the 2011 application process.

-cp