TDOE Awards Over $2.6M in 2023-24 Perkins Reserve Grants
Funding Supports Innovative CTE Expansion Across Tennessee
Nashville, TN – Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced over $2.6 million in Perkins Reserve Grant (PRG) grant funds have been awarded to 32 school districts for the 2023-24 school year to support Career and Technical Education (CTE) across the state.
The purpose of PRG awards is to foster local innovation through the identification and promotion of CTE, and to support implementation of programs and career pathways aligned with regionally identified high-skill, high-wage, and/or in-demand occupations or industries. The PRG opportunity is designed especially to support districts in rural areas, maintain high CTE student participation rates, and/or report disparities in performance amongst students.
This year’s PRG grant award recipients submitted secondary and/or regional career pathways grant applications with action steps to support the department’s strategic initiative, Innovative School Models, by ensuring alignment to at least one of the innovative practice areas: time, space, modes of learning, and partnerships. The regional career pathways applications also included a regionally focused secondary and postsecondary or workforce partnership.
The Tennessee school districts awarded a 2023-24 Perkins Reserve Grant are:
| School District | Amount | Award Category |
|---|---|---|
| Alvin C. York Institute |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Anderson County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Bristol City Schools |
$200,000 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| Bristol City Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Cannon County Schools |
$200,000 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| Cocke County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Cumberland County Schools |
$200,000 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| Decatur County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| DeKalb County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Hamilton County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Hawkins County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Henry County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Huntington Special School District |
$173,000 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| Jackson-Madison County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Johnson City Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Johnson County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Lenoir City Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Lewis County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| McKenzie Special School District |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| McNairy County Schools |
$200,000 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| McNairy County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Meigs County Schools | $50,000 | Secondary |
| Metro Nashville Public Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Obion County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Overton County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Perry County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Polk County Schools |
$200,000 | Regional Career Pathway |
| Putnam County Schools |
$50,000 | Secondary |
| Roane County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Warren County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Wayne County Schools |
$183,450 |
Regional Career Pathway |
| Weakley County Schools |
$50,000 |
Secondary |
| Total: $2,606,450.00 | ||
"With the Perkins Reserve Grant funding, Bristol City Schools will expand courses and programming in several growing and high-demand careers, such as agriculture, construction, information technology, health science, cybersecurity, and marketing,” said Dr. Annette Tudor, Director of Schools, Bristol City Schools. “We are excited to provide the support needed for every learner who wishes to participate in CTE to connect their talents, passions, and interests to a future career.”
“Bristol City Schools embraces innovation in CTE programming to help all students become Future Ready graduates,” said Deidre Pendley, CTE Director, Bristol City Schools. “The Perkins Reserve Grant will provide more equitable access for students beginning as early as elementary school by expanding CTE courses in career exploration, STEM, health science, marketing and entrepreneurship, and information technology.”
“The Perkins Reserve Grant for the upcoming year will allow Perry County Schools to expand career awareness and support high-quality learning experiences,” said Ginger Graham Cagle, CTE Director, Perry County Schools. “Highlights of our innovative programming include expanding the agriculture school-based enterprise through the creation of a mobile point of sale, offering a business management and administration program of study embedded with Early Post-Secondary Opportunities (EPSOs) to our virtual school students, and continued support for credentialing fees to ensure access for all to those prized certifications. Our main goal is to have multiple opportunities for our students to achieve Ready Graduate status and improve their employability.“
“Thanks to Governor Lee and the legislative body, districts like Polk County Schools can exponentially increase opportunities to reimagine learning in CTE,” said Ryan Goodman, CTE Director, Polk County Schools. “The Perkins Reserve Grant awards will accelerate our initiative to incorporate workforce bootcamps for students linked to industry credentials in high-wage, high-skill positions.”
The PRG process is a competitive grant opportunity made possible through the federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) legislation passed in 2018 which provides annual federal funding to support CTE programs nationwide. In 2020, the PRG opportunity was redesigned under the four-year Strengthening Career and Technical Education in Tennessee state plan. The state plan ensures alignment between PRG funding, CTE opportunities and career pathways, and the department’s strategic plan, Best for All.
More information on the Perkins Reserve Grant can be found here.
For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact EDU.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.
###