Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
I.
Application/Approval
A.
Secondary Technical Center Approval1.
An application for a new secondary technical center must be submitted to the
Associate Director for Workforce Training in the Department of Workforce
Education (DWE) on or before October 1, prior to the school year
in which the center is scheduled to open. Guidelines and application forms for
a new secondary technical center may be obtained by contacting the Associate
Director for Workforce Training, #3 Capitol Mall, Luther S. Hardin
Bldg., Little Rock, AR 72201-1083, or by calling (501)
682-1505.
2. Priority will
be given to areas not currently being served by a center A center will not be
approved within 25 miles of an existing center unless it can be demonstrated
that the creation of a new center will not adversely impact adjoining
centers.
3. A sponsoring
institution/entity (public high school, postsecondary technical institute,
two-year college, or education service cooperative) that has been approved by
the State Board of Workforce Education and Career Opportunities (SBWECO) as a
secondary technical center may begin operation with three occupation
specific programs, but must have six programs of study in at least
five career clusters by the start of the fourth year. Only occupational
specific programs will be eligible for secondary technical center funding.
Other programs will not be eligible for technical center
funding.
4. A secondary technical
center that is approved by the SBWECO must serve multiple high schools in order
to qualify for secondary technical center funding.
5. A secondary technical center that closes
and desires to resume operation must submit a new application to the SBWECO for
approval. A center that is approved by SBWECO for start-up but fails to begin
operation within a two-year period, shall be considered null and void and must
reapply.
B.
New
or Expanded Programs1. For new or
expanded program approval, the sponsoring institution/entity shall submit a
proposal to the Deputy Director of Career and Technical Education,
Department of Workforce Education, prior to October 1,
preceding the year in which the program(s) is to be implemented. The
application is available in the Career & Technical Education link on the
DWE website at Career and Technical Education.
2. Newly approved programs must be authorized
by the Associate Director for Workforce Training to receive technical center
funding.
C.
Satellite Locations1. An existing
secondary technical center or proposed center, approved by the SBWECO, may
provide satellite location(s) to school districts that are located
outside the 25 miles or 30 minutes of driving time.
Satellite locations must be shared by more than one school
district. Satellite locations will be eligible for funding in the same
manner as center programs.
2. A
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) shall be completed, signed by cooperating
parties, and on file in the secondary technical center director's office
concerning the operation of satellite locations.
3.
All applications for a satellite
location require the approval of SBWECO.
D.
Regional Technical Center
1. A secondary technical center designated as
a regional technical center will have the same service area as the sponsoring
postsecondary institution.
II.
Finance
A.
Funding
1.
Technical center aid will be
calculated and distributed by the Department of Workforce Education based upon
each secondary technical center's eligible student FTE count.
2. The minimum training fee is set in
accordance with ACA
6-20-2305(2)(A)
and shall be calculated from the eligible student FTE count of the previous
school year.
3. The secondary
technical center will bill each participating high school based upon current
enrollment.
4. A secondary
technical center will only receive funding for eligible students.
5. Funds not expended in accordance with ACA
6-51-301 to
6-51-305 shall be
carried forward into the succeeding year.
6. Funding modifications shall be approved by
the SBWECO.
B.
Supplemental Funds
1. Secondary
technical centers shall be eligible for new program start-up funds as outlined
in the Program Policies and Procedures for Secondary
Programs.
2. Secondary
technical centers may from time-to-time be eligible for federal funds. The DWE
will inform secondary center directors of these as soon as they become
available.
3. Secondary technical
centers may apply for and receive on their own merit any special grant funds
from other agencies. Funding of secondary centers is not limited to state
funding as described above.
III.
Expenditure Reports
A.
Semester Report
1. Enrollment data shall be submitted to DWE
each semester. Each center will include enrollment verification from each
participating high school. Enrollment and verification forms are available on
the Secondary Technical Center website.
B.
Yearly Reports
1. An annual expenditure report is to be
completed and sent to the Department of Workforce Education.
2. The center will report to DWE each school
year a list of participating high schools (School Participation
Report).
3. The center will report
to DWE all eligible students enrolled in center programs during the school year
(End-of-Year Report).
4. The center
sponsored by an institution of higher education or having a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with an institution of higher education shall report
annually the number of students earning concurrent credit and the number of
hours earned. (Annual Concurrent Credit Report).
IV.
Operations
A.
Secondary Technical Center
Responsibility1. The management,
maintenance, and operation of a secondary technical center shall be the
responsibility of the sponsoring institution or entity in accordance with the
policies established by the SBWECO.
2. Failure to properly maintain and operate a
secondary center may result, by recommendation to the SBWECO, closure of the
center.
B.
Designation of Secondary Technical Center Director
1. Each secondary technical center having a
minimum of six programs must employ a vocational director on a half-time or
full-time basis.
2. The secondary
technical center director must hold one of the following credentials: CTE
Administrator License or Secondary Vocational Director Endorsement
3. The secondary technical center director
must have a minimum of 3 years of secondary teaching or administrative
experience.
C.
Secondary Technical Center Council1.
Each secondary technical center shall have an active secondary center
council. The council shall be comprised of superintendents
of the sponsoring and local school districts participating in the
secondary technical center along with the director of the center.
When a postsecondary institution is designated as a secondary technical center,
the director or president/chancellor of that institution shall be a member.
Additionally, where secondary technical centers are sponsored by an education
service cooperative, the director shall be a member of the council. The
secondary technical center council shall serve in an advisory capacity for the
secondary technical center in all areas of administration and operation, e.g.,
scheduling, student discipline, program design, etc. The center council may
also assist with determining the capacity of a center.
2. The council serves in advisory capacity
only. The local board of the host institution serves as the governing authority
of the secondary technical center.
D.
Instructor Qualifications
1. See certification/qualifications in the
Program Policies and Procedures Manual.
2. Technical instructors teaching at a
college-based secondary technical center must have a minimum of an associate
degree within the area of instruction and must have completed Arkansas State
Police and FBI background checks and meet all college accrediting standards for
instructors. Secondary technical centers should submit documentation of these
records to the Office of Workforce Training, DWE. Centers will annually submit
a list of instructors providing concurrent credit and meeting the above
requirements. These instructors will be given an annual waiver from teacher
licensure requirements. Those instructors not meeting these requirements or
instructors teaching non-concurrent credit classes must hold an Arkansas
Teacher's License/Technical Permit.
E.
Employee Policies
1. The sponsoring institution/entity shall
adopt official employee policies and procedures, including a salary schedule,
sick leave, inclement weather, grievance, benefits, and other policies. These
must be adopted by the start of the second semester of operation.
F.
Student Handbook
1. The sponsoring institution/entity shall
adopt a student handbook outlining the rules and regulations relating to
discipline, attendance, hand tools, textbooks, OCR Grievance Procedures, and
other matters. These must be adopted by the start of the second semester of
operation.
G.
Class Periods1. Class periods shall
conform to the minimum class hours established by the Standards for
Accreditation of Public Schools and North Central Association (NCA). In order
to restructure a program of study, the secondary technical center may work with
the Department of Workforce Education to implement course designs and class
lengths.
2. Each participating high
school shall be guaranteed seats in each program. The individual school's
percentage of 10th grade enrollment calculated from
the total 10th grade enrollment of all participating
high schools shall be the method used to determine available seats. Any school
not fulfilling its quota shall relinquish the unfilled seats to other
schools.
H.
Instruction1. Each approved program
offered must follow curriculum frameworks and administer student competency
tests.
2. Concurrent credit classes
offered for secondary career and technical credit in a college-based secondary
technical center must have approval and alignment by DWE. Secondary career and
technical education course frameworks must be matched to college classes. One
3-hour college course will equate to .5 Carnegie units.
3. An active advisory council is
required for each occupational program area.
I.
Transportation
1. Responsibility for transporting students
to and from the local school to a secondary technical center shall be
determined by the secondary technical center director and the administration of
the local school district.
J.
Exceptions
1. Expansion of secondary technical centers
into areas not being served is a priority of the Department of Workforce
Education. The director may, upon request, make exceptions to the stated
policies when such requests are supported by adequate justification.
V.
Sanctions
1. A secondary technical
center that serves only one high school during a school year will be placed on
probation effective the following school year.
2. A secondary technical center that is on
probation and does not serve more than one high school during the probation
year will cease to exist on June 30 of the probation year.
VI.
Definitions
* Access is an attempt for every high school student in
Arkansas to have the opportunity to participate in any of a minimum of three
occupation-specific technical programs offered within 25 miles or 30 minutes of
the home school.
* Capacity of a secondary technical center is determined
by multiplying the number of blocks of occupation-specific programs (two or
three hours) by 20.
* Concurrent credit is received by high school career and
technical education students who take classes offered through an institution of
higher education. These classes will be transcripted by the local high school
for secondary credit and by the institution of higher education for college
credit.
* Eligible student is a student enrolled in grades 10-12
and who is pursuing a program of study in a secondary technical center.
* Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) shall be considered the
equivalent of one student attending class for six class periods per day per
year, e.g., one student attending a three period class the full year would be
equal to one-half FTE.
* Local districts are the districts in the locality which
are eligible to participate in technical center programs.
* Occupation-specific programs are technical programs
which have paid employment in specific occupations as their objectives.
* Private and/or home-schooled students are eligible to
participate in secondary technical center programs through the local school
district in which they officially reside.
* Regi onal technical center is defined as a secondary
technical center having the same service area as the host postsecondary
institution.
* Satellite location is the extension of a secondary
technical center located outside the boundaries of an existing center (25 miles
or 30 minutes of driving time) or to students in isolated areas. Satellite
locations will be provided by an approved secondary technical center and must
be shared by more than one school district. All satellite locations require the
approval of the SBWECO.
* Secondary technical center is a public secondary
technical institution organized for the specific purpose of educating high
school students in specific occupational/technical programs. A center will
serve students from more than one participating high school. Students eligible
to attend a secondary technical center will generally come from a twenty-five
(25) mile radius or thirty (30) minute driving time from the local school. A
secondary technical center must be comprised of three specific technical
programs to begin operation. It must have at least six programs out of five
career clusters in operation by the start of the fourth year.
* Sponsoring institution is a comprehensive high school, a
postsecondary technical institute, a two-year or community/technical college,
an education service cooperative, or any other entity authorized by law that
has been approved by the SBWECO. The sponsoring institution will function as
the fiscal agent and will manage and administer the secondary technical center.
(Reference ACA
6-51-301 to
6-51-305 )
