Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
I.
Application/Approval
A.
Secondary Technical Center Approval
1. An application for a new secondary
technical center must be submitted to the Office of Skills Development (OSD)
Associate Director (ARCareerEd) on or before
October 1, prior to
the school year in which the center is scheduled to open. Guidelines and
application for a new secondary technical center may be obtained online at
http://arcareered.org. Questions may
be directed to the Office of Skills Development at (501) 683-1152.
2. Priority shall be given to the following:
* a region that is currently not being served by a center
* program alignment with state and regional economic development
strategies and workforce priorities.
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 Career Education and
Workforce Development Board (CEWDB) as a secondary technical center must begin
operation with three occupational specific programs. Only occupational
specific programs will be eligible for secondary technical center
funding.
4. A secondary
technical center or satellite that is approved by the CEWDB 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 CEWDB for approval. A center that is approved by CEWDB 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 Programs
1. For new or expanded program approval, the
secondary technical center shall submit a proposal for new program start-up by
October 1 of the preceding year in which the program(s) is to be
implemented. The application is available on the ARCareerEd website under the
Career & Technical Education Funding/Accountability tab.
2. Newly approved programs must be authorized
by OSD and the Deputy Director of Career and Technical Education to receive
secondary technical center funding.
3. Programs of study offered at the centers
must be selected from a list of approved programs as defined by the Department
of Career Education. This list will be reviewed annually.
C.
Satellite Programs
1. An existing secondary technical center or
proposed center, approved by the CEWDB, 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 the CEWDB.
a. The secondary technical center must
complete an application to open a satellite program(s). The application shall
be submitted to ARCareerEd OSD along with all required documentation of
support.
b. All satellite locations
will be approved by the CEWDB prior to startup of the satellite.
c. Documentation from the secondary technical
center's administration that indicates interest and approval in opening a
satellite program is required. This documentation should include at a minimum
(1) a letter from the center director to the ARCareerEd stating the center's
intent to open the location; (2) minutes from the secondary technical center's
board of directors meeting showing the board's support; and (3) minutes from
the secondary technical center's sponsoring entity showing the sponsoring
entity's support.
d. Documentation
from the participating schools indicating their support of the satellite
program(s) is required. This should be in the form of (1) minutes from the
participating school's board meetings indicating the school will support the
program(s) at the satellite location; (2) a letter from each school's
superintendent indicating the school district's support of the
program(s).
e. The secondary
technical center must show a need for the satellite program(s) through
documentation including surveys of area business and industry, job outlook
forecasts, projected enrollment, etc.
f. The host school agrees to provide the
following:
(1) facilities including
classroom(s), lab(s), utilities, maintenance and janitorial services;
(2) handle immediate issues
involving discipline until the center director can address the situation; and
(3) statement allowing the
participation of other school districts.
g. The secondary technical center agrees to:
(1) furnish the classroom(s) and lab(s) with
equipment, furniture, etc.;
(2)
furnish supplies for the program;
(3) handle discipline matters under the
center's guidelines in a timely fashion; and
(4) employ instructor(s) for approved center
programs of study.
h.
Each participating high school shall be guaranteed seats at the satellite
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.
4. Existing Satellite Programs
All existing satellite programs shall be required to submit an MOU
identifying the program, location, participating schools and projected
enrollment from participating schools. Host schools will be required to submit
a letter of support for the satellite program. Existing satellite programs will
be subject to the same guidelines as new satellite programs to be reviewed at
the end of a five-year period.
5. Consolidation
All satellite program(s) affected by school consolidation that are
reduced to single school status will be re-evaluated as to the status of a
satellite program(s).
D.
Regional Technical Center
A secondary technical center to be designated as a regional technical
center shall be approved by CEWDB.
II.
Finance
A.
Funding
1.
Vocational center aid will be
calculated and distributed by the Department of Career 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.
3. The secondary technical center will bill
each participating high school based upon current enrollment verified by
OSD.
4. Funds not expended in
accordance with ACA
6-51-305 shall be
carried forward into the succeeding year. Unexpended funds shall be carried
forward for the sole purpose of conducting summer programs and community-based
education centers or supporting secondary technical center operations in
succeeding years.
B.
Supplemental Funds1. Secondary
technical centers shall be eligible for new program start-up funds as outlined
in the Program Policies and Procedures for Career and Technical
Education.
2. Secondary
technical centers may from time-to-time be eligible for federal funds. ACE 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. All revenue shall be disclosed on the revenue page of the
annual expenditure report. Funding of secondary centers is not limited to state
funding as described above.
III.
Reports
A.
Semester Reports
1. The Course/Instructor Reporting Form shall
be submitted to ARCareerEd OSD each fall and spring. The Course
Instructor/Reporting Form is available on the ARCareerEd website.
2 . Enrollment reports shall be submitted to
ARCareerEd OSD each semester. Enrollment will then be verified by OSD using
Department of Education eSchool enrollment data. The Enrollment Report and
verification forms are is available on the ARCareerEd
website.
B.
Yearly
Reports1. The Annual Expenditure
Report shall be completed and sent to ARCareerEd OSD. The Annual Expenditure
Report is available on the ARCareerEd website.
2. The Annual Concurrent Credit and Industry
Credentials Report shall be completed and sent to ARCareerEd OSD. The Annual
Concurrent Credit and Industry Credentials Report is available on the
ARCareerEd website.
3. Each center
shall complete and submit to ARCareerEd OSD a proposed budget. The Budget
Template is available on the ARCareerEd website.
IV.
Operations
A.
Secondary Technical Center
Responsibility1. The management,
maintenance, and operation of a secondary technical center shall be the
financial responsibility of the sponsoring institution or entity in accordance
with the policies established by the CEWDB. Expenses associated with the
maintenance and operations of a secondary technical center/satellite shall not
be paid with vocational center aid funding or training fees. Failure to comply
with this policy may result in a reduction of vocational center aid to the
secondary technical center.
2.
Failure to properly maintain and operate a secondary center may result in, by
recommendation to the CEWDB, closure of the center.
3. 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.
B.
Designation of Secondary Technical Center Director
1. Each secondary technical center,
regardless of location, must employ a secondary technical center director on
full-time basis.
2. Secondary
technical centers located on the campus of a secondary school must employ
directors who hold a secondary technical center director endorsement (175).
Secondary technical centers that are not located on the campus of a secondary
school may, but need not, employ directors who hold a secondary technical
center endorsement.
3. The
secondary technical center director should have a minimum of 3 years'
experience (in areas including, but not limited to, teaching, supervision, and
administration) at the secondary or post-secondary levels. However, subject to
the requirements for secondary technical center directors stated elsewhere in
these policies and procedures, equivalent experience may be substituted on a
case by case basis.
C.
Secondary Technical Center Council
1. Each secondary technical center shall have
an active secondary technical center council. The council shall meet twice
annually, and minutes, sign-in sheets, agendas, and any other supporting
documentation shall be kept. 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. Technical instructors teaching at a
college-based secondary technical center must have a minimum of an associate
degree within the area of instruction or related area. (Institutional (or HLC)
requirement)
2. Technical
instructors must have completed Arkansas State Police , FBI, and the Arkansas
Child Maltreatment Registry background checks and meet all college accrediting
standards for instructors. These background checks must be completed every five
years. Instructors shall submit documentation of these records to their
employer.
3. Centers will annually
submit a list of instructors providing concurrent credit and upon meeting the
above requirement; these instructors will be given an annual waiver from
teacher licensure requirements.
4.
Instructors not meeting these requirements or instructors teaching
non-concurrent credit classes must hold an Arkansas Teacher's License/Technical
Permit.
E.
Employee Policies
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
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 Periods
Class periods shall conform to the minimum class hours established by
the Standards for Accreditation of Public Schools and AdvanceEd. Travel time
shall not be counted in the time on task determination. In order to restructure
a program of study, the secondary technical center may work with the Department
of Career Education to implement course designs and class lengths.
H.
Instruction
1. Programs shall align with curriculum
frameworks and meet requirements as established for each program of
study.
2. Concurrent credit classes
offered for secondary career and technical credit in a college-based secondary
technical center shall closely align to ARCareerEd curriculum frameworks. One
3-hour college course will equate to one Carnegie unit.
2. An active advisory committee
is required for each occupational program area. The council shall meet
twice annually and minutes, sign-in sheets, agendas, and any other supporting
documentation shall be kept.
I.
Transportation
The secondary technical center director and the administration of the
local school district shall determine responsibility for transporting students
to and from the local school to a secondary technical center.
J.
Exceptions
Expansion of secondary technical centers into areas not being served is
a priority of the Department of Career Education. The ARCareerEd Director may,
upon request, make exceptions to the stated policies when such requests are
supported by adequate justification.
V.
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. Travel time cannot be included in FTE count.
* Local districts are the districts in the locality, which
are eligible to participate in secondary 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.
* Regional technical center is defined as a secondary
technical center having the same expanded service area as approved by
CEWDB.
* 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 CEWDB.
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.
* 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 CEWDB. 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 )
* Training fees are the fees set in accordance with ACA
6-20-2305(2)(A)
and shall be calculated from the eligible student FTE count. The secondary
technical center shall bill the sending schools for these fees in the fall and
spring semesters.
* Vocational center aid is calculated and distributed by
the Department of Career Education based upon each secondary technical center's
eligible student FTE count once the sending schools have been reimbursed from
the previous school year's training fees.
