In a recent announcement from the Georgia Department of Education, Lumpkin County Schools was one of eleven school districts in the state of Georgia awarded a CONNECT Grant to expand and improve CTAE programs. In the application for this competitive grant, Carpentry Teacher Jeff Bearinger and CTAE Director Jason Lemley worked together to secure these grant funds to replace tools and equipment for the Carpentry program at LCHS.
From GaDOE Press Release – December 17, 2021 – The Georgia Department of Education is awarding a total of $500,000 to school districts to help them expand and improve Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs for students.
Eleven school districts are receiving CTAE CONNECT (Creating Opportunities Needed Now to Expand Credentialed Training) grants, which can be used to increase enrollment, as well as expand and improve students’ access to CTAE opportunities. The grant is aligned to GaDOE’s Roadmap to Reimagining K-12 Education, which calls for setting the expectation that every child, in every part of the state, has access to a well-rounded education – including CTAE classes.
“It’s incredibly important that we introduce kids to possibilities for their lives after high school, that we make education relevant and give them a chance to explore the careers they’d like to pursue,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Year after year, the results of Georgia’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education program speak for themselves and show how essential it is that we continue to invest in career education.”
“These awards are competitive grants and require letters of support from local business and industry,” GaDOE CTAE Director Dr. Barbara Wall said. “This is one way local CTAE programs contribute to meeting community workforce needs.”
The CONNECT grant is part of Senate Bill 3, passed during the 2018 legislative session, which requires the State Board of Education to establish an annual competitive grant program for the renovation, modernization, replacement, or purchase of equipment for the enhancement of programs currently certified or in the process of achieving industry certification in educational facilities aligned to industry credentials linked to an occupation in the skilled trade industry.
The grant funds aim to increase the percentage of high school students who graduate ready for enrollment, employment, or enlistment, as well as expand education opportunities in order to maximize student engagement and ensure the relevance of learning.
All eligible school districts were given the opportunity to apply for the CTAE CONNECT grant funding.
List of Awardees
Crisp County
Franklin County
Fulton County
Grady County
Hall County
Harris County
Laurens County
Lumpkin County
Monroe County
Murray County
Valdosta City
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