The Local Application

Local Application Process 

To receive funds under Perkins V, a consortium must develop and submit a combined secondary/postsecondary application every other year (May 2020, May 2022, etc.). Updated budgets are required annually. The application must address secondary and postsecondary CTE programming. This is described in Section 134 of the Perkins V Act. 

The local application, due May 1, must be signed by each participating college president and each participating school district superintendent using the Statement of Assurances & Certifications document (PDF or DOC). The plan must also include strategies to meet the state-determined performance levels required under the law. If, in the previous reporting year, the consortium failed to meet state-determined performance levels on one or more core indicators, the local application must also include appropriate improvement plan(s). 

The approved local application–with statement of assurances signatures–serves as the consortium’s formal application for receiving Perkins funding. 

Submission of the Local Application 

Local Perkins applications are submitted online through the Minnesota State grant management system. The application is divided into several sections in the online grant management system, allowing consortium users to respond to narrative and budget questions separately. 

Training and technical assistance webinars and instructional videos are available on the CTE Perkins Local Application page to help consortia learn about the online submission of applications and to update consortia about any changes made to the local application. 

Application Components 

The Perkins local consortium application consists of the following: 

• Consortium Member List: This includes names of all high schools and the college(s) in the consortium. 
• Narrative Questions: Consortia will respond to a number of questions in narrative format. 
• Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Framework: The CLNA Framework is uploaded to the application as a pdf or Word document. The CLNA Framework is a standard reporting tool provided for consortia to report findings of their comprehensive local needs assessment. 
• Workforce Center Collaboration: Consortia will indicate the amount of secondary and postsecondary Perkins funds or in-kind contributions that will be used in collaboration with Workforce Centers. 
• Perkins-funded positions: This is a list of all secondary or postsecondary personnel whose salaries are funded all or in part with Perkins funds. 
• State-recognized Programs of Study: Programs of Study identification and funding priorities are uploaded with the application as an Excel document. 
• Improvement Plans: Consortia will provide written improvement plans for any performance indicators where the consortium did not meet at least 90% of the state- determined performance level. 
• Budget: Consortia provide their planning budgets for the next year. The budget total must match the total allocation amount provided to the consortium by state staff. Consortia can budget up to 5% of their allocation for administrative expenses. This must be reflected separately under basic funds and reserve funds. 
• Additional Documentation: The three required additional documents are the signed statement of assurances & certifications, the secondary supplemental budget spreadsheet, and the consortium consolidated equipment inventory.  Consortia can upload additional optional supporting documents as pdf files.

Narrative Questions 

The body of the local application is structured around narrative questions that address the specific requirements identified in section 134(b) of the Perkins V Act. A summary of these requirements is included here. Each consortium application will include/describe: 

• Results of the comprehensive local needs assessment 
• CTE course offerings and activities provided with Perkins V funding 

• How the consortium will:
   
  • Provide career exploration, development, and guidance 
  • Improve academic and technical skills of CTE students 
  • Prepare special populations for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations, provide equal access, ensure they are not discriminated against, and prepare students for nontraditional fields 

• Work-based learning opportunities available to students and how they will be developed or expanded 

• Postsecondary credit opportunities for high-school students 
• Recruitment, preparation, retention, and training of CTE professionals 
• Gaps or discrepancies in performance 

Additional narrative questions will address the consortium’s governance structure and how reserve funding will be used to foster innovation and/or improve programs of study. The state may include additional requirements as necessary. 

 

Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) 

Perkins V requires for a comprehensive local needs assessment to be completed prior to application submission every two years. Results of the CLNA must be incorporated into the local consortium application and will drive consortium spending decisions. Please note that the first question required in the local application asks for a summary of the CLNA and how that work informed the selection of activities funded through Perkins V. 

The comprehensive local needs assessment must include the following: (Sec.134(c)(2)) 

• An evaluation of student performance with respect to state-determined and local levels of performance, including an evaluation of performance for special populations and subgroups 

• A description of how CTE programs offered are of sufficient size, scope, and quality–and aligned to in-demand industry sectors 
• An evaluation of progress toward the implementation of CTE programs and programs of study 
• A description of how local recipients will improve recruitment, retention and training of CTE teachers, faculty and specialized instruction support personnel 
• A description of progress toward implementation of equal access to high-quality CTE courses and programs of study 

The CLNA Framework (WORD) is a standardized reporting tool for consortia to report their needs assessment results. Consortia will submit the completed CLNA Framework along with the local consortium application. It will be uploaded as a separate document in the Minnesota State grant management system. 

The CLNA Guide (PDF) is available to consortium leaders to provide guidance on the process of conducting a needs assessment.

 

Perkins-Funded Positions 

Consortia will provide the names and duty titles of all employees whose salaries are partially or fully funded with Perkins funds. In addition, the percentage of an employee’s worktime spent on Perkins-related tasks will be reported here along with the amount budgeted for their salaries.  Personnel Activity Reports (PAR) document 100% of an employee’s time and effort, noting the percentage breakdown for all activities and programs, including Perkins.  The PAR is completed monthly and kept on file for audit purposes. 

Position descriptions for Perkins-funded personnel must be uploaded to the Perkins application as attached documents. Position descriptions should reflect duties related to Perkins grant implementation. Since Perkins funding is intended to provide for innovation in CTE, long-term funding of positions is not supported. If an individual’s duties change and are reflected in their revised position descriptions, continued funding of the position with Perkins grant funds may be justified. Consult with state staff to discuss specific circumstances. Under no circumstances can grant funds supplant state or local funding. 

 

Programs of Study 

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Improvement Plans 

Minnesota State and the Minnesota Department of Education are responsible to annually review each consortium Perkins program based on its performance on federally determined accountability indicators. Minnesota will monitor compliance with this requirement by collecting Improvement Reports or Improvement Plans. If the consortium scored between 90 and 99% of their negotiated target for any indicator, they will be required to write an improvement report describing how or what they will do to increase their scores and must be completed for each indicator where a performance gap existed. If a consortium’s actual performance falls below 90 percent of the state-determined performance levels for any core indicator of performance, the consortium must write an improvement plan for that indicator. The Improvement Plan Guide and Improvement Plan Template can be accessed through the Coordinators’ Portal. 

 

Budget

 

Required Additional Documentation

 

Secondary Supplemental Budget Spreadsheet

Statement of Assurances & Certifications 

Consortium Consolidated Equipment Inventory 

 

Local Application Approval Process 

Once consortium applications are completed and submitted through the Minnesota State grant management system, a full staff review of all applications is conducted by MDE and Minnesota State staff. The purpose for this review is to ensure the grant application meets all requirements under the Perkins V legislation. Application review meetings are scheduled with each consortium to allow state staff to discuss the application with consortium leaders and to ask clarifying questions. These meetings can be conducted via a remote communication platform or consortium leaders may prefer to meet face-to-face with state staff at the System Office. During this 60- to 90-minute meeting, state reviewers may ask for additional information or suggest revisions to the application. Once all questions about the local application are answered satisfactorily and the consortium provides any additional information is provided by the consortium, the application is approved by state staff and the consortium is officially notified by email from the State Director. 

Implementation of the Plan 

The approved local application serves as the formal document detailing goals, outcomes, and approved expenditures. The Perkins V application describes activities aligned with the CLNA, state-determined performance levels, and federal legislation. 

Once the local application is approved by state staff, efforts to implement it are focused on supporting and improving CTE curriculum, instruction and assessment, the implementation of Programs of Study, and supporting CTE teachers and faculty. 

Approved consortium Perkins applications become a matter of public record and are published on the Minnesota State CTE website.

 

Local Application Budget Changes within the Fiscal Year 

Postsecondary Budget Changes 

Secondary Budget Changes

 

Annual Performance Report 

Consortia are required to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) in October of each year using the questions and instructions posted to the Perkins Local Application page. This report identifies the progress made in implementing the activities and goals outlined in the local consortium application. State staff will provide additional guidance to consortium leaders on APR requirements for the year, as well as how to successfully submit the report.  Note that the format and questions for the APR are likely to change from year to year. Input from consortia on APRs is used by state staff to complete the state Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) required by the federal government every January.