Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence

This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to replace the existing Tech Prep program with a new competitive grant program to support career and technical education. Under the program, local educational agencies and their partners may apply for grant funding to support:

• career and technical education programs that are aligned with postsecondary education programs,
• dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college programs,
• certain evidence-based strategies and delivery models related to career and technical education,
• teacher and leader experiential and informational-gathering site visits,
• professional development of educators and business partners,
• structured interdisciplinary collaboration and common planning time,
• teacher and leader externship programs,
• cross-credentialing for teachers,
• paid student internships or other paid work-based learning experiences, and
• guidance counseling.

Unless granted a waiver, a grant recipient must provide specified matching funds in the fourth and fifth years of the five-year grant.