Tennessee Comptroller finds CTE grant programs making a difference for rural county students

In 2021, Lewis County Schools’ career and technical education (CTE) department utilized a $124 thousand state grant to give its rural Middle Tennessee students a head start on getting the skills they need for a job after high school.The district spent the money to create a mock hospital and purchase healthcare training simulators to replicate clinical scenarios for students. That grant additionally helped purchase equipment enabling students to produce live-streamed school events and construction equipment to help them create a school-based enterprise that produces various products.“The district expects the purchases to promote student experiences with various industries and move them faster and further in dual enrollment and postsecondary programs and eventually to high-demand, high-wage jobs,” wrote Tennessee Comptroller Research Analysts Kim Potts and Allison Pams.This week the Tennessee Comptroller issued a report on the Supporting Postsecondary Access in Rural Communities (SPARC) grant program Lewis County Schools and dozens of other rural county school districts received. The state created the SPARC program to increase CTE accessibility in Tennessee’s rural areas.According to the Comptroller’s report, 24 at-risk and 15 distressed counties received a total of $2 million in SPARC grants in 2019.  The totals increased to $11.5 million for 30 at-risk and 9 distressed counties in 2021, and an additional $10 million in 2023 for 49 transitional, 32 at-risk, and 10 distressed counties.Districts were able to utilize SPARC funds for a variety of purposes including purchasing additional CTE equipment, establishing work-based learning experiences, providing industry certification exams, creating dual enrollment courses, and providing professional development for teachers.Lauderdale County Schools used its SPARC funds for a dual enrollment welding program with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Ripley. Hawkins County Schools bought shop furniture and tools for its new machine tool CTE course with TCAT Morrison.The Comptroller also provided updated information on a second grant program to help districts who develop innovative school models that help students acquire postsecondary credentials, like industry-recognized certifications.According to the Comptroller’s report, Tennessee utilized $30 million in federal COVID funds to provide 21 districts with Innovative School Model (ISM) grants in 2021.  The state followed that up with a second round using more than $560 million in one-time state funded ISM grants.Unlike SPARC, the ISM grant program focuses on fostering a culture of college and career readiness and districts across the state utilized the money, including two programs highlighted by the Comptroller in West Tennessee.School districts in Milan, Trenton, and Gibson Counties utilized the ISM funds to form a consortium with community groups and employers as partners, allowing students to attend high school through a modified school day that included participating at an employer’s facility.Jackson-Madison County Schools used the grant to establish Innovation Impact Institutes at each of its seven high schools and each institute has a specialized focused on a different high-demand occupation.“Over the last several years, Tennessee has increased financial investments in the state’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs across the K-12 and postsecondary education systems. A primary goal of these increased investments is to increase the skilled workforce available to high-demand industries in the state. Another goal is to help K-12 students learn about, experience, and consider potential careers and the education pathways that are needed to reach them,” wrote Potts and Pams.The CTE grant report is the latest in a series of Comptroller publications this summer on the topic along with CTE infographics and an interactive dashboard.The goal of the project is to help the public learn more about CTE education and encourage students to consider taking CTE courses.