Bill > HB0138

This bill establishes a new special fund called the Career and Technical Education Curriculum Fund, which will provide annual funding of $5 million from the general fund to support digital career and technical education (CTE) resources for local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools. The Department of Education will administer the fund and develop application procedures that include requirements, deadlines, grant award criteria, and reporting mechanisms. Grant recipients can use the funds to acquire, retain, or expand digital CTE curricula platforms that offer comprehensive courses with lesson plans, multimedia content, activities, and interactive assessments. The department will consider factors like demonstrated need, potential student impact, and alignment with workforce development goals when awarding grants. Importantly, any unspent money in the fund will carry forward to the next fiscal year and cannot be diverted to other funds. The bill specifies that it is not an automatic appropriation, meaning funds must be specifically allocated through the general appropriations act, and it will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0138&ga=114