Texas School Funding
Funding for CTE
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Weighted FundingState funding for CTE is based on the number of contact hours generated by eligible students. The Foundation School Program (FSP) weighs eligible CTE courses and students higher than the regular education allotment. The current weight for a full-time equivalent CTE student is 1.35. Advanced CTE AllotmentsEligible school districts are entitled to an allotment of $50 per each full-time equivalent student who is enrolled in two or more advanced CTE courses for a total of three or more credits. Perkins AllocationsEligible districts and charter schools also are entitled to Perkins funds, which are allocated using a formula based on student population and poverty counts. Federal law requires Perkins formula funds to be awarded only to career and technical education programs that are of "sufficient size, scope, and quality to be effective." Texas defines size, scope, and quality in terms of enrollment in CTE coherent sequences as reported to PEIMS, the Public Education Information Management System. |
SAAH and CTE Funding Criteria
Foundation School Program eligibility requirements for all students are found in the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH). The primary purpose for TEA's collection of student attendance data is to ensure that FSP funds can be allocated to the public schools of Texas. All public schools in Texas must maintain records to reflect the average daily attendance (ADA) for the allocation of these and other funds by the Texas Education Agency.
SAAH Section 5: Career and Technical Education
There are unique attendance accounting provisions for CTE students. These provisions can be found in Section 5 of the SAAH. They must be applied in conjunction with the general attendance accounting rules.
CTE Contact Hour District Criteria
- Offer three or more programs of study from a minimum of three different clusters
- Ensure appropriate resources to teach the TEKS of each CTE course offered
- Have a qualified/certified CTE teacher, as defined in the Texas Administrative Code, teaching each CTE course offered
- Document the average minutes per day for each CTE course
Course Funding Criteria
To be counted as CTE contact hours, courses must have:
- Texas Education Agency approval
- Local board or site-based decision-making committee approval
Student Funding Criteria
To be eligible to be counted as CTE contact hours, CTE students must be either:
- Enrolled in Grade 9-12
- Enrolled in Grade 7-8 and a CTED (CTE courses for disabled students) course
SAAH Section 5 also specifies additional attendance accounting criteria for other situations unique to CTE, including career preparation courses, career practicum learning experiences, CTE courses for disabled students (CTED), and dual credit CTE courses.
To ensure that your school receives its share of CTE funding, it is important for teachers and administrators to maintain accurate attendance records.
PEIMS Coding
School district staff must report student attendance, course offerings, teacher assignments, and other information through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). TEA uses PEIMS data to calculate your district's share of CTE funding.
Accurate PEIMS coding also impacts your district's compliance and eligibility status. Career and Technical Education students in Texas are required to have a personalized four-year graduation plan that includes a coherent sequence of CTE courses. Counselors and administrators need to be sure their CTE students have plans on file and are coded correctly in PEIMS.