172.00.11 Ark. Code R. 001

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 10, October, 2024

Rule 172.00.11-001 - Special Policies and Procedures for Secondary Technical Centers

I. Application/Approval

A. Secondary Technical Center Approval

1. An application for a new secondary technical center must be submitted to the Associate Director for Workforce Training in the Department of Career Education (ACE) on or before October 1, prior to the school year in which the center is scheduled to open. Guidelines and application forms for a new secondary technical center may be obtained by contacting the Associate Director for Workforce Training, #3 Capitol Mall, Luther S. Hardin Bldg., Little Rock, AR 72201-1083, or by calling (501) 682-1505.

2. Priority will be given to areas not currently being served by a center. A center will not be approved within 25 miles of an existing center unless it can be demonstrated that the creation of a new center will not adversely impact adjoining centers.

3. A sponsoring institution/entity (public high school, postsecondary technical institute, two-year college, or education service cooperative) that has been approved by the State Board of Career Education (SBCE) as a secondary technical center may begin operation with three occupation specific programs, but must have six programs of study in at least five career clusters by the start of the fourth year. Only occupational specific programs will be eligible for secondary technical center funding.

4. A secondary technical center that is approved by the SBCE must serve multiple high schools in order to qualify for secondary technical center funding.

5. A secondary technical center that closes and desires to resume operation must submit a new application to the SBCE for approval. A center that is approved by SBCE for start-up but fails to begin operation within a two-year period shall be considered null and void and must reapply.

B. New or Expanded Programs

1. For new or expanded program approval, the sponsoring institution/entity shall submit a proposal to the Deputy Director of Career and Technical Education, Department of Career Education, prior to October 1, preceding the year in which the program(s) is to be implemented. The application is available in the Career & Technical Education link on the ACE website at Career and Technical Education.

2. Newly approved programs must be authorized by the Associate Director for Workforce Training to receive technical center funding.

3. Programs of study offered at the centers must be selected from a list of approved programs as defined by the Department of Career Education. This list will be reviewed annually.

C. Satellite/Off Campus Programs

1. An existing secondary technical center or proposed center, approved by the SBCE, may provide satellite location(s) to school districts that are located outside the 25 miles or 30 minutes of driving time. Satellite locations must be shared by more than one school district. Satellite locations will be eligible for funding in the same manner as center programs.

2. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) shall be completed, signed by cooperating parties, and on file in the secondary technical center director's office concerning the operation of satellite locations.

3. All applications for a satellite location require the approval of SBCE.

1. The secondary center must complete an application to open a satellite/off campus program(s). The application is to be submitted to the ACE along with all required documentation of support.

2. All satellite/off campus programs will be approved by the SBCE prior to start up.

3. Documentation from the technical center's administration that indicates interest and approval in opening a satellite/off campus program. This documentation should include at a minimum (1) a letter from the center director to the ACE stating the center's intent to open the location; (2) minutes from the technical center's board of directors meeting showing the board's support; and (3) minutes from the technical center's sponsoring entity showing the sponsoring entity's support.

4. Documentation from the participating schools indicating their support of the satellite/off campus program(s). This should be in the form of (1) minutes from the participating school's board meetings indicating the school will support the program(s) at the satellite/off campus location; (2) a letter from each school's superintendent indicating the school district's support of the program(s).

5. The secondary center must show a need for the satellite/off campus program(s) through documentation including surveys of area business and industry, job outlook forecasts, projected enrollment, etc.

6. The host school agrees to provide the following:

(1) facilities including classroom(s), lab(s), utilities, maintenance and janitorial services;

(2) handle immediate issues involving discipline until the center director can address the situation; and

(3) statement allowing the participation of other school districts.

7. The technology center agrees to:

(1) furnish the classroom(s) and lab(s) with equipment, furniture, etc.;

(2) furnish supplies for the program;

(3) handle discipline matters under the center's guidelines in a timely fashion.

(4) employ instructor(s) for approved center programs of study.

8. Each participating high school shall be guaranteed seats in each program at the satellite/off campus program. The individual school's percentage of 10^th grade enrollment calculated from the total 10^th grade enrollment of all participating high schools shall be the method used to determine available seats.

4. Existing Satellite/Off Campus Programs

All existing satellite/off campus programs shall be required to submit an MOU identifying the program, location, participating schools and projected enrollment from participating schools. Host schools will be required to submit a letter of support for the satellite/off campus program. Existing satellite/off-campus programs will be subject to the same guidelines as new satellite/off-campus programs to be reviewed at the end of a five-year period.

5. Consolidation

All satellite/off campus program(s) affected by school consolidation that are reduced to single school status will be re-evaluated as to the status of a satellite/off campus program(s),

D. Regional Technical Center

A secondary technical center to be designated as a regional technical center shall be approved by SBCE.

II. Finance

A. Funding

1.Technical center aid will be calculated and distributed by the Department of Career Education based upon each secondary technical center's eligible student FTE count. Centers receiving technical center aid with an enrollment exceeding 60 percent of the total enrollment from any one sending school will not receive funding for those FTEs over the 60 percent threshold. This funding exception will apply to the secondary technical center's main campus as well as satellite/off-campus locations.

2. The minimum training fee is set in accordance with ACA 6-20-2305(2)(A) and shall be calculated from the eligible student FTE count within the 60 percent funding threshold of the previous school year.

3. The secondary technical center will bill each participating high school based upon current enrollment.

4. A secondary technical center will only receive funding for eligible students within the 60 percent funding threshold.

5. Funds not expended in accordance with ACA 6-51-301 to 6-51-305 shall be carried forward into the succeeding year. Unexpended funds shall be carried forward for the sole purpose of conducting summer programs and community-based education centers or supporting vocational center operations in succeeding years.

6. Funding modifications shall be approved by the SBCE. Centers which have enrollment exceeding 60 percent of population from one sending school shall seek funding consideration from the sending school with more than 60 percent of sending population.

B. Supplemental Funds

1. Secondary technical centers shall be eligible for new program start-up funds as outlined in the Program Policies and Procedures for Secondary Programs.

2. Secondary technical centers may from time-to-time be eligible for federal funds. ACE will inform secondary center directors of these as soon as they become available.

3. Secondary technical centers may apply for and receive on their own merit any special grant funds from other agencies. Funding of secondary centers is not limited to state funding as described above.

III. Expenditure Reports

A. Semester Report

1. Enrollment data shall be submitted to ACE each semester. Each center will include enrollment verification from each participating high school. Enrollment and verification forms are available on the Secondary Technical Center website.

B. Yearly Reports

1. An annual expenditure report is to be completed and sent to the Department of Career Education.

2. The center will report to ACE each school year a list of participating high schools (School Participation Report).

3. The center will report to ACE all eligible students enrolled in center programs during the school year (End-of-Year Report).

4. The center sponsored by an institution of higher education or having a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with an institution of higher education shall report annually the number of students earning concurrent credit and the number of hours earned. (Annual Concurrent Credit Report).

IV. Operations

A. Secondary Technical Center Responsibility

1. The management, maintenance, and operation of a secondary technical center shall be the responsibility of the sponsoring institution or entity in accordance with the policies established by the SBCE

2. Failure to properly maintain and operate a secondary center may result, by recommendation to the SBCE, closure of the center.

3. Each participating high school shall be guaranteed seats in each program. The individual school's percentage of 10^th grade-enrollment calculated from the total 10^th grade enrollment of all participating high schools shall be the method used to determine available seats. Any school not fulfilling its quota shall relinquish the unfilled seats to other schools.

B. Designation of Secondary Technical Center Director

1. Each secondary technical center having a minimum of six programs must employ a secondary technical center director on a half-time or full-time basis.

2. The secondary technical center director must hold a Secondary Technical Center Director Endorsement (175) or Curriculum Program Administrator (324) or hold a decree in administration of secondary programs.

3. The secondary technical center director must have a minimum of 3 years of secondary teaching or administrative experience.

Secondary Technical Center Council

1. Each secondary technical center shall have an active secondary technical center council. The council shall be comprised of superintendents of the sponsoring and local school districts participating in the secondary technical center along with the director of the center. When a postsecondary institution is designated as a secondary technical center, the director or president/chancellor of that institution shall be a member. Additionally, where secondary technical centers are sponsored by an education service cooperative, the director shall be a member of the council. The secondary technical center council shall serve in an advisory capacity for the secondary technical center in all areas of administration and operation, e.g., scheduling, student discipline, program design, etc. The center council may also assist with determining the capacity of a center.

2. The council serves in advisory capacity only. The local board of the host institution serves as the governing authority of the secondary technical center.

C. Instructor Qualifications

1. Technical instructors teaching at a college-based secondary technical center must have a minimum of an associate degree within the area of instruction or related area.

2. Technical instructors must have completed Arkansas State Police and FBI background checks and meet all college accrediting standards for instructors.

3. Secondary Technical Centers shall submit documentation of these records to the Office of Workforce Training, ACE.

4. Centers will annually submit a list of instructors providing concurrent credit and upon meeting the above requirement, these instructors will be given an annual waiver from teacher licensure requirements.

5. Instructors not meeting these requirements or instructors teaching non-concurrent credit classes must hold an Arkansas Teacher's License/Technical Permit.

D. Employee Policies

1. The sponsoring institution/entity shall adopt official employee policies and procedures, including a salary schedule, sick leave, inclement weather, grievance, benefits, and other policies. These must be adopted by the start of the second semester of operation.

E. Student Handbook

1. The sponsoring institution/entity shall adopt a student handbook outlining the rules and regulations relating to discipline, attendance, hand tools, textbooks, OCR Grievance Procedures, and other matters. These must be adopted by the start of the second semester of operation.

F. Class Periods

1. Class periods shall conform to the minimum class hours established by the Standards for Accreditation of Public Schools and North Central Association (NCA). A minimum of 60 hours time on task (classroom or lab) for each .5 credit issued. Travel time will not be counted in the time on task determination. In order to restructure a program of study, the secondary technical center may work with the Department of Career Education to implement course designs and class lengths.

G. Instruction

1. Each approved program offered must follow curriculum frameworks and administer student competency tests.

2. Concurrent credit classes offered for secondary career and technical credit in a college-based secondary technical center must have approval and alignment by ACE. Secondary career and technical education course frameworks must be matched to college classes. One 3-hour college course will equate to .5 Carnegie units.

3. An active advisory council is required for each occupational program area.

H. Transportation

1. Responsibility for transporting students to and from the local school to a secondary technical center shall be determined by the secondary technical center director and the administration of the local school district.

I. Exceptions

1. Expansion of secondary technical centers into areas not being served is a priority of the Department of Career Education. The ACE Director may, upon request, make exceptions to the stated policies when such requests are supported by adequate justification.

V.Internship

A. Reporting for Internship

1. Internship should be listed on enrollment sheet as a 2-hour FTE.

2. V-TECS reports are to be completed by September 15 and sent to Career Guidance Office of Arkansas Department of Career Education. These reports will determine funding eligibility for vocational center funds. If a student does not meet eligibility criteria, the center will not receive vocational center funds for that student nor pass-thru funds for the sending high school.

3. Failure to submit V-TECS reports will result in withholding vocational center payments until reports are received and verified for eligibility for vocational center funding;

4. Employment must be within the identified CTE career major as indicated in V-TECS report.

I. Definitions

* Access is an attempt for every high school student in Arkansas to have the opportunity to participate in any of a minimum of three occupation-specific technical programs offered within 25 miles or 30 minutes of the home school.

* Capacity of a secondary technical center is determined by multiplying the number of blocks of occupation-specific programs (two or three hours) by 20.

* Concurrent credit is received by high school career and technical education students who take classes offered through an institution of higher education. These classes will be transcripted by the local high school for secondary credit and by the institution of higher education for college credit.

* Eligible student is a student enrolled in grades 10-12 and who is pursuing a program of study in a secondary technical center.

* Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) shall be considered the equivalent of one student attending class for six class periods per day per year, e.g., one student attending a three period class the full year would be equal to one-half FTE.

* Internship is designed to assist students in their specific career focus areas and to help them successfully transition from school to career.

* Local districts are the districts in the locality which are eligible to participate in technical center programs.

* Occupation-specific programs are technical programs which have paid employment in specific occupations as their objectives.

* Private and/or home-schooled students are eligible to participate in secondary technical center programs through the local school district in which they officially reside

* Regional technical center is defined as a secondary technical center having the same expanded service area as approved by SBCE.

* Satellite/off-campus location is the extension of a secondary technical center located outside the boundaries of an existing center (25 miles or 30 minutes of driving time) or to students in isolated areas. Satellite locations will be provided by an approved secondary technical center and must be shared by more than one school district. All satellite locations require the approval of the SBCE. An off campus location is the extension of a secondary technical center located inside the boundaries of an existing center.

* Secondary technical center is a public secondary technical institution organized for the specific purpose of educating high school students in specific occupational/technical programs. A center will serve students from more than one participating high school. Students eligible to attend a secondary technical center will generally come from a twenty-five (25) mile radius or thirty (30) minute driving time from the local school. A secondary technical center must be comprised of three specific technical programs to begin operation. It must have at least six programs out of five career clusters in operation by the start of the fourth year.

* Sponsoring institution is a comprehensive high school, a postsecondary technical institute, a two-year or community/technical college, an education service cooperative, or any other entity authorized by law that has been approved by the SBCE. The sponsoring institution will function as the fiscal agent and will manage and administer the secondary technical center. (Reference ACA 6-51-301 to 6-51-305)

172.00.11 Ark. Code R. 001

6/15/2011