The EEP team has been keeping a close eye on Ohio’s biennial budget and sharing updates with you all as things change. If you missed our first two posts, you can view them by clicking the buttons below. We will be diving deeper into it all at LaunchPad 2023 so participants will understand what grants and new opportunities will be available to support their schools (traditional public, career tech, community schools and non-publics).
Here is our final blog update.
Please note: The budget will head into a conference committee so changes will still be made.
Here are the items still listed in the budget but have been changed:
- Career Technical Education Equipment Grants. In our last update, this was changed to be for Career Centers ONLY to purchase equipment necessary to establish or expand career-technical education (CTE) programs. Senate changed the language to earmark $100 million and focus is to assist public schools in purchasing equipment for career-technical education (CTE) programs.
- Note: Ohio Facilities Construction Commission budget also has $200 million in FY2024 to support construction projects that establish or expand CTE programs.
- College Credit Plus teacher credential grants. This was decreased to $3 million from $7.5 million per fiscal year to support graduate coursework for high school teachers to receive credentialing to teach CCP courses in a high school setting. Priority will be given to education consortia of a public or private institution of higher education in Ohio and high schools identified as economically disadvantaged that have no or limited numbers of teachers credentialed to teach CCP courses. As we previously mentioned, this will likely be a competitive grant. If you need grant writing support, you know where to find it!
Added items:
- New Graduation Requirement. With some exceptions each student must provide evidence of having completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Removed items:
- Jobs for Ohio Graduates – brings back funding for JOG program at $2 million per fiscal year.
- Grow Your Own Teacher Program – Up to $7500 for low income HS seniors and certain employees to earn scholarships of up to $7,500 for up to 4-years who commit to teaching in a qualifying school for at least 4 years after graduating from a teacher training program. $5M in FY2024 and $10M in FY2025.
- Junior Achievement Financial Literacy & Workforce Readiness Program Initiative. Three Junior Achievement regions (North Central Ohio, Greater Cleveland, Mahoning Valley) will share $1.5 million to expand awareness and participation in financial literacy, workforce/ career readiness and entrepreneurship programs and resources across Ohio.
- Teacher Apprenticeship Program. ODE will be required to create a Teacher Apprenticeship Program in up to 5 areas of teacher licensure.
- Work-based Learning Incentive Program. $10 million each fiscal year to pay school districts, community schools, and STEM schools $1,000 for each student that completes at least 250 hours of work-based learning. Estimates it will fund up to 10,000 students per year!
- Business Advisory Council incentive funds. Payments of up to $50,000 in each fiscal year to each business advisory council designated as “high quality” by receiving a rating of three or four stars under ODE’s business advisory council recognition. BACs will be required to use payments to support business advisory council duties under continuing law, increase career awareness and exploration activities for students, and expand access to work-based learning opportunities.
If you are interested in digging deeper into details, you can check out the Legislative Service Commission’s website.