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Perkins V

The Perkins program is the primary federal investment in career and technical education at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. The latest iteration of Perkins, known as Perkins V, was signed into law in 2018 as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (SCATE). The Act, which took effect July 1, 2019, amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (Perkins IV) Act of 2006 and reauthorizes Perkins for six years. The Act defines its purpose as “to develop more fully the academic knowledge and technical and employability skills of secondary education students and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in CTE programs and programs of study.“

Each state participating in the federal Perkins program must submit a four-year plan outlining the state’s approach to implementation of the Act. The U.S. Department of Education approved Florida’s Perkins Four-Year State Plan in June of 2020. The Plan outlines Florida’s commitment to providing all students the opportunity to participate in quality career and technical education (CTE) programs that lead to in-demand occupations. (Links to Florida’s State Plan and an Executive Summary of the Plan are below.)

Each year, Florida receives approximately 81 million dollars (pending annual allocations) through the Perkins program. The bulk of the funds go directly to eligible agencies (school districts and Florida College System institutions) through annual entitlement grants, as well as competitive grants which have in the past included support for entrepreneurship education, agencies serving rural areas, students in Department of Juvenile Justice facilitates, and college career pathways. (Details on all Perkins grant opportunities are found on the Funding Opportunities page linked in the navigation menu.)

If you have questions or comments related to Florida’s Perkins V implementation, please contact us at Perkins@fldoe.org.

Perkins State Plan Revisions Comment Period

Florida’s current Perkins State Plan is set to expire June 30, 2024. The U.S. Department of Education has given states the option of submitting a new state plan or continuing with the current plan with any required revisions. Florida has elected to continue with the current plan with revisions. Revisions are proposed in the following areas:

  • Revise the language related to Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Allocations to reflect the new Florida Scholars Academy.
  • Revise the process for allocations to Developmental Research Schools (DRS)/University Lab Schools.
  • Add the Master Credential List as a primary source for labor market alignment in the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA).
  • Add language about providing analytic tools as a means of supporting local agencies.

A comment period is available for interested parties to provide written comment on these and any other proposed changes to the State Plan. Comments may be submitted through a brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6S5KJ7D until 5:00 PM on April 8, 2024. In addition, the Division of Career and Adult Education will host a public hearing webinar on March 11, 2024, 10:00 AM Eastern, for further review and comment. You may register for the webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7804863935190888794. Proposed revisions to the State Plan can be found below.

New Perkins Performance Measure Targets Public Comment Period

As part of the Perkins V State Plan, Florida agreed to performance targets on key metrics defined by Perkins V. Measure targets were set for the program years 2020–2021 through 2023–24. As this cycle comes to an end, Florida is required to set targets for the measures for the program years 2024–25 through 2027–28. Definitions of the performance measures may be found in Florida’s State Plan, available below. Proposed performance measure targets can be found below.

A comment period is available for interested parties to provide written comment on how the proposed new levels of performance:

  • meet the requirements of the law;
  • support the improvement of performance of all CTE concentrators, including subgroups of students, as described in section 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and special populations, as described in section 3(48); and
  • support the needs of the local education and business community.

Those interested in commenting on the new performance targets may do so by completing a brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R7ZNQ7Y by 5:00 PM on April 8, 2024. In addition, the Division of Career and Adult Education will host a public hearing webinar on March 11, 2024, 2:00 PM Eastern, for further review and comment. You may register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7613526921725368154.

Florida's Perkins V State Plan

Resources

Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Request Form

The Law

Implementation Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

National Resources

Educator Resources