CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
CONTRACT
AGREEMENT
CARL
D. PERKINS VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL
EDUCATION
ACT (TITLE II)
2003-2004
SCHOOL YEAR
REGION
2 EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER
Option
I
The_________________________ Independent School District, hereinafter called the District, and Region 2 Education Service Center, hereinafter called the Center, enter this contract to carry out Activities for which the Center has completed an application for the District for Career and Technology Education (Title I authorized under the Texas Education Code and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational aid Technical Education Act P. L. 105-332. Upon approval of the application by the Texas Education Agency, the Center will have the principal responsibility of fiscal agent and program director as well as the responsibility of providing instructional, staff development, and technical support programs within the District boundaries.
A district whose basic grant allotment is less than $15,000 may join consortium in order to participate in the use of federal career and technology education basic grant funds. School districts whose high school is located at least 30 highway miles from the nearest neighboring high school campus and demonstrates that it is unable to enter into a consortium for purposes of providing services under the secondary school career and technology education program may apply for direct allocation of basic grant funds if they choose even though their planning allocation will be less than $15000. A district may choose to join or form a consortium with other school districts, an education service center, or a post secondary institution.
A consortium formed for the purpose of meeting the minimum requirement would be required to serve primarily as a structure for operating joint projects that provide services to all members of the consortium. Funds in the consortium must be used in programs that are of sufficient size, scope, and quality as to be effective; integrate general and career and technology education; provide career concentrations for all students; and provide equitable participation for students who are members of special populations.
THF FISCAL AGENT OF A CONSORTIUM MAY NOT SUBGRANT BACK TO THE CONSORTIUM MEMBERS THE EXACT AMOUNTS THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONSORTIUM.
Each member of the consortium must conduct and submit a program evaluation of its district based on the evaluation designed in the SAS-A3909-04, Schedule #4A - Program Evaluation Results. The CATE specialist(s) will contact each consortium member to obtain the necessary information requested on the program evaluation, which is included in the application process.
The Center has invested significantly in the development and enhancement of SSA services offered to the districts/campuses and accepts responsibility for providing leadership for the provided services. In the long term, a blending of resources will enable efficient, cost-effective and non-duplicated effort within The Service Center area.
By accepting membership in a Shared Services Arrangement (SSA) offered by the Center, the school district/campus agrees to:
a) Participate in all scheduled meetings.
b) Commit resources in support of the operational requirements of the SSA.
c) Accept and comply with the terms and conditions specified for the SSA.
d) Expend funds in accordance with applicable regulations, policies, rules, provisions, or laws
The Center is responsible for the operational oversight of the SSA. It is the intent that specific program committees, if established, address the higher level, long-range aspects of the operation of the services offered.
The day-to-day financial operation of the SSA is handled by the Center. The Center is the SSA fiscal agent and holds and manages the SSA assets. Specific responsibilities of the fiscal agent include, but are not limited to:
a) Employment, administration, management, and supervision of all Service Center personnel and management of payroll matters related to such staff.
b) Preparing an SSA budget and presenting these to the Region 2 Education Service Center Board of Directors for approval.
C) Maintaining accounting records for the SSA. The fiscal agent will make these available to official members upon request.
d) Receiving and disbursing funds related to the operation of the SSA and ensuring that funds are used in accordance with applicable regulations, policies, rules, provisions, or laws.
e) Preparing and distributing any state or federal required reports
The responsibilities of the Center program staff include:
a) Producing and maintaining program services designed for the district/campus.
b) Responding to district/campus questions in a timely manner.
c) Providing district/campus staff with training related to the use and operation of the SSA.
d) Participating in various user meetings that are designed to provide districts/ campuses with information and services.
Disposal of any outdated or inoperative equipment, facilities, and materials purchased is the responsibility of the entity that directly expended the SSA funds. Funds generated through such disposal will be retained by that entity in accordance with applicable regulations, policies, rules, provisions, or laws thereof.
Should a district/campus withdraw from the SSA, it surrenders any claim to ownership of any part of the SSA’s liquid and fixed assets.
Legal expenses, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees associated with complaints, litigation, claims, demands, or grievances against the fiscal agent that originated within the fiscal agent (e.g., from SSA staff) are the responsibility of the fiscal agent.
Legal expenses, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees associated with complaints, litigation, claims, demands, or grievances against the fiscal agent that originated outside of the SSA (e.g., private vendors, school districts etc. suing the SSA) are the responsibility of the fiscal agent and will be paid through SSA funds,
Legal expenses court costs, and reasonable attorney fees associated with complaints, litigation, claims demands or grievances initiated by the fiscal agent in behalf of the SSA are the responsibility of the SSA and will be paid through SSA funds
Legal expenses, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees associated complaints, litigation, claims, demands, or grievances against a local district/campus are the responsibility of that district/campus.
Should a district/campus be found in noncompliance with project regulations through monitoring or audit procedures, the district/campus will be responsible for any repayment of funds required.
Services provided to the members of the CATE consortium are:
• producing and submitting the annual Career and Technology Education application (Title II) to the Texas Education Agency in cooperation with the consortiums identified needs and priorities;
• producing and submitting amendments to the Career and Technology Education application as needed;
• the evaluating and purchasing of a Guidance/Counseling package for utilization by staff and students within the District boundaries;
• conducting student presentations focusing on career and labor market information, employability skills especially as related to gender/equity, non-traditional careers, and facilitate the school-to-career transition;
• conducting workshops for counselors, teachers, directors, and administrators pertaining to career and labor market information, career pathways, coherent sequence of courses, employability skills, District Effectiveness and Compliance, and facilitation of the school-to-career transition;
• present to the District curriculum materials and/or resource materials pertinent to the successful implementation of a career guidance system for the District upon the enrollment, attendance, and participation of District personnel in appropriate career development workshops hosted by the Region CATE Program;
• forwarding information received from TEA or other sources related to Career and Technology Education to the District in a timely manner;
• provide CATE teachers opportunities to review and request for classroom use the audio and visual materials maintained in the Media Library;
• as equipment is updated, the CATE specialist(s) will announce the availability of such equipment in order that consortium members may request to receive the equipment being replaced; and,
sub granting back to consortium members a
minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the consortium members identified basic
grant allotment for certified counseling services, implementing new CATE
programs the District offers, and, to use for supplies, teaching materials,
curriculum materials, equipment, teacher inservice travel expenses for Career
and Technology education programs and/or staff expenses to accompany students
to attend career and technology education youth leadership activities above the
local district level approved by the Center CATS specialist.
NOTE: Should a member district be found in non compliance with project regulations through monitoring or audit procedures, it is understood that the member district will be solely responsible for any repayment of subgrant funds required.
The District’s responsibilities as a member of the CATE Consortium are:
• providing the necessary and required information in a timely manner requested by the CATE specialist for the purpose of completing and submitting the CATE
application;
• implementing, supervising, and maintaining the instructional materials that were purchased for the district with consortium funds;
• utilizing and maintaining proper accounting and financial procedures in order to track expenditures for funds subgranted back to the district:
• maintaining any career and guidance curriculum materials provided to the district through workshops for use by teachers of all appropriate grade levels;
• encouraging CATE and academic teachers within the District’s boundaries to review and utilize audio and visual materials maintained in the Media Library;
• providing a certified counselor or other certified personnel to:
1. provide instructional services to qualified individuals within the Soling Independent School District service area;
2. schedule opportunities for the Center CATE specialist(s) and/or other personnel to conduct presentations to at-risk, special population students and others that would benefit from programs relating to career and occupational information, guidance and counseling sessions, special Career Day or College Day sessions, nontraditional and gender equity programs, staff inservice presentations, and other functions deemed necessary and functional;
3. secure staff representatives to attend career and guidance counseling curriculum development workshops in order for the District to be eligible to receive curriculum development materials for use by District personnel;
4. provide information to the Center on any problems or concerns that may arise in relation to any aspect of the Career and Technology Education program; and,
5. provide the Center at the conclusion of the project period with evaluation data specifying the detailed accomplishments of the project and the number of people served, trained, etc., along with a copy of any project products or reports as needed by the Center for the Annual Performance Report and/or the Application Process.
ALL GOODS AND SERVICES UNDER THIS PROJECT MUST BE RECEIVED AND ALL INVOICES AND PURCHASE ORDERS CLEARED NO LATER THAN JUNE 30. 2004 FOR SAS-A309-04. ANY UNEXPENDED FUNDS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY BY JULY 31, 2004 FOR SAS-A309-O4.
SHOULD THE DISTRICT BE FOUND IN NON-COMPLIANCE WITH PROJECT REGULATIONS THROUGH MONITORING OR AUDIT PROCEDURES, IT IS UNDERST00D THAT THE DISTRICT WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REPAYMENT OF SUBGRANT UNDS REQUIRED.
______________________________ ____________________________
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Region 2 Education Service Center ___________ Independent School District