Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you apply for the K12 SWP grant if you are a new school?
You may apply as a new school, but your ADA would be a lesser amount than your region's ADA. The region will make the decision to find your proposed project.

2. Do schools need to do any qualifications check on the instructor to ensure that they are qualified to teach CTE pathway courses? (e.g. are CTE certified)?
Please see below the typical requirements for CTE instructors:

• CTE Credential: Instructors must hold a valid CTE credential, which ensures that they are qualified to teach specific industry-related subjects within the CTE pathways. California offers several types of CTE credentials, such as the Designated Subjects Career Technical Education Teaching Credential, which is based on industry experience and/or education.
• Industry Experience: For many CTE pathways, teachers must demonstrate industry experience in the field they are teaching. The number of years of experience required depends on the specific credential and pathway.
• Professional Development: The school or district must often ensure that CTE instructors have completed necessary professional development, including training in curriculum development, teaching methods for CTE, and how to align courses with industry standards.
• Education Requirements: Some CTE credentials may require a certain level of post-secondary education or industry certification to qualify. These requirements vary based on the specific pathway or subject.
•  Alignment with Grant Requirements: K12 SWP grants often include specific goals for program outcomes, and schools must ensure that the instructors teaching CTE pathway courses are equipped to meet these outcomes, including preparing students for industry-recognized certifications and workforce readiness.

In summary, schools would need to confirm that their CTE instructors have the necessary credentials, industry experience, and/or professional qualifications to teach CTE pathway courses in compliance with California’s education code and the requirements of the K12 SWP grant.

3. I have a K-8 district that is interested in applying for the next round of the SWP grant.  I wanted to double check that these funds can be used by Kinder through 8th grade or is it limited to 7th-12th grades? 
Unfortunately, funds are limited to grades 7-12, middle and high school students. In the NOVA application, the Lead LEA section in the beginning will have a Participating Schools sub-section where you will select the particular middle school(s)and/or high school(s) involved. 

4. I have a question about the requirement to submit data to CalPASS if we receive a K12SWP award.  As a recipient of past awards, we were required to submit student data to CalPASS. I learned today that CalPASS will not sign a California Student Data Privacy Agreement (CSDPA) to protect our student data and I will not be allowed to submit for this grant. Please advise if awardees will be required to submit student data to CalPASS and/or if there are any parameters in place to protect student data.
The Chancellor’s Office is no longer using Cal-pass for the K12 SWP data reporting.

We are currently working on a new data reporting tool that will replace CalPASS. In addition, we are in the process of reviewing and updating the existing MOUs with the LEAs, and there will be parameters to protect student data. Therefore, the deadline for your LEA to submit student data this year will be delayed until further notice. The Chancellor’s Office will release communication about the new data reporting tool soon.

For citations, you may spell out the name/term and then use its acronyms. You may leave out the year of publication, page numbers, and link. For example, you would spell out labor market information (LMI) the first time it’s used. 

I am applying for funds to support a school/program that does not yet currently exist.  Our district is planning to start a new career focused middle school magnet program.  If we are awarded funds, and the program does not actually get created before the 2026-27 school year do we just return those funds?

7. Can all K-12 local education agencies (LEAs) in a consortium collect 4% indirect or just the lead LEA?
Only the Lead LEA collects the 4% indirect funds. 

8. Will there be future plans to display middle school data on the Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS Plus) dashboard?
There are not any plans at this time to display middle school data on the CALPASS Plus dashboard. 

9.The due date for the final report for Round 6 is listed as November 28, 2026. This is much later than previous rounds. Can you confirm this date?
The date November 28, 2026, is the correct deadline to submit the final report for Round 6.  The Chancellor’s Office is providing a time extension in order for LEAs to submit their final report before the end of the year. The LEAs are required to submit a Quarter 4 (Q4) report at the end of August, and we are allowing enough time to reconcile through November, recognizing LEAs are on summer break.  

10. Is it appropriate for a LEA to use only part of their Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for a grant application? For example, a K-8 district plans to develop a Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway for only middle school students in grades 7-8? Their total K-8 ADA is 500 but grades 7-8 is only 100. 
No, Nova auto populates ADA for each agency based on the California Department of Education (CDE) enrollment for 7-12th grades of that agency or agencies applying. The workplan, however, allows you to enter the number of students who will be served with K12 SWP funding.

11. If the LEA is requesting more than one program to be funded, does there need to be a separate application for each program? 
No, the LEAs do not need to separate their pathway programs in separate applications. The LEA is allowed to, but not required to.

1. Can we use money to renovate a classroom to serve the purpose of the industry? 
The RFA states K12 SWP funds cannot do anything that adds value to the building.  

 

3. We have seen a lot of applications that have constructed new buildings such as a livestock barn or greenhouse. Is the installation of the barn or greenhouse allowable?Unfortunately K-12 funds do not permit the use of funds for facilities such as a barn. However, if a grantee can meet the criteria for using K-12 funds to install a greenhouse, it may be permitted.  Does the installation of a greenhouse align with the K-12 program intent, for example if the greenhouse is used for science experiments or agricultural education, it may qualify.  A grantee would be required to submit justification to the State Chancellor’s Office and their Regional Fiscal Agent to request formal approval and explain the extent of the work.

4. Can a 7-8th instructor who is not CTE credentialed teach a career exploration class?
Yes, a 7-8th grade instructor who is not CTE credentialed may teach a career exploration course with K12 SWP funding. An instructor teaching in a CTE Pathway program at the secondary level must be CTE credentialed.

5. Can K12 SWP funds be used to fund Grade 7/8 career exploration courses? 
Yes, funds may be used for career exploration for 7/8th grades. It is not a requirement to be taught by a CTE credentialed teacher at the 7-8 grade level.

6. Can K12 SWP funds be used to pay for student internships? 
No, funds may not be used for student internships, SWP K12 does not allow for direct aid to students, therefore this type of expense would be considered a gifting of public funds.

7. An independent charter school is partnered with a local community college to provide its elective courses, which are all dual credit. The courses are taught by community college instructors at the charter school’s campus. This charter school is interested in offering CTE pathways using a similar model. If the community college instructors were CTE certified, would this be an acceptable model and can K12 SWP grant funds help pay for the costs of instruction?
No, the K12 agency should not use K12 SWP funding to pay Community College instructors for dual enrolled courses, as the Community College would already be receiving full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment off the K12 student enrollment numbers.  However, this would be a great match from the college.

1. If we are using $200,000 in Teachers' Salaries to match another CTE grant, can we then count that same $200,000 set aside for Strong Workforce as well? Or would it have to be an additional set aside separate from the one used for another grant?
With the K12 SWP, funds using as matching contributions for one grant cannot be used as matching funds for another grant. This is often referred to as "double counting," and it is not allowed unless explicitly stated in the grant guidelines.

If $200,000 is already allocated as match for another CTE grant, you would likely need to set aside a separate $200,000 (or equivalent value) for the K12 SWP to meet its matching requirements.

2. Do the matching funds need to be coded to CTE goals? Can the matching funds be indirect costs such as portions of Admin/clerical/Information Technology (IT) staff/custodial supporting the program? 
Matching funds should help support the program and support student success. In kind match such as “Admin and IT” should be allocated to demonstrate the time split to support the program and reflected in the match detail (i.e., percentage of time supporting the program, roles).  Clerical time spent supporting the program should be allocated to the project and under the direct control of the project manager. Custodial and other facilities supports except for space (which must be for the exclusive use of the program) fall under indirect costs and cannot be claimed as match. 

1. What is considered a new pathway? Does it have to be brand new after receiving grant funds or can it be something that is already in the making? Is there a specific time frame or criteria for being new?
A new pathway is defined as, “an identified series of positions, work experiences, or educational benchmarks or credentials that offer occupational and financial advancement within a specified career field or related fields over time.” Ed Code 88822

To determine whether your CTE program is considered new, please consider the following factors:

• If the CTE program has recently been introduced or implemented, it is likely considered new. The specific timeframe for considering a “new” program may vary depending on the context and institution.
• If the program has undergone significant updates, revisions, or expansions, it may be considered new.  This could include changes in curriculum, instructional methods, industry alignment, or partnerships.
• If your CTE program has recently received recognition, accreditation, or certification, it may be considered new.
• Awareness among stakeholders: If the program is unfamiliar to stakeholders, such as students, faculty or industry professionals, it may be considered new within that particular community or region.

The K12 SWP grant may fund a pathway already in the making. There is no specific time frame or criteria for being new.

2. We currently are in a consortium for the K12 Strong Workforce grant, but I am learning that the pathway we have that is not included in the consortium can apply for grant funding on its own as part of the LEA.  Is this accurate? I do not want to decrease the amount of funding received by the district through the consortium so I thought I would ask before I started anything.
You would be applying for Round 7 with a new pathway program and you would be receiving separate K12 SWP funding for the new pathway.

3. One of our pathways needs to be "renewed " this year. Does that mean I start from scratch with the Round 7 RFA that's due October 11th? Or, is there another way for that to happen?
The K12 SWP Round 5 grant you are referring to has a performance period which ends June 2025.  We do not have a mechanism for automatic renewal so your LEA would need to apply again if you are looking to continue.   

The Round 7 RFA (p.9) does state: "Obtaining a K12 SWP grant in one round of funding does not prohibit LEAs from applying again in ensuing funding cycles. Subsequent funding requests are not intended to sustain programs, rather, are intended to create a new CTE program that feeds into a community college program; phase in, augment, or improve the K-14 sequence of courses or pathways; or to scale a previously funded K12 SWP project to serve a larger number of students. Support is not meant to sustain the program but help in new and/or innovative ways. Through this competitive grant process, applicants awarded a K12 SWP grant in one year are not guaranteed funding in a subsequent round of funding."

Your K12 Pathway Coordinator has many resources they can share with you to support you through the K12 SWP R7 process. Here is a spreadsheet outlining the resources available.

To qualify or awarded additional points for positive consideration, it is not mandatory for the pathway/program to align with VISION 2030, but it is strongly encouraged. The criteria is as follows

• Creates one or more new pathways aligned with Vision 2030: STEM, Health, Education & Early Childhood, & Climate Sustainability. 
• Includes first-time K12 SWP applicants who have never received K12 SWP funds or services as a Lead or K–12 Partner Agency in previous rounds of funding.
• Focus on early college credit, youth apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship, and/or Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy.

5. If a school has an incomplete pathway (2 courses) and will be creating a real pathway with this grant, does that count as creating a new pathway?
If the school is providing 2 sequenced courses in the pathway, it is already a complete pathway and therefore not considered “new”. Although this may not qualify the applicant for the additional points, the applicant can use K12 SWP funding to improve the pathway by providing a 3rd course, as this would be considered pathway improvement.

6. Is a new summer dual enrollment program that recruits cohorts from across high schools for career education as a bridge to community college considered a “new CTE program”?
Yes, a new summer dual enrollment program that recruits cohorts from across high schools can be considered a new CTE program. CTE programs are designed to provide students with skills and knowledge that prepare them for specific careers or industries.  This program aligns with that goal by offering career education opportunities and facilitates the transition to community college, fulfilling the goals for K12 SWP.

 

1. What is meant by, “Include the leading metrics that will be requested in the progress reports” stated in the K12 SWP grant application’s work plan template?
The leading metrics are the expected measurable outcomes that support your Project Objectives. Examples may include increases in CTE enrollments, CTE completers, CTE completers’ graduation rate, CTE completers with early college credit/Work Based Learning/industry certifications, and other metrics from the K12 SWP dashboard. 

1. The K12 SWP application option is unavailable after logging into Nova. Where can a LEA find the application? 
Select Programs | K12 SWP on the left menu and the K12 SWP application for Round 7 will display in the right panel. If your NOVA account does not show K12 SWP below Programs on the left menu, please submit a support request ticket to the NOVA Help Desk. This is a technical issue the NOVA Help Desk team can assist you with.

2. Is there a word count on the work plan? No word count is listed (like there is on the problem statement / objectives)
The word count cannot exceed 2500 characters.

3. Is the Cal-PASS Plus memorandum of understanding (MOU) required as an upload with the Application in NOVA? 
No, the Cal-PASS Plus MOU is not required to upload for the Round 7 Application in NOVA. The Chancellor's Office is currently enhancing the data reporting tools and developing a comprehensive solution to manage the data upload process. More details will be shared in the coming months and technical assistance will be provided for the new data tool process.