TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed A4224/S2830 and A4225/S2831 into law, awarding school districts and county colleges a second round of grant funding through the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act (SOCFBA). The grants will fund improvements to and enhancements of career and technical education (CTE) programs in county vocational-technical school districts (CVSD) and county colleges throughout the State. Funds from the SOCFBA must be used to directly expand CTE program enrollment through constructing and/or expanding classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer facilities, and other academic structures that will provide direct benefits to students.
“Funding that aids our career and technical education programs in county vocational-technical school districts and county colleges will give New Jersey students the skills they need to stand out in a competitive job market,” said Governor Murphy. “New Jersey is the top ranked state in the nation for public school education and I will continue to put pen to paper on legislation, like these two bills, that will help keep us on top.”
The second round of grants, which the Governor transmitted to the Legislature for approval in May, will total nearly $57 million and be distributed by the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE). Funds will be disbursed on a rolling basis contingent on final grant revisions and recipient submissions of reimbursement requests.
With this second round of funding, the State has awarded over $305 million in CTE projects. The first round of grant funding for CVSDs and county colleges totaled nearly $250 million and was awarded last summer. The SOCFBA is supported by $500 million in bonds approved by New Jersey voters in November 2018 to expand county college and vocational school CTE programs, enhance K-12 security, and support water infrastructure improvements in New Jersey schools.
“The Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act has helped further our mission to provide equitable access to career and technical education programs throughout our state,” said Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, Acting Commissioner of Education. “The range of projects from the selected county vocational technical schools are innovative and align with high-demand careers in New Jersey. Our students will be ready for the careers of the future.”
“Equipping students with industry-valued credentials through authentic learning experiences in high-demand fields is critical in today’s world,” said Dr. Brian K. Bridges, Secretary of Higher Education. “These grants will enable our institutions to rise to the challenge of ensuring our students receive the best possible preparation for success in the global economy.
“The signing of these bills marks an important continuation of investments to boost opportunities for training and experiential learning that will support New Jersey’s next generation of skilled-labor,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “Making sure we maintain and boost access to a wide array of educational opportunities, so all students can pursue their interests and fulfill their full potential, helps propel innovation forward. Equipping a robust workforce is about our future and remains critically important to our state’s contributions here at home and abroad as we grow and diversify our industry.”
A4224/S2830 appropriates $19,993,837 for County College CTE Projects. The SOCFBA allocated funds for county colleges to construct or expand classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer facilities, and other academic structures to increase CTE program capacity.
The second round of the SOCFBA will fund six projects in this category, including:
- Camden County College – $4,000,000
- Essex County College – $4,000,000</…….
Source: https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/approved/20220729b.shtml