Section 256.530 Application Procedure and Contents

a) When sufficient funding is available for grants under this Subpart, the State Superintendent of Education will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) specifying the information that applicants must include in their proposals, informing applicants of any bidders' conferences, and requiring that proposals be submitted no later than the date specified in the RFP. The RFP will provide at least 30 calendar days in which to submit proposals.

b) Each proposal submitted by an eligible applicant in response to an RFP must include the following components:

1) Demonstration of Need

A) The percentage of students in the school district to be served who are low-income.

B) Interest among students and community members in green industry occupations.

C) Need among local employers for green industry occupations, as identified in the Local Needs Assessment conducted by the eligible applicant under 20 U.S.C. 2354(c).

D) Need for development of new CTE pathways to address lack of representation among special populations in extant CTE programming, as identified in the Local Needs Assessment.

E) Lack of access to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations in the applicant’s vicinity.

2) Demonstration of Capacity

A) List of current CTE program offerings.

B) Description of the development of any new programs within the past five years.

C) Percentage of students engaged in CTE programs.

D) Description of strengths of the current CTE program and evidence of success for students in current CTE programs (e.g., work-based learning, industry credentials, or dual credit).

E) Examples of CTE-related collaboration with external stakeholders that includes business and industry, community colleges, universities, and colleges.

c) Each eligible applicant must include in its application a plan for developing the green industries program of study that includes the following:

1) Planning

A) A process for ongoing meaningful engagement of external stakeholders that include employers, postsecondary institutions, parents, or community members.

B) Recruitment of students into the Program.

C) Professional learning provided to teachers related to the Clean Jobs Curriculum, developed by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under Section 5-25 of the Energy Transition Act [20 ILCS 730], that includes the methods teachers will use in the Program to ensure the rigorous integration of challenging academic standards adopted by the State.

D) A description of how the Program will provide opportunities and experiences, including work-based learning, that develop the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue careers in green energy occupations.

E) A description of how the Program will provide opportunities for advanced coursework, including a dual credit plan, and will carry out elements that support the implementation of the Program that will result in increasing student achievement on performance indicators and meet quality criteria defined in the Perkins State Plan (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Perkins-Plan.pdf) and Section 256.160.

F) A timeline for implementation.

G) Specific Program goals.

H) List of activities necessary to develop and begin implementation of the Program.

2) Cost-effectiveness

A) Evidence that the proposed Program costs are reasonable, necessary, and allocable.

B) A plan to implement and spend funds in a timely manner.

C) If the applicant is a consortium or partnership, a description of the commitments made by its members that will enable it to sustain the Program over time with a reduction in the need for external resources.

D) Budget information that corresponds to the categories of allowable expenditures identified in the RFP, completed on the forms provided by the State Board of Education and detailing each line item of expenditure. The budget information must cover the entire duration of the Program.

(Source: Added at 47 Ill. Reg. 14442, effective September 26, 2023)