Matzie: Beaver County Career and Technology Center to receive nearly $120,000 to ensure safe operations

AMBRIDGE, Aug. 7 – The Beaver County Career and Technology Center is on track to receive $119,044 in federal funding to help the center implement safety plans for students and staff, state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced today.

The funding comes from the CARES Act, which authorizes governors to determine the educational use of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds.

"Our career and technical students are ready to get on with their lives, but the pandemic and related safety concerns have temporarily derailed education and career planning,” Matzie said. “Now, thanks to this funding, our talented young adults will soon be back on track for learning, and our area employers will be able to count on a continuing supply of well-trained applicants.”

The funds may be used for a variety of resources, including protective equipment, hand sanitizer/cleaning products; equipment or technology to take classrooms online; installation of barriers or other protective devices in building structures; and the purchase health apps to assist in contact tracing and monitoring of students.
 
The funding is part of a $10.2 million package allocated to career and technical schools throughout the state. The governor has allocated the money, and schools will be able to access the funds in the next week.

Grants were calculated based on the allocation formula for federal Perkins CTC grants, which takes into account the population of students ages 5-17 and the percent of poverty within the same age group. In addition, the formula includes a factor to account for a local education agency’s overall student enrollment in career and technical education programs.

A complete list of the funding statewide is available
here.