Montana University System
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
2500 Broadway, P.O. Box 203201, Helena, MT 59620-3201
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PACKAGE
CFDA#______
October 1, 2012
Program Title: Strengthening the Big Sky Pathways Initiative, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
2006, Reserve Funds, Title IA, Section 112 (c) (1).
The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) and the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) are
currently requesting applications from postsecondary and/or secondary institutions to demonstrate partnerships and
linkages to strengthen the work started by the Big Sky Pathways Initiative for existing and to develop new pathways.
The Montana State Plan for Career and Technical Education states these funds are to be competitively let and jointly
administered by the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Office of Public Instruction. These
grants may be considered for renewal based on successful implementation of the objectives as determined by a joint
committee from OCHE and OPI. Acceptable proposals will include the following:
1. Institutional partnerships between postsecondary and secondary institutions.
2. Postsecondary transcripted credit availability through dual enrollment or usage of the Statewide
Articulation Agreement.
3. Joint Big Sky Pathways marketing efforts
4. A component of professional development for secondary teachers, faculty, administration, counselors,
student services associates, academic advisors, admissions personnel, and registrars.
5. Follow the Big Sky Pathway approval process.
6. An accountability method to track student progress in utilizing the Big Sky Pathways Initiative.
NOTE: Please read this application carefully as the Perkins Law has changed and updated requirements are in place for
Perkins Funds. Direct all questions and/or inquiries to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education at
bsp@montana.edu.
Responses to RFP questions will be posted to: www.mus.edu/bigskypathways, prior to October 26, 2012.
Preparation and Formatting Requirements
The Perkins Reserve Request for Proposal is to be prepared and formatted according to the following specifications:
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The proposal is to be received by the OCHE offices electronically no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 26,
2012.
Proposals will not be accepted if they are received after the above date, nor will they be accepted if incomplete or
without the correct signatures. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
To apply for the Perkins Rural Reserve grant for Strengthening the Big Sky Pathways Initiative, Perkins eligible
colleges must submit a Word document or PDF to apply for these funds. The pages of each copy of the proposal
are to be sent as attachments.
The cover page of the proposal is the Format for Proposals form provided in this application packet.
Awardees will be notified by Monday, November 5, 2012.
FORMAT FOR PROPOSALS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR FUNDS FROM THE
CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2006
RESERVE FUNDS
IMPORTANT: Please type or print in ink. You may submit this report through regular mail only . PLEASE NOTE THAT
LATE, INCOMPLETE OR UNSIGNED REPORTS COULD RESULT IN FORFEITURE OF GRANT MONEY FROM NONFEDERAL FUNDS.
Eligible Recipient-Secondary and Postsecondary Institution(s)
Date of Application
Applicant or Project ID Number
Title of Proposed Project in 14 words or less (if applicable):
Project Director
Director’s Address
City
Telephone Number (s)
State
Zip
Email Address
Fax Number (s)
Fiscal Staff
Phone Number
Email
CERTIFICATION
I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that this report, is correct and complete and that all outlays and unliquidated
obligations are for the purposes set forth in the award documents.
Project Director’s Signature:
Date Signed:
CERTIFICATION AND ASSURANCES
CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2006
The applicant will comply with the requirements of P.L.105-332 (the Perkins Act) and all applicable federal and state rules and regulations,
including timely reporting of fiscal and programmatic data. In particular, P.L. 105-332 funds will be used to supplement, and in no
case to supplant, state or local funds.
The applicant assures the Montana Board of Regents that services provided under the approved project will be provided in accordance with
P.L.105-332, will not discriminate or violate provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
______________________________________ ______________________________________________
Signature LEA Dean or Principal
Printed Name
______________________
Date
______________________________________ ______________________________________________
Signature LEA Project Director
Printed Name
______________________
Date
______________________________________ ______________________________________________
Signature LEA Fiscal Agent
Printed Name
______________________
Date
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Program Year 12-13
RESERVE FUNDS
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006
Title I, Part A, Section 112 (c) (1)
A.
The Purpose
In part, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, Section 112(c) states:
(c)
In General. – From amounts made available under-subsection (a)(1) to carry out this
subsection, an eligible agency may award grants to eligible recipients for career and technical
education activities described in section 135 in(1)
rural areas;
(2)
areas with high percentages of career and technical education students; and
(3)
areas with high numbers of career and technical education students.
-ANDIn part, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, Section 135(b) states:
“Funds made available to eligible recipients under this part shall be used to support career and
technical education programs that(1) Strengthen the academic and career and technical skills of students participating in career
and technical education programs, by strengthening the academic and career and technical
education components of such programs through the integration of academics with career
and technical education programs through a coherent sequence of courses, such as career
and technical programs of study described in sections 122(c)(1)(A), to ensure learning in
(A) the core academic subjects (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Act of 1965); and
(B) Career and technical education subjects.
The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Office of Public Instruction
allocates Reserve funds to be competitively let under these requirements, and specific to
strengthen the work started by the Big Sky Pathways Initiative for existing and to develop new
pathways:
1. Institutional partnerships between postsecondary and secondary institutions.
o Postsecondary institution and secondary institution partnerships include a collaborative
training/professional development with secondary teachers, faculty, administration, counselors,
student services associates, academic advisors, admissions personnel, and registrars. The
training is to include the following updates and opportunities to further develop or enhance
new and existing Big Sky Pathways:
 Gap Analysis review or development
 Big Sky Pathways course sequence review or development
 Mutually agreed upon course content, objectives, outcomes, and methods of evaluation
 Dual Credit offering review or development
 Montana Career Information System (MCIS) integration and participation
 Training on program usage
 Training on technical aspects to upload and maintain Big Sky Pathways in the system
 Training on student use and accessibility
 All pathways among institutions must be uploaded and updated by June 30, 2013
2. Postsecondary transcripted credit availability through dual enrollment or usage of the Statewide
Articulation Agreement.
o An updated or new CTE dual credit course developed and offered in conjunction with two-year
institution
 This can include dual-credit, Statewide Articulation Agreements (START), Montana
Digital Academy courses, and/or Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate
(IB) courses
3. Joint Big Sky Pathways marketing efforts
o Access of online resources Big Sky Pathways available to the greater public for use
 This can include: online/web-based resources, links to MCIS, faculty and staff resources,
etc.
o Outreach activities to expand student usage and accessibility
 This can include: guidance programs, open houses, career and college fairs, parent nights,
etc.
4. A component of professional development for secondary teachers, faculty, administration,
counselors, student services associates, academic advisors, admissions personnel, and registrars
o Joint secondary/postsecondary advising and counseling initiatives
5. Follow the Big Sky Pathways approval process.
o Required Documentation
 Agreement Form
 Big Sky Pathway
 Gap Analysis
o Approval is required upon:
 A new pathway proposal
 A curriculum change
 A new CTE teacher or faculty member (specific renewal dates will be determined by
OPI/MUS specialists)
 Five years from initial approval
o Annual Timeline
June 1
Postsecondary uploads any curriculum changes or new pathways to SharePoint for the upcoming year
July 1
MUS specialist emails OPI program specialists any curricular changes from the postsecondary level.
July 15
Final grant and budget narrative reports are due to MUS Specialist
New applications for annual Big Sky Pathways grant from Perkins eligible institutions received
August 15
Renewal approval notifications will be sent based on final narrative reports to existing grantees
New Big Sky Pathways grant notifications sent to awardees
September 1
OPI Specialists notify appropriate institution(s) of programs with curriculum changes.
September – December
Secondary schools develop or revise pathways
December 1
Secondary schools deadline to submit new or revised pathways to SharePoint
December – March
Postsecondary institution(s) review and approve pathways
March 1
Postsecondary schools deadline to submit new or revised pathways to SharePoint
March – May
OPI/MUS review and approve pathways, utilizing SharePoint
May 1
OPI/MUS reports approval status to applicable institutions
June 1
Upload pathways to MCIS
6. An accountability method to track student progress in utilizing the Big Sky Pathway Initiative.
o The success of this Request for Proposal will be measured by the criteria listed under Section
D. Measurements of Accountability.
B.
Distribution of Funds
Under this required use, funding for up to six (6) grants in the amount of $75,000 each will be
available for strengthening the Big Sky Pathways Initiative projects. The funds requested must be
proportionate to the need identified. The Montana State Plan for Career and Technical Education
states these funds are to be competitively let and jointly administered by the Office of the
Commissioner of Higher Education and the Office of Public Instruction.
If approved for a subsequent grant, the amounts will be tiered down annually within salary expenses to
only cover activities within the grant. The tier down structure for salaries within this grant will be
100% funding for year one, 100% funding for year two, 66% funding for year three, 33% funding for
year four, and 0% funding for year five. The annual amount for activities within the grant will not
change from year to year, so long as measurements of accountability are sufficient.
C.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be approved Perkins Local Application Grant secondary or postsecondary educational
institutions.
D.
Measurements of Accountability
The success of this Request for Proposal will be measured by the following criteria:
o Final grant narrative and budget narrative reports are due to MUS Specialist by August 31
o Did the grant recipient institution(s) establish and foster relationships to include all institutions
having an established Big Sky Pathway-specific program for the purposes outlined in Section A?
o Did the grant recipient institution(s) create and execute a training session for the review and
development of Big Sky Pathways, Gap Analyses, and Agreement Forms?
 Have the partner institutions developed a method to utilize the Gap Analyses information to
affect curricular alignment?
o Did the grant recipient conduct marketing/public relations related efforts?
o Did the grant recipient institution(s) create a method to track and identify students utilizing Big
Sky Pathways?
 This includes training your secondary and postsecondary partners in identifying the students
and student pathways in a format for data sharing purposes.
 Data sets include:
 The number of new pathways uploaded to MCIS
 The number of students that have graduated from the secondary institution with a Big Sky
Pathway
o Of those students that graduated with a pathway, did they transition to postsecondary
education or training, employment, or military?
 The number of students that have successfully entered a postsecondary institution with a
Big Sky Pathway
o Is a pathway currently being utilized for advising purposes at the postsecondary level
for the students that entered with a Big Sky Pathway?
PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2006
OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND EVALUATION
RESERVE PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES
ACTIVITIES
EVALUATION
Instructions for filling out a Budget Narrative
The Budget narrative is to follow the categories on the budget spreadsheet. This is a SAMPLE BUDGET
NARRATIVE for you to refer to as you develop your own.
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For salaries, include a list of who is being paid, at what FTE and the total amount.
Hourly wages – same as salaries
Employee benefits – include a list of who is receiving benefits, what type of benefits, and how much is
paid per benefit
Consumable supplies – include a list of the types of supplies and the costs estimated with each.
Please note that this category refers to items such as office supplies and while food may be
considered consumable, it does not fit in this category.
Minor equipment – the total cost for minor equipment must be under $5,000.
Travel – include a list of who is traveling, the mileage, lodging, meals, airfare, etc. Use the state
approved reimbursement schedule. Mileage for use of a personal car is paid at 48.5 cents per mile if
no state car is available and other conditions are met. Otherwise reimbursement is 24.5 cents per
mile. In-state per diem is $23 a day ($5 breakfast, $6 lunch, and $12 dinner). Out of state per diem is
$36 per day ($7 breakfast, $11 lunch, and $18 dinner).
Indirect costs – negotiated IDC rate or 5% whichever the lesser
Sample Budget Narrative-alter as needed
School Name
Program Name and Year
Personal Services
1. Salaries
Program Coordinator
.50 (Grade __) FTE ...................................................................................................... $
Substitute Teachers
(Needed when teachers are sent to meetings, trainings, conferences, etc.)
Approximately __ days at $80 per school day .................................................................... $
Total Salaries ...................................................................................................................... $
2. Hourly Wages
Fiscal Manager (hourly rate multiplied by total hours)
3. Employee Benefits
Program Coordinator
Health insurance .......................................................................................................... $
PERS (rate ___) ........................................................................................................... $
FCIA (rate ___) ............................................................................................................. $
UCC (rate ___) ............................................................................................................. $
IAB (rate ___) ............................................................................................................... $
Fiscal Manager
Social Security (rate___) .............................................................................................. $
Retirement (rate ___) ................................................................................................... $
Worker’s Comp (rate ___) ............................................................................................ $
Unemployment (rate ___) ............................................................................................. $
Total Employee Benefits ..................................................................................................... $
4. Total Personal Services ............................................................................................................... $
Operating Expenses
5. Contracted Services .................................................................................................................... $
Website development and maintenance
6. Audit Costs................................................................................................................................... $
Brief description
7. Consumable supplies
Office supplies .................................................................................................................... $
Software/computer supplies ............................................................................................... $
Total Consumable supplies ................................................................................................ $
8. Minor Equipment (<$,5000)
Laptop computer ................................................................................................................. $
Software update .................................................................................................................. $
Total Minor Equipment........................................................................................................ $
9. Printing
In house Xerox costs .......................................................................................................... $
Newsletters and flyers ........................................................................................................ $
Promotional materials ......................................................................................................... $
Total Printing ....................................................................................................................... $
10. Postage and mailing .................................................................................................................. $
11. Telephone
Monthly charge ................................................................................................................... $
Long distance ..................................................................................................................... $
Cell phone ........................................................................................................................... $
Total Telephone .................................................................................................................. $
12. Travel
State conference
Mileage (__ at an average of ___ miles x $0.245 per mile) ......................................... $
Lodging (__ rooms at $73 per room, per night) ........................................................... $
(Airfare ____, Lodging _______, Meals _______) ....................................................... $
13. Rent ........................................................................................................................................... $
e.g. conference room
14. Utilities ....................................................................................................................................... $
15. Repair and maintenance............................................................................................................ $
16. Other .......................................................................................................................................... $
17. Total Operating Expenses ......................................................................................................... $
18. Indirect Costs (=<5%) ................................................................................................................ $
Indirect = negotiated IDC rate or 5% whichever the lesser
19. Major Equipment (=>$5,000) ..................................................................................................... $
Brief description
20. Total Budget ............................................................................................................................. $
FEDERAL Career and Technical Funds DETAILED BUDGET
Eligible Recipient: ____________________________
Original Budget
Federal
Budget
Other
Funds
Project Number: ______________
Revision No. 1
Federal
Budget
Other
Funds
Revision No. 2
Federal
Budget
Personnel Services
1
Salaries
2
Hourly Wages
3
Employee Benefits
4
Total Personnel Services
$0
$0
$0
Operating Expenses
5
Contracted Services
7
Audit Costs
6
Printing
8
Consumable Supplies
9
Minor Equip. (<$5,000)
10
Postage and Mailing
11
Telephone
12
Travel
13
Rent
14
Utilities
15
Repair and Maintenance
16
Dues, Subscriptions
17
Training Cost-Registration Cost
18
Other
19
Total Operating Exp.
$0
$0
$0
20
Indirect Costs (=<5 %)
$0
$0
$0
21
Major Equip. (=> $5,000)
22
Total Budget
$0
$0
$0
Date:
State
Approved Signature:
Other
Funds