RICHMOND —Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons has announced the awarding of $600,000 in competitive grants to 16 school divisions to upgrade equipment for career and technical education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs in schools and technical centers.
Each division will receive $37,500 to purchase new equipment and make other improvements to enhance student learning, including Montgomery County Public Schools.
“First, I want to thank the members of the General Assembly for recognizing the importance of quality CTE programs and for their sustained support of these annual grants to school divisions,” Coons said. “These grants continue to allow our school divisions to develop robust and innovative CTE programs that are up to date technologically and help prepare students for the realities and expectations of today’s workforce.”
Montgomery County’s grant is to purchase virtual reality and mixed reality hardware and software technology for the Governor’s STEM Academy’s Implementing Design/Build Training through Virtual Reality program.
The General Assembly established the CTE equipment grant program in 2016, and the Virginia Department of Education awarded the first grants to schools and technical centers in 2017. Since then, the program has provided $4.2 million to help school divisions update equipment and enhance learning and experiences for career and technical education students.
Submitted by the Virginia Department of Education