CCPT Frequently Asked Questions

What is the California Career Pathways Trust?

Assembly Bill 86, Chapter 48, Statutes of 2013, established the CCPT into state law. In 2014 the CCPT was added to the Education Code (EC) sections 53010 through 53016. The purpose of the CCPT is to provide funding to motivate the development of sustained kindergarten through grade fourteen (K–14) career pathways programs that connect businesses, kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) schools, and community colleges together in order to better prepare students for the 21^st century workplace.

Budget Administration

How long does it take for grantees to receive funds from the California Department of Education (CDE)?

Grant funds are processed once the budget and reporting requirements are completed by grantees. The CDE processes payment packages on a rolling basis and then sends funds to local county offices of edication. The process takes between four to six weeks.

What is the timeline for spending grant funds?

For round one grantees, all grant funds must be expended by June 30, 2018. For round two grantees, all grant funds need to be expended by June 30, 2019.

How are grant funds distributed each year of the grant?

For round one grantees, the first disbursement of 50 percent is processed once the Grant Award Notifications (GAN) are returned to the CDE and the initial budget is entered into the Program Grant Management System (PGMS).  The second disbursement of 35 percent is processed in year two once budget and data requirements are completed. The final 15 percent is processed in year three once budget and data requirements are completed.

For round two grantees, the first disbursement of 50 percent is processed once the GAN's are returned to the CDE and the initial budget is entered into PGMS.  The second disbursement of 50 percent is processed once budget and data requirements are completed.

For development grantees, the first disbursement of 20 percent is processed once the GAN's are returned to the CDE and the initial budget is entered into PGMS.  The second disbursement of 80 percent is processed once budget and data requirements are completed.

Processing of grant funds takes approximately four to six weeks.

If grantees do not use all of their funds for each budget year can the funds be carried over to subsequent years?

Yes, funds can be carried over to subsequent years. For round one grantees, all funds must be expended by June 30, 2018. For round two grantees, all funds must be expended by June 30, 2019.

What is the formal budget change process?

Budgets can be modified twice a year: May 1–July 31 (mandatory year-end budget reporting and revision) and November 1–December 31 (optional budget revision cycle).

A grantee’s budget change request will be considered only when the grantee is current with all reporting requirements.

If the budget change request involves an amount that is less than 10 percent in one object code for a single year, the grantee is expected to submit the request using the budget change excel spreadsheet to the Career Pathways mailbox at careerpathways@cde.ca.gov. The assigned CCPT Team will review and notify you of the status of your request.

If the budget change request involves an amount that is equal to or greater than 10 percent in one object code for a single year, or funding is proposed to be moved from one year to another using the same object code, the grantee is expected to submit the request by using the formal budget change request process described below. The CCPT team will review and notify you of the status of your request. To initiate a formal budget change request, the fiscal agent should prepare a letter printed on the fiscal agent’s official letterhead, signed by the fiscal agent’s authorized official, and sent electronically to careerpathways@cde.ca.gov. The letter must include:

• A brief description of the budget change request;
• An explanation concerning the reason for the budget change request;
• An attachment displaying a revised budget, clearly showing the original (approved) budget and indicating the requested change(s); and
• An attachment containing a modified budget narrative that aligns with the revised budget table and explains each revised budget item.

Please remember to complete a budget for each year of operation of your grant.

Indirect Costs

What is the definition of indirect cost?

Indirect costs are agency-wide, general management costs (i.e., activities for the direction and control of the agency as a whole). General management costs consist of administrative activities necessary for the general operation of the agency, such as accounting, budgeting, payroll preparation, personnel services, purchasing, and centralized data processing.          

Conversely, direct costs are costs that provide measurable, direct benefits to particular programs. For Local Educational Agency's (LEAs), these can include costs that relate directly to instructional programs and also support costs that relate to the peripheral services necessary to maintain the instructional programs. Examples of LEA direct costs include salaries and benefits of teachers and instructional aides, payments for textbooks, instructional supply purchases, and pupil service costs (i.e., counseling, health services, pupil transportation).

How is indirect cost calculated?

The CDE has been granted authority by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to review and approve indirect cost rates for California LEAs (county offices of education, school districts, joint powers agencies, and charter schools).

Preliminary LEA indirect cost rates are calculated in the CDE's standardized account code structure (SACS) software using an indirect cost rate work sheet (Form ICR). To calculate the rate SACS' Form ICR divides an LEAs general administration costs (the numerator of the calculation) by its operating costs (the denominator). An adjustment is also made for the difference between the rate approved for use in a year and the amount of indirect costs actually expended. (See California School Accounting Manual Procedure 915 for further information on the indirect cost rate calculation).

LEAs annually submit the Form ICR to the CDE along with their year-end financial reports. Once all LEA year-end financial data have been collected and reviewed by the CDE, a listing of approved indirect cost rates is posted.

Are indirect costs for the CCPT grant based on expenses by the fiscal agent only?

The indirect cost is for the total grant award. You can share it with your partners if you choose, but the rate cannot go above the allocated amount approved by CDE.  Indirect cost is not assessed on expenditures for capital outlay.

What is the difference between community college and LEA indirect cost calculations?

For a community college district, the administrative indirect costs (overhead) charged by the fiscal agent cannot exceed 4 percent of the total direct costs.

The CDE's federally approved indirect cost plan only covers K–12 educational programs. Questions about indirect cost rates for community colleges should be directed to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office at 916-445-8752. For more information, please visit the CDE Frequently Asked Question page.

Capital Outlay

What is the definition of capital outlay?

Capital outlay is defined as any single item purchase of $5,000 or more pre-tax and shipping.

As prescribed in the Request for Application (RFA), capital outlay is expenditures for sites, buildings, and equipment, including leases with option to purchase that meet the LEA’s threshold for capitalization. (Equipment is movable personal property that has both an estimated useful life over one year and an acquisition cost that meets the LEA’s threshold for capitalization. Refer to the district’s threshold amount for capitalization; anything less than this amount should be posted in Object Code 4000). A listing of all equipment, including the serial and model numbers, purchased with any portion of these grant funds, must be recorded and maintained in the file. This category also covers sites, improvement of sites, buildings, and improvement of buildings.

For the purposes of the CCPT purchases, facilities remodeling must be directly related to accessibility (per the Americans with Disabilities Act) to career pathway instruction or services.

What is the process to get capital outlay approval?

A Capital Outlay Request Approval Form must be completed and submitted to the CDE to request and justify capital outlay. Capital outlay is defined as any single item purchase of $5,000 or more pre-tax and shipping. Forms must be completed and approved by the CDE prior to making any capital outlay purchases.

The purchase must be:

• Directly related to a pathway program approved for assistance with the funds in the LEA’s application;
• Intended to improve, enhance or expand the pathway program;
• “Necessary” and “reasonable” for proper and efficient administration of the pathway program; and
• Specific to the pathway program – as opposed to a general expense required to carry out the agency’s overall responsibilities.

Completing the form:

• The Capital Outlay Request for Approval form can be requested by contacting your consultant via email to careerpathways@cde.ca.gov.

Processing the form:

• Send completed form and quote to the assigned CDE CCPT consultant for your region via e-mail or FAX 916-323-2817 for their review and approval. Submit one capital outlay form and quote per each capital outlay purchase.
• The consultant will send an approval letter to you if the capital outlay request is approved for purchase.
• A Budget Revision Request may be required to move funds into Object Code 6000 if the capital outlay item was not a part of the original budget.

Reminder:

• All capital outlay purchases made by the fiscal agent must be included in Object Code 6000.
• All capital outlay purchases made by a consortium partner must be included in Object Code 5000 as part of the local service agreements.
• Capital outlay costs are excluded from the determination of indirect cost rate.
• As mandated by EC Section 35168, equipment with a market value of $500 or more must be appropriately tagged as purchased with pathway funds. Additionally, these equipment items must be added to the LEAs equipment inventory record which must include nine areas of information for each equipment item: a description of the equipment; a serial or other identification number; the source of the funds used to purchase the equipment; the acquisition date; the acquisition cost; the equipment's physical location; the equipment's use, including a current use justification statement if the equipment is being used for a purpose other than that for which was originally purchased; any permanent transfer, replacement, or disposition information; and the equipment item's current condition. At least once every two years, a physical inventory must be taken and the results reconciled with the equipment inventory to verify the current utilization and continued need for the equipment.

Partner Match

Once grantees enter the estimated amount of district and business match, are partners committed to that amount throughout the entire grant funding process or can the match amount be revised at a later time?

Similar to budget revisions for CCPT funds, budget revisions for district and business match funding will change as the pathway programs expand. It is anticipated that as pathway programs expand, education funding grows, and pathway programs become more prevalent in regional communities, district and business match will also grow to ensure sustainability after the CCPT funding is expended.

If, however, there is a significant decrease in match funding, it could prompt a review from the consortium’s consultant. If there are any significant changes, please contact your consultant.

What documentation do grantees need for cash and in-kind match funding from districts and businesses?

Documentation of in-kind match funding is the tangible evidence of CCPT activities and expenditures. It is important to retain these records to track and review information for future reference and program evaluation, provide historical evidence and proof of accomplishments, and prepare for an audit and other accountability measures.

It is also a good idea to keep track of deliverables outlined in your work plan to demonstrate, in a transparent manner, progress towards successful implementation of the grant and CCPT goals and mandates.

Suggested Examples of Documentation

Salaries and Wages

• Signed timesheets with supervisory approval
• Quarterly payroll returns
• Payroll register
• Personnel file with salary/wage information
• Employment contract
• Cancelled checks/Direct deposit schedule

Travel

• Authorization/reimbursement requests
• Paid invoices and receipts
• Per diem rates (applicable for area)
• Mileage calculation
• Reconciliation of advances to payments
• Connection to work plan

Supplies

• Purchase orders
• Packing slips
• Paid receipts and invoices
• Donated Supplies, i.e., in-kind donations
• Connection to work plan

Training

• Agenda
• Course description and cost
• Sign-in sheet
• Consultant/trainer agreement
• Paid invoices and receipts
• Connection to work plan

Evaluation

• Purchase orders
• Signed agreement/contract
• Paid invoices and receipts
• Final copy of the evaluation report
• Connection to work plan

For further guidance on management of cash and in-kind match funding, please visit the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (PDF) page.

Use of Funds

Can equipment be purchased with the CCPT funds?

Please refer to the Non-allowable and Allowable Activities and Costs sections of the RFA on pages 8–9 in the CCPT Consortium Development Implementation Grant RFA, and pages 12–14 in the CCPT Implementation Grant RFA.

Are service contracts an allowable expense?

As stated in both RFAs, service contracts between members of the consortium and external service or technical assistance providers are generally an allowable expense, as long as the contract is a legal agreement between the education agency and a service provider to provide a specific service at an agreed price.

Are sub-grants or mini-grants an allowable expense?

As stated in both RFAs, sub-grants or mini-grants to members of the partnership or other agencies are not an allowable expense, since these funding arrangements typically invoice an administrative or indirect cost, which is not an allowable use of CCPT monies.

Are instructional costs an allowable expense?

Instructional costs are an allowable expense, as long as these costs are directly related to the implementation of new or expanded career pathway programs. However, these costs are not an allowable expense if the costs are related to paying for personnel assigned to an existing career pathway program.

Can CCPT funds be used to pay pathway students for internships or other work experience opportunities?

While CCPT funds can be used to support the placement of students in paid or unpaid work experience opportunities, CCPT funds should not be used, either directly or indirectly, to pay students a stipend, wage or scholarship for the work performed at internships and other work experience opportunities.

Can CCPT funds be used to pay for out of state travel for pathway students?

No, CCPT funds may not be used for student out of state travel.

Instructional Webinar Recording Links

Where can CCPT grantees view a recordings of CDE instructional webinars at a later date?

CCPT webinar recordings are housed on the California Educators Together CCPT Community Connection (Registration required) group web page.

Communication/Contacts

How can grantees notify CDE of consortium staff and contact information changes?

To add or change contacts for communication from the CCPT Team or PGMS access, please contact your assigned consultant or send an e-mail to careerpathways@cde.ca.gov.

How do grantees know who their assigned consultant is?

To find your assigned consultant please e-mail careerpathways@cde.ca.gov.