Bill to provide additional funds towards Career and Technical Education introduced to North Dakota legislature

BISMARCK, N.D. (KUMV) - The North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education is looking to the legislature for additional funding for building career centers.

The department was awarded more than $88 million dollars during the special session in 2021, which was allocated to 13 different projects. State CTE Director Wayde Sick said they are requesting an additional $40 million to cover rising inflation and construction costs.

“When these applications were submitted back in December 2021 compared to now, costs have gone up quite a bit. In order to deliver on the promise of what those applications said, we’re asking for additional legislative support,” said Sick.

About $68 million is supposed to come from the federal government, but the money has not been released yet. Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND) said during his State of the State Address that the Bank of North Dakota should cover those funds until they are released.

With several CTE facilities set to open in the next two years, Sick says it’s important to support them, as they play a vital role in the growing workforce.

“We need to attract people to move from another state to North Dakota, so Career and Technical Education is helping students get on a pathway that they will be successful in,” said Sick.

Sick added that they are also requesting more than $20 million dollars to fund projects that weren’t awarded grant funding last year, as well as some operational costs.