FY17 Energy Tech FAQ

  1. Can you please tell me if our schools qualify to apply for this grant?
  2. Any public KY middle school or high school qualifies for the grant if they can show how they are incorporating Energy related activities and projects into their units or courses.
  1. The RFA says a high school and a middle school can submit jointly — can a high school submit jointly with multiple middle schools? Our district has one high school and three middle schools, for example, all of them interested in establishing an energy career pathway.
  2. Yes this is allowable.
  1. The application components on pg. 4 of the RFA, formatting requirements on pg. 5 and rubric beginning on pg. 7 send mixed messages about how we should format our applications. The required components a-hdon’t match up with sections 1-9outlined in the scoring rubric. Should we structure our application to align more closely with the application components on pg. 4, or the sections on pg.’s 7-9?
  2. We realize there are discrepancies between the RFA and the Rubric. The webinar does a great job of explaining how to make sure you cover all areas. Link here:
  1. What is the page limit? The page limits outlined under Formatting Requirements on pg. 5 are somewhat confusing, especially in reference to “b. Timeline (application component 2 item g listed above) — 1 page” since item g listed above says “Budget summary form.”
  2. Here are the page limits:
  3. Narrative (items a,b,c,d,e,f) 4 pages
  4. Timeline 1 page
  5. Budget Summary form (item g) 1 page
  6. Budget Narrative (item h) 1 page
  1. Can multiple teachers be used to teach the courses designate for this program, or does one teacher need to teach all courses?
  1. Yes it could be spread among multiple teachers with appropriate certifications.
  2. Teacher Availability/Certification -- Applicant must have available or be willing to hire qualified teachers with proper certifications to teach in the appropriate CTE Courses at the middle and high school level.
  1. How much does it cost for each person to be trained?
  2. There is no specific training required to apply for this grant. This depends on if there are requirements within a specific curriculum the school chooses to use.
  1. Who is required to attend training (in addition to teachers)?
  2. There is no specific training required to apply for this grant. This depends on if there are requirements within a specific curriculum the school chooses to use.
  1. Is there a list of required/recommended equipment?
  2. This is up to the school depending upon how they implement energy related activities and projects into the middle/high school program area.
  1. Is there an estimated cost for required/recommended equipment?
  2. This is up to the school depending upon how they implement energy related activities and projects into the middle/high school program area.
  1. What are teacher qualifications for this program?
  2. Teacher Qualifications vary greatly depending on which pathway you choose to incorporate energy related activities and project into. The pathway chosen will dictate teacher credentials. Some of the more common pathways are (not an all-inclusive list):

Aerospace Engineering (14.0201.01)

Civil Engineering (14.0801.00)

Electrical/Electronics Engineering (14.1001.00)

Industrial/Mechanical Engineering (14.3501.00)

Energy Management (15.0503.02)

Sustainability and Energy Application Technician (15.0503.01)

Energy Technology can be embedded within other pathways as well, for example Automotive Technology could incorporate bio-diesel, electric vehicles, etc.

  1. Is it mandatory the school offer an “Energy” pathway or may the school offer a program like PLTW Engineering which may include sections of study which includes alternative energy instruction?
  2. No it is not mandatory that schools offer an “Energy” pathway as long as the grant narrative clearly explains the energy related activities and projects are embedded within the chosen pathway.
  1. Our district is interested in creating an Energy Career Pathway for our students, and an implementation grant from KDE could go a long way in helping us establish it. However, the RFA stipulates that to be eligible for the grant, we “…must: a. have implemented and/or requested an approved Career and Technology Education (CTE) program of study for an Energy pathway by the area KDE Consultant and b. complete all required special program agreements and registrations.”

Our district has established biomedical and engineering pathways, but we don’t have an energy pathway. We’d be starting from scratch. Are we eligible?

  1. Yes your district would be eligible to create a new energy pathway or embed energy activities and projects into an existing pathway.
  1. Would we be eligible to apply for the Energy Technology Engineering Career Pathway Grant with our SREB Energy and Power Advanced Career Pathway?
  2. Yes, but the grant narrative must include how energy is incorporated into this pathway.
  1. The email we received about the grant had a PLTW banner across the top. Is this grant associated with PLTW? Or may we investigate other energy programs like the National Energy Education Development Project and build a program using different resources to fit our needs?
  2. This grant opportunity is in NO way associated with Project Lead The Way (PLTW). School districts can choose from a variety of pathways to incorporate energy related activities and projects. These pathways may or may not include PLTW courses.
  1. I am not familiar with Energy Technology Engineering Career Pathway. Currently, our school has an Engineering Pathway with PLTW. We are implementing the Intro to Engineering class and will add Principles of Engineering next year, as well as AeroSpace Engineering and Computer Science Principles. Do we have to have a specific Energy Tech Engineering class or pathway to qualify? If so, what are those because I do not see them in the Engineering PLTW Program of Studies?
  2. Certain engineering courses have energy embedded activities and projects. Please check with your engineering teacher to better understand which courses you offer incorporate energy. You can also apply to add additional energy related activities and projects into existing courses.
  3. We currently offer PLTW course of Design & Modeling and feed into our high school programs and academies for PLTW BioMedical, Engineering, and Computer Science. I was wondering if my school and/or program were eligible.
  4. Middle schools are allowed to apply for this grant as long as the grant narratives explains how energy will be incorporated into existing or new courses (units) offered.
  1. We need to upgrade our computer lab.Does this qualify for the grant?
  2. Yes if the computers are used for energy related activities and projects.
  1. We implemented an Energy pathway this year. The initial purchasing of equipment, teacher training and consumables has been funded through a number of grants and funds. We still need to purchase more equipment, training and consumables. Can we list previous expenditures in the match? Can our timeline include past actions? I think the answers are yes but I wanted to make sure.
  2. Yes and Yes
  1. How do I determine the value of a person’s time when calculating the match for volunteer services?
  2. This is based on their hourly wage in their current paid position.
  1. At present I am not sure which partner organizations we will have, it could be high school alone, could be partnered with a middle school? DO YOU allow partners with University departments? IE could I be a graduate student working on a PhD while the academic work to obtain the phd was actual development/administration/implementation was the primary academic focus... ( this is a concern as the grant states a commitment to see the project thru... I would be doing so just as a transition from a K-12 teacher to a potential doctoral student whose dissertation would be related to the implementation/evaluation of the energy pathway program i hope to propose with this grant.
  2. If school districts choose to implement the Energy Career Pathway program in partnership with area technology centers or community/technical colleges, they may prorate a portion of the grant funds to these agencies. Such allocation must be allocated and reported to KDE.