Representative Richter outlined recommended changes to the career and technical education (CTE) budget during the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division meeting, proposing restored and new funding for startup costs, grants for school-based work coordinators and additional money for a virtual-reality career-exploration program.

The proposal would keep an existing $4,000,000 allocation for continuing CTE reimbursement rates and restore more funding to a separate line for new and expanding secondary and technical programs, which Richter said he would "like to put that back up to 15,000,000." He also recommended restoring the governor's $500,000 proposal for school-based work coordinators to $750,000 and said the committee should consider adding up to $2,000,000 for virtual-reality career exploration rather than moving money from other CTE program lines.

Why it matters: CTE funding supports equipment purchases, recruiting and initial operating costs for new programs and centers; changes affect which districts can start programs and how quickly they can scale. Richter stressed the distinction between startup costs (equipment, mobile trailers, recruitment) and ongoing costs, saying the new-and-expanding line covers the upfront expenses needed to launch programs and that a separate "cost to continue" line covers ongoing operating costs.

Members asked how the additional new-and-expanding money would be used. Representative Sanford asked, "what does that mean when you get this extra money... Is it strictly for the new programs?" Richter replied that new-and-expanding money primarily pays for startup equipment and recruitment while the cost-to-continue line covers recurring expenses such as consumables and faculty.

Richter described the fiscal history: the CTE centers requested $22,000,000 for new and expanding programs; the governor proposed $4,000,000 for cost-to-continue and $4,000,000 for continuing reimbursement rates; the Senate reduced the new-and-expanding request to $3,000,000. Richter said his working plan would leave the continuing reimbursement funding at $4,000,000 and increase new-and-expanding to $15,000,000 to meet startup demand as centers come online.

On school-based work coordinators, Richter asked the committee to restore funding he said the governor proposed at $500,000 and that the Senate removed; he proposed $750,000 to support hiring coordinators who link students to internships, job shadows and local businesses. Representative Hansen summarized the baseline and said, "for this biennium the state had invested $500,000 So a $2,000,000 investment would be fourfold," noting the proposal’s scale relative to existing investment.

Richter also described the Marketplace for Kids program and recommended leaving the Senate's $100,000 increase in place; he gave a personal endorsement of the program’s reach. On virtual-reality career exploration, Richter said the program was attractive to middle and upper elementary students and that the committee should treat it separately from program expansion funding: "If we want to put 2,000,000 in it, let's put 2,000,000 in it and but leave the rest of them alone." The original ask for that line was $2,000,000; the governor proposed none; the Senate proposed $1,000,000.

Members raised rural access and capital-construction limits. Representative Hansen asked whether the new-and-expanding funds would help rural CTE requests; Richter said the line pays for equipment and program startup but not capital construction, noting programs often combine state money with local industry donations or matches. He said local businesses commonly donate equipment or funds, reducing the state share needed to launch programs.

Committee members did not take a formal vote on Richter’s proposals during this session; Richter said he planned to wait to present amendments until absent members could participate and encouraged further feedback. No formal motions or roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript.

The discussion will return to full appropriations and further committee consideration at the next scheduled meeting; Richter and other members indicated they will prepare amendments for future consideration.