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As another school year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of Ohio’s Career-Technical Education (CTE) students, educators, administrators, and partners.
This year, students across the state explored career pathways, earned industry-recognized credentials, participated in work-based learning experiences, competed through Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), and developed the technical and employability skills needed for future success. Their dedication, resilience, and growth continue to demonstrate the value and impact of CTE programs in preparing students for high-demand careers and postsecondary opportunities.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to the educators, support staff, school leaders, business and industry partners who make these opportunities possible. Your commitment to student success helps strengthen Ohio’s workforce & development pipeline and ensures students have access to meaningful career-connected learning experiences.
I wish everyone a safe, restful, and well-deserved summer break. We look forward to continuing our work together in the coming school year as we support student success and advance career-technical education across Ohio.
Please contact the Office of Career-Technical Education with questions you may have.
Leah Amstutz
Administrator, Office of Career-Technical Education
Ohio Department of Education & Workforce
Tiffany Cartier serves as an Educational Program Specialist in the Administrative Field Services (AFS) Team. With more than a decade of experience in federal grant oversight and administration, compliance monitoring, and program evaluation, she has played a key role in supporting statewide educational initiatives that strengthen student achievement and organizational effectiveness.
Tiffany’s skillset includes working with federal grant stakeholders, family engagement initiatives, strategic planning, data analysis and fostering collaborative partnerships with school districts and community organizations across Ohio. Known for her commitment to educational excellence and continuous improvement, she is passionate about ensuring impactful programs support successful outcomes and equitable learning opportunities for all students. Outside of her professional work, Tiffany enjoys exercising, spending quality time with her family and taking on creative Do-It-Yourself home improvement designs and projects.
Anthony Battaglia has been named the Assistant Director of Career Pathway Support Networks (CPSN) for the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce. Battaglia brings extensive leadership and educational expertise to the role. His career spans career advising, program implementation, district administration, systems redesign, and statewide leadership, with a consistent focus on expanding opportunities for students and educators across Ohio.
His professional experience includes serving with AmeriCorps, Upward Bound, and GEAR UP, as well as leadership positions in school districts throughout Northeast Ohio. Most recently, Battaglia served as a Career and Workforce Consultant at the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, supporting Career-Technical Education (CTE) and workforce development initiatives throughout the region.
Throughout his career, Battaglia has championed student success through innovative career advising practices, career exploration programming, and partnerships that strengthen pathways from education to employment. He has worked closely with school counselors, transition coordinators, intervention specialists, and district leaders to improve outcomes for learners at every stage of their educational journey.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Battaglia holds a Master of Educational Administration and has contributed to numerous state and regional advisory committees. He remains actively engaged in community service and youth mentorship programs.
As the Assistant Director, Battaglia will support Executive Director Dr. Brian Bontempo in advancing statewide initiatives that expand access to high-quality Career-Technical Education and prepare Ohio students for in-demand careers. Through collaboration with local districts, career centers, community schools, STEM schools, higher education institutions, and workforce partners, CPSN continues to strengthen Ohio’s career-connected learning system and workforce pipeline.
With the addition of $4.4 million IDEA resources, we are excited to expand the role of the CPSNs in supporting opportunities for all students to access CTE by the addition of the Career Technical Planning District (CTPD) consultants and the addition of Industry Recognized Credential consulting to the CPSNs in Ohio. This set of resources, in partnership with the Office of Exceptional Children, will continue to support schools and students, connecting regional workforce opportunities to the education and training they will receive in our schools. This is continued commitment by Ohio continues the focus on career services for all students.
As we plan for the work in 2026/2027 you will see the strong focus on high-quality programming for Middle School CTE. As we transition to a statewide model in which every 7th and 8th grade student will have access to Middle School CTE, it is imperative that we support the districts as they monitor the implementation of these new opportunities. In partnership with the CTPDs across Ohio, high-quality Career Exploration courses and the step toward a career plan for all students require support for teachers, administrators and the guidance to bring partners to the table. Career mentoring and advising plays a critical role in the process and training must be in place to support. We are working closely with a Middle School CTE Workgroup to identify challenges and opportunities to improve services and strengthen programming in the schools across Ohio. As we move into the school year, you will see that the CPSNs will continue to provide significant training and support to the field this year. Look for training and rollout information to be out in the coming weeks from your CPSN.
Reach out to your CPSN Lead for more information:
Central – Carrie Giles
East – Dr. Jamie Bollinger
Southeast – Katie Good
Northeast – Dr. Jenn Dodd
Southwest – Rita Graf
West – Pam Hunt
Northwest – Laura Kagy
The Adult Workforce Diploma Program continues to move toward FY27 implementation. September 30, 2026, is the final day invoices may be submitted for ADP and 22+ students in accepted status for FY26. The FY27 Adult Workforce Diploma Program will begin on July 1, 2026, and upcoming professional development opportunities will be available to approved providers. Applications for the Adult Workforce Diploma Program closed on June 5, 2026, and the Adult Options team anticipates notifying approved providers before July.
Mark your calendars for National Adult Education Week, September 14–19, 2026. Aspire and Adult Options look forward to recognizing and celebrating the impactful work being done across Ohio to provide meaningful educational opportunities for students, partners, providers, and communities.
Current 22+ providers may begin updating their provider applications for Year 2 of the program beginning June 15, 2026, after 11:00 a.m. No new provider applications will be accepted. The anticipated opening date for submitting Year 2 renewal students is July 13, 2026. Providers should note that no new first-year students may be added for FY27 under the 22+ program. Additionally, students in started, awarded, terminated, correction-needed, or withdrawn status during FY26 will not be eligible for renewal.
Before submitting students for Year 2, providers should ensure all invoices for content and elective credits earned during FY26 have been submitted and accepted, including assessment scores. The summer end-of-course testing window will run from June 22 through July 3, 2026. Results for mathematics, science, and social studies assessments will be available no later than July 10, 2026, while English Language Arts assessment results will be available no later than August 6, 2026.
The Agriculture Education Fifth Quarter Grant is a state-funded grant to support year-round work-based learning instruction for students enrolled in agricultural education. The grant assist local schools and career centers with supplemental fiscal resources for the delivery of extended instruction to develop student work-based learning through an organized, supervised agricultural experience.
Funding for the grant begins July 1, 2026 and runs through June 30, 2027. Successful applicants may receive grant funding in Fiscal Year 2027 for each qualifying agricultural education instructor who supervises work-based learning experiences in agricultural education. The funding application is available in the One Funding Application web application through an eligible providers OH|ID Account.
The competitive grant application is open in the One Funding Application until Monday, July 6, 2026. For questions, contact Travis Snyder at travis.snyder@education.ohio.gov.
For lead districts of career-technical planning districts (CTPDs):
- Funds must be obligated or committed by June 30, 2026
- Funds must be liquidated or claimed by September 15, 2026
- Final Expenditure Reports (FERs) are due September 30, 2026
- Reach out to the Administrative Field Service (AFS) Consultant assigned to the district for questions on allowable uses of funds.
- Be sure to add a comment in One Funding Application (OFA) detailing any budget revision to receive approval.
For lead districts of career-technical planning districts (CTPDs), FY2027 Perkins allocations will be loaded to the OFA in ED STEPS, with a substantially approved date of July 1, 2026. To receive the annual allocation aligned to the 4-year Local Application, Perkins-recipients are required to:
- Approve the PY2027 Perkins Targets that are linked in the Budget Questions in OFA
- Complete the Budget Grid in OFA, and
- Complete the annual Budget Narrative & Application Questions in OFA.
All budgeted items should be aligned to the funded strategies on the recipients Summary of the CLNA tab in One Needs Assessment in ED STEPS. The Perkins grant should be in Authorized Representative Approved status by June 30, 2026.
The biennial update of the Perkins Local Needs Assessment must be completed in ED STEPS to receive Perkins funding.
Questions can be directed to Tawanna.Fields-Mphande@education.ohio.gov.
Your feedback is needed to help shape two new tools currently under development.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is offering preview access to draft versions of Ohio High School Outcomes and Ohio Career and Technical Outcomes. These draft tools are intended to give educators and school leaders access to connected education and workforce data that, for the first time, will provide a more complete picture of what happens after students leave high school.
Because these tools are being designed to support reflection, planning, and continuous improvement, this preview provides school leaders with an opportunity to explore draft versions of the resources, review the accompanying user guide, and share feedback to help inform its continued development.
About the Resource
Developed in partnership with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, InnovateOhio, and the Ohio Education Research Center at The Ohio State University, the draft resources present six years of post-graduation outcomes (2018-2023), with annual data available at the statewide, regional, district, school, community school, and career technical planning district levels. Interactive visualizations and downloadable tables provide information on:
- Educational attainment
- College enrollment and completion
- Combined education and workforce status
- In-state employment
- Earnings
View the Draft Resources
As you preview these resources, please keep in mind that these are being shared for review and feedback purposes only. The data displays, visualizations, navigation, and accompanying materials remain subject to revision. We encourage you to focus on the usefulness, clarity, and functionality of the resources, as well as opportunities for improvement.
Please also consider the local factors that shape postsecondary outcomes. Employment opportunities, economic conditions, access to postsecondary education and training, and other community circumstances vary across Ohio and can influence the pathways available to graduates.
Next Steps: How to Submit Your Input
Your voice is essential to ensuring these resources are effective for school communities across Ohio. Please submit all feedback on the draft resources and user guide to research@education.ohio.gov by Friday, July 31.
Thank you for your invaluable partnership and your continued commitment to preparing Ohio's students for success beyond high school.
Driving Brighter Futures, a grant program offering public school automotive and engineering CTE programs the opportunity to receive EITHER a $45,000 cash grant OR a $35,000 cash grant and used shop vehicle valued at $10,000.
The Driving Brighter Futures initiative consists of 2 rounds:
In Round 1, anyone 18 and older (school staff, district officials, parents, students, community members, etc.) can nominate an automotive or engineering CTE program in a public school serving students in grades K-12 for consideration. Up to 20 nominated schools will be selected as semi-finalists
In Round 2, semi-finalist schools will be asked to submit an application packet, consisting of a video and written narrative outlining why the program needs a grant and how it would be used.
One semi-finalist school will be selected as the Driving Brighter Futures grant recipient from the submitted application packets.
Nominations are open now through August 28, 2026.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce invites stakeholders to participate in upcoming online research sessions to provide feedback that will enhance the website.
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