How to Justify Automotive Curriculum Software in a Perkins V Grant Application
Perkins V funding is one of the most accessible sources of budget for automotive CTE programs, and curriculum software is explicitly an allowable expenditure. But many applications get flagged or denied not because the purchase is wrong, but because the justification language is weak. Here's exactly how to write it.
What Perkins V Actually Pays For
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V, effective 2019) provides federal formula funds to states, which then allocate them to local education agencies (LEAs) and postsecondary institutions. The law gives programs significant latitude to spend on career and technical education improvement, which includes equipment, materials, professional development, and yes, curriculum software.
The relevant statutory language is in Section 135 (Local Uses of Funds). Programs may use Perkins funds to:
- Provide career and technical education activities to improve the academic, career, and technical skills of CTE students
- Support the development, improvement, and expansion of the use of technology in CTE
- Develop and implement personalized learning technologies and approaches
- Purchase equipment, including instructional technology
- Develop curriculum and instructional materials to be used in CTE programs
Curriculum software sits at the intersection of several of these provisions. The challenge is that your grant reviewer, typically a state CTE office coordinator, needs to see a clear line from the purchase to student outcomes, not just a vendor description of the product.
The Language Reviewers Look For
Reviewers are trained to evaluate whether a proposed expenditure connects to the program's Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA), supports identified gaps, and will produce measurable outcomes. Generic software justifications ("we will purchase curriculum software to improve instruction") fail this test.
The language that works frames the software in terms of three things: what gap it closes, which Perkins priority it addresses, and how outcomes will be measured.
Frame 1: Closing an Identified Gap from the CLNA
Your CLNA should have identified gaps in student performance, program quality, or industry alignment. Reference those gaps explicitly. For example:
Frame 2: Connecting to a Perkins Priority Area
Perkins V has four priority populations: students with disabilities, English learners, students from economically disadvantaged families, and single parents/displaced homemakers. If your program serves any of these populations, connect the software's features to their specific needs:
Frame 3: Measurable Outcomes
Perkins funding requires programs to report on performance indicators, credential attainment, technical skill attainment, program completion, and employment placement. Your justification should connect the software to at least one of these indicators:
State explicitly which Perkins V performance indicator this expenditure supports. Reviewers are scoring applications against these indicators. If you don't name one, you're making them do work they may not bother to do.
Allowable vs. Unallowable: Where Applications Get Flagged
Not all software costs qualify under every state's Perkins interpretation. Common pitfalls:
Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase
Many states allow one-time software purchases as equipment but scrutinize recurring subscription costs. Some require recurring costs to be framed as "contractual services" rather than equipment. Check your state's Perkins guidance document, most states publish an allowable expenditure guide. If subscriptions are questioned, frame them as "software-as-a-service professional development tools" rather than equipment line items.
Administrative vs. Instructional Use
Software used primarily by administrators (scheduling, HR, financial management) is generally not allowable under local funds. Software used directly in student instruction is the clear case. If your platform includes both student-facing and instructor-facing features, document the instructional use prominently in your justification and budget narrative.
Personal vs. Program Use
Perkins funds cannot pay for software licenses that students use primarily outside of the program context (e.g., personal productivity software). Curriculum software licensed to the program and used in course delivery is clearly allowable. If students retain access after graduation as a professional tool, note this as an added workforce development benefit, not as the primary purpose.
Some states require prior approval for software purchases above a threshold (commonly $5,000–$10,000). Submitting a budget amendment after the fact creates audit risk. Confirm your state's prior approval requirements before signing a contract.
Sample Budget Narrative Language
Budget narratives are where applications live or die. Here is a complete example you can adapt for an automotive curriculum software line item:
Alignment to Perkins V Section 135(b)(2): This purchase directly supports the development, improvement, and expansion of the use of technology in CTE programs, as identified in our CLNA as an area requiring investment to close documented gaps in diagnostic competency at completion.
Performance Indicator Connection: Technical Skill Attainment (4S1/4S2). Improved task documentation and structured skills practice is projected to support a [X]% improvement in ASE student certification pass rates over the grant period, consistent with our improvement target established in our local plan.
Cost Reasonableness: Per-student cost of $[X] is consistent with comparable platforms evaluated in our procurement process. The platform provides year-round student access, instructor grading tools, LMS gradebook integration, and exportable documentation for accreditation purposes.
Connecting to Your Local CTE Plan
Your Perkins local plan commits to measurable improvements in specific performance indicators over the grant period. Before writing your software justification, pull your local plan and identify:
- Which performance indicators are below state targets
- Which of those are plausibly improved by curriculum quality (technical skill attainment is the most direct)
- What improvement target you committed to for those indicators
Then write your justification so it explicitly connects the software to those specific indicators and improvement targets. Reviewers literally check justifications against local plan commitments, a direct reference removes ambiguity and shortens the approval path.
What to Include in Supporting Documentation
Some states and LEAs require supporting documentation alongside budget justifications. Useful documents to attach or reference:
- Vendor quote or contract draft, establishes cost reasonableness and confirms the software is instructional
- Feature list or demo summary, confirms the software delivers the capabilities described in your justification
- ASE task list alignment map, shows which specific ASE tasks the software supports (ask vendors for this)
- CLNA excerpt, the specific gap or need statement your justification references
- Comparison with at least one alternative, demonstrates your procurement process was competitive
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we use Perkins funds to pay for a multi-year software contract?
Typically yes, but only for the portion of the contract falling within the grant period. Perkins funds are awarded annually and cannot pre-pay for future years. A multi-year contract is allowable if you budget one year at a time and renew the expenditure in each grant year's budget. Some states require multi-year contracts to go through a formal procurement process regardless of dollar amount.
Can secondary and postsecondary programs both use Perkins to fund the same platform?
Yes, but they would be separate expenditures from separate allocations (secondary LEA funds vs. postsecondary institution funds). A shared platform serving students in both contexts can be funded proportionally, the secondary program funds the portion serving secondary students, the postsecondary program funds its portion. Document the student population split clearly in both budget narratives.
Our state CTE office is strict about technology purchases. What's the strongest argument for software approval?
Connect the purchase directly to a documented performance indicator gap in your CLNA, name the specific Perkins performance indicator it supports, and quantify the expected improvement in your local plan targets. Reviewers who are skeptical of technology purchases become supportive when they see the chain: identified gap → specific intervention → measurable outcome. Vague justifications invite rejection.
Can Perkins funds cover training and professional development for using the software?
Yes. Professional development is explicitly allowable under Perkins V Section 135(b)(3). If your platform vendor provides instructor training (onboarding sessions, webinars, or on-site training), those costs can be funded as a separate professional development line item, or included in the software contract if bundled.
Does the software need to be "approved" by the state before purchase?
States do not maintain approved curriculum software lists, unlike some states' textbook adoption processes. Perkins spending is subject to prior approval requirements that vary by state (usually for purchases above a dollar threshold), not product-level approval. What matters is that your expenditure is justified, connected to your local plan, and aligned to Section 135 allowable uses.
Need documentation to support your Perkins application?
We can provide ASE task list alignment maps, feature documentation, and pricing quotes formatted for grant budgets. Talk to our team before your application deadline.