Department of Education seeks $4.9M for a unified management platform and $29.5M total capital request including CTE grants

Caitlyn Davis, speaking for the Department of Education, told the Fiscal Committee the department proposed $29.5 million in capital requests for the coming biennium and said the top internal priority is $4.9 million to buy and integrate a modern education management platform to centralize inspections, investigations, credentialing and grants.

Davis said the department currently relies heavily on siloed paper and legacy systems (some dating to the early 2000s) and that consolidation would improve accountability and service to schools and the public. The department noted a likely annual operating cost of about $500,000 for licensing/maintenance.

The hearing also covered Career and Technical Education (CTE) pass‑through requests. Superintendents from Conval and Milford described revised, scaled projects after local bond outcomes: Conval scaled back to focus on in‑place program modernization while Milford reported repeated narrow bond defeats (59% support; 60% required) and is proposing program‑specific renovations and equipment upgrades.

Committee members asked how the platform would handle archival records and whether the department would digitize state board materials; Davis said the system could improve access and reduce reliance on off‑site archives.

Next steps: Department to provide more detail on phased modules, licensing costs, and the capital list for CTE projects.