Perkins Supplemental Enhancement Grant

Perkins Supplemental Enhancement Grant is a grant from the Connecticut State Department of Education that provides supplemental funding to secondary education institutions to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Authorized under the Carl D.

Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, the grant supports improvements to CTE curriculum, equipment, and instruction to better prepare students for college and careers in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand fields. Eligible applicants are secondary education institutions in Connecticut participating in CTE programs. The application deadline for the current cycle was April 10, 2026.

Award amounts vary based on program needs and available funding.

Career and Technical Education ## Preparing Students for College and Careers in High Skill, High Wage, and/or High Demand # Department of Education # Due: April 10 , 2026 Equal Opportunity Statement ## Connecticut State Department of Education ## Charlene M.

Russell-Tucker ## Commissioner of Education The Connecticut State Department of Education is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/ affirmative action for all qualified persons.

The Connecticut Department of Education does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of: race; color; religious creed; age; sex; pregnancy; sexual orientation; workplace hazards to reproductive systems; gender identity or expression; marital status; national origin; ancestry; retaliation for previously opposed discrimination or coercion; intellectual disability; genetic information; learning disability; physical disability (including, but not limited to, blindness); mental disability (past/present history thereof); military or veteran status; status as a victim of domestic violence; or criminal record in state employment, unless there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in any of the aforementioned protected classes.

Inquiries regarding the Connecticut State Department of Education’s nondiscrimination policies should be directed to: Attorney Louis Todisco, Connecticut State Department of Education, by mail (450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 605, Hartford, CT 06103-1841; or by telephone 860-713-6594; or by email Louis. Todisco@ct. gov).

The Connecticut State Department of Education is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Equal Opportunity Statement ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Career and Technical Education Supplemental Enhancement Grant Application ......................................................

4 I. Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 II.

Purpose of Perkins V ......................................................................................................................................... 4 III. Purpose of the Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant .....................

4 IV. Grant Eligible Participants ............................................................................................................................... 5 V.

Available Competitive Funding ......................................................................................................................... 5 VI. Eligibility Requirements ..................................................................................................................................

5 VII. Management Control of the Program and Grant Consultation Role of the State ........................................... 6 VIII.

Grant Awards ................................................................................................................................................. 7 IX. Grant Period .....................................................................................................................................................

7 X. Technical Assistance by RESC .......................................................................................................................... 7 XI.

Obligation of Grant Recipients ........................................................................................................................ 7 XII. End-of-Year Reports .......................................................................................................................................

7 XIII. Application Submission Requirements ......................................................................................................... 7 Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant 2026 Application Packet ...............

8 Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant 2026 Overview .............................. 9 Program Title: ........................................................................................................................................................

9 Program Area: ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Funding Available: ...............................................................................................................................................

10 Purpose: ................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Application Checklist .................. 11 Carl D.

Perkins – Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Application ......................................................... 12 Local Plan Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Goal/Strategy .....................................................................................

16 Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Sustainability Plan ...................................................................... 18 Instructions for ED114 Budget Form ...................................................................................................................

20 ED114 .................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Budget Narrative Instructions ..............................................................................................................................

22 Budget Narrative .................................................................................................................................................. 23 Standard Statement of Assurances for Grant Programs ............................................................................................

36 Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion – Lower Tier Covered Transactions ..............................................................................................................................................................

41 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................................................... 42 ## Career and Technical Education Supplemental Enhancement Grant The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, 20 U.S.C. § 2322 (Perkins V) was signed into law on July 31, 2018.

Perkins V promotes reform, innovation, and continuous improvement in career and technical education (CTE) to ensure that students acquire the skills and knowledge they need to meet challenging state academic standards and industry-recognized skill standards. It prepares students for postsecondary education, further learning, and a wide range of opportunities in high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand industries and occupations. ## II.

Purpose of Perkins V The purpose of Perkins V is to develop more fully the academic, technical, and employability skills of secondary and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in CTE programs and programs of • builds on the efforts of states and localities to develop challenging academic and technical standards and to assist students in meeting such standards, including preparation for high skill, high wage, or in-demand occupations in current or emerging professions; • promotes the development of services and activities that integrate rigorous and challenging academic and career and technical instruction, and that link secondary education and postsecondary education for participating career and technical education students; • increases state and local flexibility in providing services and activities designed to develop, implement, and improve career and technical education; • conducts and disseminates national research and information on best practices that improve career and technical education programs and programs of study, services, and activities; • provides technical assistance that promotes leadership, initial preparation, and professional development at the state and local levels and improves the quality of career and technical education teachers, faculty, administrators, and counselors; • supports partnerships among secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, baccalaureate degree granting institutions, area career and technical education schools, local workforce investment boards, business and industry, and intermediaries; • provides individuals with opportunities throughout their lifetimes to develop, in conjunction with other education and training programs, the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United States competitive; and • increases the employment opportunities for populations who are chronically unemployed or underemployed, including individuals with disabilities, individuals from economically disadvantaged families, out-of-workforce individuals, youth who are in, or have aged out of, the foster care system, and homeless individuals.

## III. Purpose of the Career and Technical Education Secondary ## Supplemental Enhancement Grant Perkins V legislation allows states to distribute a portion of the local funds to foster innovation through the identification and promotion of promising and proven CTE programs, practices, and strategies.

The supplemental enhancement concept was created to assist Perkins V secondary recipients in offering programs, practices, and strategies that prepare individuals for nontraditional fields and/or promote the development, implementation, and adoption of programs of study or career pathways aligned with State-identified high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or industries. ## IV.

Grant Eligible Participants Only those districts having received Perkins V funds during the 2025–2026 school year may apply for the Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant. Eligible participants must reside in a rural area (see table below) or have a high percentage and high number of career and technical students (at least 40 percent, unduplicated CTE enrollment for the 2025–2026 school year).

This funding source should assist in the advancement of goals established by the Connecticut State Board of Education and Perkins V legislation.

Table of Rural Towns in Connecticut* Andover East Granby Middlebury Sherman Ashford East Haddam Middlefield Sprague Barkhamsted Eastford Morris Stafford Bethany Easton New Hartford Sterling Bethlehem Franklin Norfolk Suffield Bolton Goshen North Canaan Thompson Bozrah Haddam North Stonington Torrington Bridgewater Hampton Old Lyme Union Brooklyn Hartland Plainfield Voluntown Burlington Harwinton Pomfret Warren Canaan Hebron Portland Washington Canterbury Kent Preston Westbrook Chaplin Killingly Putnam Willington Chester Killingworth Redding Winchester Colebrook Lebanon Roxbury Windham Columbia Lisbon Salem Windsor Locks Cornwall Litchfield Salisbury Woodbridge Coventry Lyme Scotland Woodbury Deep River Mansfield Sharon Woodstock > *(February 2025).

Retrieved October 22, 2025, from http://www. ruralhealthct. org/towns.

htm . ## V. Available Competitive Funding Selected districts will be awarded a minimum of $25,000 up to a maximum of $50,000 to be encumbered by September 30, 2026 .

See obligation and liquidation dates on page 7, Section IX. This funding will be made available contingent upon the availability of Perkins V grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education. A sustainability plan must be developed and submitted with the grant application showing how grant initiatives will continue with local funding.

Also, please note that funding can be used for students participating in CTE courses in Grades 6–12 only. ## VI. Eligibility Requirements This is a competitive grant and is not an entitlement.

The following must be met in order for a district to be eligible to apply for funding: • size, scope and quality consistent with the approved local five-year Perkins Secondary Plan must be adhered to and administered under all projects funded by the Supplemental Enhancement Grant; • programs are taught by certified CTE teachers or are interdisciplinary/team curriculum projects involving both CTE and academic certified staff; and • career pathway(s) must be established or improved in one or more of the following career 2025/2026 Career Clusters o Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; o Architecture and Construction; o Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications o Business Management and Administration; o Education and Training; o Hospitality and Tourism; o Information Technology; o Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and o Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.

2026/2027 Career Clusters o Arts, Entertainment and Design o Energy and Natural Resources o Healthcare and Human Services o Hospitality, Events, and Tourism o Management and Entrepreneurship o Public Service and Safety o Supply Chain and Transportation ## VII. Management Control of the Program and Grant Consultation Role of the The grantee has overall management control of the Grant.

While CSDE staff may be consulted for their expertise, they will not be directly responsible for the selection of subgrantees or vendors, nor will they be directly involved in the expenditure and payment of funds obligated by the grantee or sub-grantee.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) reserves the right to make grant and contract awards under this program without discussion with the applicants; therefore, proposals should represent the applicant’s best effort to ensure a quality proposal from both a technical and cost standpoint. All awards are subject to the availability of federal funds. Grants are not final until the award letter is executed.

The manager of the CTE unit will issue notification of the grant award. The level of funding and effective dates of the project will be set forth in the notification of the grant award. Grants will be awarded on or after April 1 3, 2026.

All funds must be expended or obligated by September 30, 2026, and liquidated by November 30, 2026. There are no exceptions or waivers to ## X . Technical Assistance by RESC For content-specific information on career pathways and the application to the specific project area, Kyllie Freeman Sean McKeown Education Consultant Associate Educ ation Consultant 860-713-6592 860-713-6884 • ACES (Split) • EASTCONN ## XI.

Obligation of Grant Recipients Recipients of this competitive grant will be required to provide technical assistance and/or participate in statewide workshops or conferences for other local school districts requesting help in developing ## XII. End-of-Year Reports Grant recipients will be required to complete an end-of-year report. An evaluation of progress may include on-site reviews.

## XIII. Application Submission Requirements Proposals must be received via email by Fri day, April 10, 2026. Only one application per school district may be submitted.

No additional pages may be added to this RFP. The application is available on the CSDE Web site under Quick Links “Request for Proposals. ” Submitted proposals become the property of the CSDE and a part of the public domain.

The grant application with original signatures of all sections of the grant, including the ED114 and budget narrative, must be e-mailed to Sean McKeown at Sean. McKeown@ct. gov .

# Career and Technical Education Secondary # Supplemental Enhancement Grant # 2026 Grant Application Packet ## Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant The following Career Clusters: 2025/2026 Career Clusters: o Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources o Architecture and Construction o Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications o Business Management and Administration o Hospitality and Tourism o Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) o Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics 2026/2027 Career Clusters: o Arts, Entertainment and Design o Energy and Natural Resources o Healthcare and Human Services o Management and Entrepreneurship o Public Service and Safety o Supply Chain and Transportation Grant awards are a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $50,000 The purpose of the Career and Technical Supplemental Enhancement Grant is to further develop the academic, career and technical skills of secondary students who elect to enroll in CTE programs.

All grant expenditures must meet the criteria set forth in the Perkins V statutes. Examples of fundable Supplemental Enhancement options are listed below. This list is not meant to be exhaustive nor is it meant to limit funding options .

• identify and eliminate barriers to accessing CTE programming; • create or improve dual concurrent enrollment programming; • embed competencies toward industry recognized credential attainment in curricula; • provide professional learning for teachers to become certified to train students to earn industry-recognized credentials; • improve technology across the career clusters; • create or expand partnerships between high schools and businesses or not-for-profit organizations, to provide students access to internships, pre-apprenticeships, Cooperative Work Education experiences, or other Work-Based Learning experiences; • establish or expand a school-based enterprise such as an online or brick and mortar school store or banking institution; • launch a Simulated Workplace Environment that fosters in-depth, first-hand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field; • establish a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO); • provide professional learning for CTSO advisor; • purchase CTSO instructional supplies and materials (e.g., chapter handbooks, leadership development materials, and official recordkeeping handbooks); • purchase equipment that is appropriate to the CTSO program and benefits all students in a program; • develop new courses in alignment with Perkins V; • assist with transition to an innovative pilot to adopt the new career clusters; and • improve the CTE programming through contextualized projects.

## Career and Technical Education Secondary Supplemental Enhancement ## Grant Application Checklist After completing the grant application, fill out the checklist to ensure that all necessary information has been provided and submit with the application.

Place a check where information has been completed: All pages are sequentially numbered The following forms are completed and signed by the superintendent: Grant Application Cover Sheet is completed Statement of Assurances (original signature) Connecticut State Department of Education ## Carl D.

Perkins – Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Application April 13, 2026, to September 30, 2026 To Be Completed and Submitted with the Grant Application Program Funding Dates: Fiscal Agent (Individual that handles grant finances.)

4/13/2026 to 9/30/2026 Name: E-mail: Amount requested: Address: To be eligible for this grant the school must have at least 40% unduplicated CTE enrollment and/or reside in a rural area in the 2025–2026 school year (see page five of the grant application). Check the appropriate box(es) below.

40% unduplicated enrollment: Total high school enrollment Unduplicated CTE enrollment School resides in a rural town as listed on page 5 of the application.

I, , the undersigned authorized chief administrative official, submit this proposal on behalf of the applicant agency, attest to the appropriateness and accuracy of the information contained herein, and certify that this proposal, if funded, will comply with all relevant requirements of the state and federal laws and regulations.

In addition, funds obtained through this source will be used solely to support the purpose, goals, and objectives as stated herein. Signature of Authorized Administrative Official: Describe the proposed project . Projects funded through this program must foster and promote innovation through the identification of promising and proven CTE programs, practices, and strategies .

Projects must fund programs, practices, and strategies that prepare individuals for nontraditional fields; or promote the development, implementation, and adoption of programs of study or career pathways aligned with State-identified high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or industries, goals, objectives, and strategies. Include outcomes which are clearly specified and measurable.

Clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks should also be listed. ## Local Plan Summary, (page 2) ## Local Plan Summary, (page 3) ## Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Goal/Strategy State the goal/strategy from the District’s Comprehensive Local Needs Assessments (CLNA) that this project is associated with.

Describe how the project will help the district to meet or exceed the stated goal/strategy, and assist with the overall development, coordination, implementation, or improvement of ## Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Goal/Strategy (page 2) ## Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Sustainability Plan In the space below, please describe how the eligible recipient will demonstrate their commitment to continue the work of this project submitted with the grant application showing how grant initiatives will continue with local funding.

## Secondary Supplemental Enhancement Grant Sustainability Plan (page 2) ## Instructions for ED114 Budget Form *rantee Name: Enter grantee name. 7own Code: Enter three-digit local education agency code assigned by the Connecticut 6tate Department of Education. Authori]ed Amount: Enter total amount of grant allotment.

%udget: Enter amount of proposed expenditures on appropriate obMect code lines. Note: 5ound all amounts to the nearest whole dollar. 7otal: Enter the total of proposed expenditures.

Note: 7his figure should eTual Property Note: )unds expended for Code 00. 6ingle items under 000 should not be charged to property unless they are an integral part of a larger piece of eTuipment. Items under 000 should be listed as instructional supplies.

Computers and computer peripheral regardless of cost are considered property. Grant Title: Carl D.

Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Grant Project Title: Supplemental Enhancement Grant Core-CT Classification: Fund: 12060 SPID 20742 Program: 84010 Budget Reference: 2025 Chartfield1: 170003 Chartfield2: SDE00006 Grant Period: 04/1 3/2026 –09/30/2026 Authorized Amount: $ 200 Personnel Services-Employee Benefits 320 Professional Education Services 330 Employee Training and Development Services 510 Student Transportation Service ## Budget Narrative Instructions In preparing the budget narrative, provide a complete description of the expenditure for each of the codes being used and identify the program area and course(s) of the required use of funds to which the 1) Each line item in the budget narrative must identify the school(s) that will receive funds.

2) Program improvement line items in the budget narrative must stipulate the CTE program area and the 3) Each line item in the budget narrative must give a detailed description of the item(s) that will be purchased, including quantity and unit cost. Personnel costs should be shown by the number of positions, time involved, and hourly rate.

4) No more than 5 percent of the grant may be used for administrative purposes including approved indirect costs. Only school districts and regional educational service centers that have submitted indirect cost proposals for fiscal year 2025 – 2026 may apply indirect costs. 5) Compute all expenditures to the nearest dollar by line item.

Do not include cents. Amounts paid to administrative employees of the grantee not involved in providing direct services to pupils/clients. Include all gross salary payments for these individuals while they are on the grantee payroll including overtime salaries or salaries paid to employees of a temporary nature.

No more than 5% of the total grant may be used for administrative purposes. Line item 111A is considered an administrative cost, and administrative expenses in other budget code lines including (200), (322), (580), and (917) must be calculated into the 5% administrative cap. Position Description of Hourly Rate x Name/Name of Duties Total Hours Salaries for employees providing direct instruction/counseling to pupils/clients.

This category is used for both counselors and teachers. Include all salaries for these individuals while they are on the grantee payroll including overtime salaries or salaries of temporary employees. Substitute teachers or teachers hired on a temporary basis to perform work in positions of either a temporary or permanent nature are also reported here.

Individuals whose services are acquired through a contract are not included in the category. A person for whom the grantee is paying employee benefits and who is on the grantee payroll is included in this budget code; a person who is paid a fee (such as a private consultant) with no grantee obligation for benefits is not included.

Description of Duties Compensation Formula: Hourly 200 Personal Services - Employee Benefits Amounts paid by the grantee on behalf of the employees whose salaries are reported in objects 111A and 111B. These amounts are not included in the gross salary but are in addition to that amount.

Such payments are fringe benefit payments and while not paid directly to employees, these payments are nevertheless part of the cost of personnel services. Included are the employer’s cost of group insurance, social security contribution, retirement contribution, tuition reimbursement, unemployment compensation and workmen’s compensation insurance. Benefits may not exceed 25% of the total salary/stipend paid.

Position CTE Career Type of Compensation Name/Name of Cluster/Pathway/ Benefit(s) Formula 320 Professional Education Services Service supporting the instructional program and its administration. Included are curriculum improvement services, assessment, counseling and guidance services, library, and media support, contracted instructional services and substitute services.

Individual and/or Organization Providing Service Individual/Organization Name: Individual/Organization Name: Individual/Organization Name: Description of Service Total 322 In-Service (Instructional Program Improvement Services) Payments for services performed by persons qualified to assist teachers and supervisors to enhance the quality of the teaching process.

This category includes curriculum consultants, in-service training specialists, etc., who are not on the grantee payroll. List each contractor separately. [26] 330 Employee Training and Development Services Services supporting the professional and technical development of school district personnel, including instructional, administrative, and service employees.

Included are course registration fees (that are not tuition reimbursement), charges from external vendors to conduct training courses (at either school district facilities or off-site), and other expenditures associated with training or professional development by third-party vendors.

Name of Staff Receiving In-Service: Title of Event, Location and Staff Name(s): Title of Event: Staff Name(s): Title of Event: 510 Student Transportation Services Expenditures for transporting pupils to and from school and other activities. Included are such items as bus rentals for field trips and payments to drivers for transporting handicapped children.

Name of Faculty Supervisor(s) Courses Utilizing Student Transportation & Estimated Number of Students Expenditures for transportation, hotel and other expenses associated with staff travel. • Travel must be for instructional purposes, otherwise it is an administrative cost subject to the 5% cap. • Travel for CTSO advisors to National CTSO Conferences cannot utilize Perkins funds.

• Perkins cannot pay for parking, rental cars, boat slips or docking fees. Meals are not fundable expenses. Staff Name Receiving Travel Funds Courses to be Improved by and Location Cost x per unit Expenditures for non-consumable items purchased for instructional use.

List each item separately. List each item, Quantity x Cost Name of Course Career Pathway or including per Unit = Total Program Area: description of Career Pathway or item and vendor. Program Area: Course: Item Name: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: Expenditures for non-consumable items purchased for instructional use.

List each item separately. Career Pathway List each item, Quantity x Cost Name of Course or Program including per Unit = Total Area: description of item and vendor. Career Pathway or Program Area: Course: Item Name: Expenditures for non-consumable items purchased for instructional use.

List each item separately. Career Pathway List each item, Quantity x Cost Name of Course or Program including per Unit = Total Career Pathway item and vendor.

or Program Area: Course: Item Name: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: In accordance with the Connecticut State Comptroller’s definition of equipment, included in this category are all items of equipment with a value of over $5,000 and a useful life of more than one year. All computers and peripherals (regardless of unit cost) should be listed in this category.

No vehicles that are lawfully required to be registered and licenses to drive on public roads may be purchased with Perkins funds. Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: List each item, including description of item and vendor.

In accordance with the Connecticut State Comptroller’s definition of equipment, included in this category are all items of equipment with a value of over $5,000 and a useful life of more than one year. All computers and peripherals (regardless of unit cost) should be listed in this category. No vehicles that are lawfully required to be registered and licensed to drive on public roads may be purchased with Perkins funds.

Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: Career Pathway or Program Area: List each item, including description of item and vendor. • Only grantees that received indirect costs in 2025–2026 may use this line item. • Indirect costs are an administrative cost subject to the 5% cap.

Percentage Indirect Cost Total ## Standard Statement of Assurances for Grant Programs ## Connecticut State Department of Education The Applicant hereby assures the Connecticut State Department of Education that: A. The applicant has the necessary legal authority to apply for and receive the proposed B.

The filing of this application has been authorized by the applicant's governing body, and the undersigned official has been duly authorized to file this application for and on behalf of said applicant, and otherwise to act as the authorized representative of the applicant in connection with this application. C.

The activities and services for which assistance is sought under this grant will be administered by or under the supervision and control of the applicant. D. The project will be operated in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and in compliance with regulations and other policies and administrative directives of the State Board of Education and the Connecticut State Department of Education.

E. Grant funds shall not be used to supplant funds normally budgeted by the agency. F.

Fiscal control and accounting procedures will be used to ensure proper disbursement of G. The applicant will submit a final project report (within 60 days of the project completion) and such other reports, as specified, to the Connecticut State Department of Education, including information relating to the project records and access thereto as the Connecticut State Department of Education may find necessary. H.

The Connecticut State Department of Education reserves the exclusive right to use and grant the right to use and/or publish any part or parts of any summary, abstract, reports, publications, records and materials resulting from this project and this grant. I.

If the project achieves the specified objectives, every reasonable effort will be made to continue the project and/or implement the results after the termination of state/federal J. The applicant will protect and save harmless the State Board of Education from financial loss and expense, including legal fees and costs, if any, arising out of any breach of the duties, in whole or part, described in the application for the grant. K.

At the conclusion of each grant period, the applicant will provide for an independent audit report acceptable to the grantor in accordance with Sections 7-394a and 7-396a of the C. G. S.

, and the applicant shall return to the Connecticut State Department of Education any moneys not expended in accordance with the approved program/operation budget as determined by the audit. 1) For purposes of this Section, the following terms are defined as follows: a. “Commission” means the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities; b.

“Contract” and “contract” means this grant; c. “Contractor” and “contractor” means the applicant and any successors or d.

“Gender identity or expression” means a person’s gender-related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s physiology or assigned sex at birth, which gender-related identity can be shown by providing evidence including, but not limited to, medical history, care or treatment of the gender-related identity, consistent and uniform assertion of the gender-related identity or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is sincerely held, part of a person’s core identity or not being asserted for an improper purpose.

e. “good faith” means that degree of diligence which a reasonable person would exercise in the performance of legal duties and obligations; f.

“good faith efforts” shall include, but not be limited to, those reasonable initial efforts necessary to comply with statutory or regulatory requirements and additional or substituted efforts when it is determined that such initial efforts will not be sufficient to comply with such requirements; g. “marital status” means being single, married as recognized by the State of Connecticut, widowed, separated or divorced; h.

“mental disability” means one or more mental disorders, as defined in the most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", or a record of or regarding a person as having one or more such disorders; i.

“minority business enterprise” means any small contractor or supplier of materials fifty-one percent or more of the capital stock, if any, or assets of which is owned by a person or persons: (1) who are active in the daily affairs of the enterprise, (2) who have the power to direct the management and policies of the enterprise, and (3) who are members of a minority, as such term is defined in subsection (a) of C. G. S.

§ 32-9n; and j.

“public works contract” means any agreement between any individual, firm or corporation and the State or any political subdivision of the State other than a municipality for construction, rehabilitation, conversion, extension, demolition or repair of a public building, highway or other changes or improvements in real property, or which is financed in whole or in part by the State, including, but not limited to, matching expenditures, grants, loans, 2) For purposes of this Section, the terms “Contract” and “contract” do not include a contract where each contractor is (a) a political subdivision of the state, including, but not limited to, a municipality, unless the contract is a municipal public works contract or quasi-public agency project contract, (b) any other state, including but not limited to any federally recognized Indian tribal governments, as defined in C.

G. S. § 1-267, (c) the federal government, (d) a foreign government, or (e) an agency of a subdivision, state or government described in the immediately preceding enumerated items (a), (b), (c), or (d).

3) (a) The Contractor agrees and warrants that in the performance of the Contract such Contractor will not discriminate or permit discrimination against any person or group of persons on the grounds of race, color, religious creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, status as a veteran, intellectual disability, mental disability or physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, unless it is shown by such Contractor that such disability prevents performance of the work involved, in any manner prohibited by the laws of the United States or of the State of Connecticut; and the Contractor further agrees to take affirmative action