(a) The Technical Education and Career System shall be under the direction of the executive director of the Technical Education and Career System, whose appointment shall be made by the Governor. Such appointment shall be in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive. Any person appointed to be the executive director shall have experience with educational systems. The executive director of the Technical Education and Career System shall be responsible for the operation and administration and the financial accountability and oversight of the Technical Education and Career System in matters relating to the central office, system-wide management and other noneducational matters. The executive director shall organize the Technical Education and Career System into such bureaus, divisions and other units as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the system, and may, from time to time, create, abolish, transfer or consolidate within the system any bureau, division or other unit as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the system. The executive director may appoint, and may prescribe the duties of any subordinates, agents and employees as he or she finds necessary in the conduct of the system.

(b) The executive director shall review and approve all contracts for the Technical Education and Career System.

(c) The executive director may enter into cooperative arrangements with local and regional boards of education, private occupational schools, institutions of higher education, job training agencies and employers in order to provide (1) general education, (2) vocational, technical, technological or postsecondary education, and (3) work experience.

(d) The executive director may, upon approval of the board, accept gifts, grants and donations on behalf of the system, including, but not limited to, in-kind donations, designated for the purchase of equipment or materials, the hiring of teachers at a technical education and career school or the acquisition of real property and the construction of facilities, except no employee of the system may accept any gift, grant or donation as an individual, or on behalf of the system, that is for personal use. Any gift, grant or donation accepted on behalf of the system shall be in accordance with the state code of ethics for public officials set forth in chapter 10. The executive director shall submit quarterly reports to the Office of Policy and Management concerning all gifts, grants or donations received pursuant to this subsection.

(e) The executive director shall establish a master schedule for the Technical Education and Career System and may amend such master schedule from time to time.

(f) The executive director shall communicate directly with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management when requesting the creation or filling of staff positions included in the operating budget for the Technical Education and Career System. When reviewing such requests, priority shall be given to any request for instructional staff, as identified in the statement of staffing needs submitted by the superintendent of the Technical Education and Career System pursuant to section 10-99g, and every effort shall be made to avoid interruption to instructional time during such review.

(g) If the New England Association of Schools and Colleges places a technical education and career school on probation or otherwise notifies the superintendent of the Technical Education and Career System that a technical education and career school is at risk of losing its accreditation, the executive director shall notify the Commissioner of Education and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education of such placement or problems relating to accreditation.

(P.A. 17-237, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 74.)

History: P.A. 17-237 effective July 1, 2019; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re any person appointed to be executive director shall have experience with educational systems and amended Subsec. (d) by adding provision re gifts, grants and donations, effective July 1, 2019.