TX SB1826

Designates Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs as career and technology education programs, making them eligible for CTE funding, and creates a $50,000 Military Pathway Grant Program for districts implementing JROTC with annual aptitude testing and career counseling, capped at $2 million annually

Increases the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program funding cap from $5 million to $20 million annually and raises per-student allotments for P-TECH and New Tech Network campuses from $50 to $150, calculated on average enrollment rather than daily attendance

Requires R-PEP partnerships to offer specific programs of study including computer programming, cybersecurity, or skilled trades (plumbing, electrical, welding, diesel/heavy equipment, aviation maintenance, or agricultural engineering) to qualify for funding beginning September 1, 2027

Allows school districts to use Foundation School Program funds to provide advising support to graduates for two years post-graduation and to educate high school graduates still enrolled in dual credit programs like P-TECH and R-PEP

Expands the new instructional facility allotment definition to include renovated facilities for high-cost CTE programs and increases the annual cap from $100 million to $150 million, while increasing the industry certification exam subsidy limit from one to two per student