In its 2010 application for School Improvement Grants, the Pennsylvania Department of Education identified Career & Tech Academy as a candidate for closure. The district was awarded $300,000 to cover the costs of the necessary changes. Nineteen Pennsylvania school districts and five charters statewide applied for the money. Schools accepting it must agree to adopt federal government-specified "interventions" that would lead to staffing changes and other shifts in how they operate. The School Improvement Grant program began in 2002. In 2010, there is the one-time addition of almost $3 billion in stimulus funding. The district received $3,360,000 to transform the high school. The school district was required to notify parents of its intention to implement the changes required by the grant.