Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback offered a new glimpse at his still undisclosed state budget plan Monday as lawmakers formally convened the 2012 Legislature.

Brownback announced a plan to provide $20.5 million in new funding for career and technical education in the state's elementary and high schools. The announcement came during a news conference shortly before the Kansas House and Senate were ceremonially gaveled into session at 2 p.m.

The plan would be paid for partly with funding from the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas State Department of Education's proposed budgets. The training is intended to reverse a decline in the number of Kansas school students who enroll in and graduate from post high school courses in career fields such as welding, auto and aircraft mechanics, information technology and health care.

The number of students enrolling in those programs across the state has dropped from about 74,000 in 2008 to 55,000 in 2011, Brownback said. The number of students who complete the courses and receive certification in their respective fields has dropped even further - from about 14,000 in 2008 to fewer than 9,300 last year.