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Posts Tagged ‘Perkins’

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OVAE Seeks Input on a Research Center for CTE

Friday, October 7th, 2011

OVAE is planning a competition for a national research center to carry out scientifically based research and evaluation, and to conduct dissemination and training activities consistent with Section 114(d)(4) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. It seeks input on research topics and on types of dissemination activities and technical assistance to states to address the education, employment, and training needs of students in career and technical education programs. Please submit your comments to [email protected] or at the Department of Education’s blog at http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/10/national-research-center-for-career-and-technical-education/ by Oct. 21, 2011.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Research
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, WIA, Bills Introduced

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Senate Reluctant to Vote on Education Funding Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) announced this week that he plans to bring three appropriations bills to the floor for a vote this month: Agriculture, Transportation-HUD and Commerce-Justice-Science. However, it is unlikely that the Labor-HHS-Education bill will go to the floor because Senate Republicans are opposed to it.

CTE Highlighted at House WIA Hearing

During Tuesday’s hearing, “Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act: Developing an Effective Job Training System for Workers and Employers,” members of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training heard a number of suggestions on how to improve the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

The consensus among witnesses was that the workforce system must be employer driven, flexible and respond to local needs. Witnesses were also concerned about the heavy burden the current system places on providers, as well as the level of federal involvement. “There is a high reporting burden, and in my mind, before you cut any dollar to the customer, you’ve got to cut down the bureaucracy,” said Kristen Cox, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services.  

Jaime Fall, Vice President of Workforce and Talent Development Policy at the HR Policy Association, urged Congress to “ensure the skills developed through job training programs meet the needs of employers” by giving priority to “training resulting in employer recognized credentials that document skills.” Fall also voiced HR Policy Association’s support for CTE and Perkins-funded programs, saying:

Our members believe that career and technical education programs funded through the Perkins Act are a critical component of the overall national strategy to develop a skilled workforce. We encourage you to strongly support these programs as you discuss WIA, No Child Left Behind and the Perkins Act.

This is not the first time the HR Policy Association has showed their support for Perkins and CTE on Capitol Hill. This summer they sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to restore Perkins Act funding.

Bills Introduced

Ready to Compete Act

Rep. John Yarmuth (KY) has introduced H.R. 3036, the Ready to Compete Act, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act to award grants to prepare individuals for 21st century careers. The bill would update the Ready to Learn program under ESEA and create a new Ready to Earn program under WIA. These programs would encourage the use of technology and public television to expand the availability of workforce training programs, GED preparation, and adult education initiatives, while providing new resources for classroom instruction and school readiness efforts.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: House Appropriations, Community College Grants, ESEA Markup

Friday, September 30th, 2011

House Labor-HHS-Education Funding Bill Released

As we told you this morning, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education released a draft of their FY12 appropriations bill. The bill provides for $153.4 billion in discretionary spending, which is $4 billion below FY11 enacted levels. However, this is a much smaller cut than the $18 billion proposed in Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s (WI) FY12 budget plan.

Perkins Act funding was maintained in the House’s current proposal, but not all education and workforce programs fared as well. The bill eliminates 31 programs from the Department of Education, including the Elementary and Secondary Counseling Act, High School Graduation Initiative, Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation grants, and FIPSE. The Pell grant maximum award was maintained at $5,550, but eligibility was eliminated for less-than–half-time students and the proposal would reduce the semesters that a student can receive the grant from 18 to 12.

Programs within the Department of Labor saw significant cuts, including:

The bill is not scheduled to be marked up by the Appropriations Committee, but these funding levels will likely be part of a House omnibus bill.

TAA Community College Grants Awarded

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter announced $500 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants to 32 community colleges this week. The grants will be used for targeted training and workforce development to help dislocated workers obtain the skills they need to change careers. The grants support partnerships between community colleges and employers to develop programs that provide career pathways and build instructional programs that meet industry needs. Congress allocated $2 billion for the TAACCCT program to be awarded in each of fiscal years 2011-2014.  A list of grantees can be found here.

Senate ESEA Markup Scheduled

Senator Tom Harkin (IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that they will markup an Elementary and Secondary Education Act bill on October 18. In a statement, Harkin said “This reauthorization is now more than four years overdue, and our students, schools, and communities cannot afford to wait any longer.” Draft language has not yet been released, but we will keep you posted on any further developments.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

By admin in Legislation
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Perkins Funding Maintained in House Proposal

Friday, September 30th, 2011

The House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee released its FY12 bill yesterday. In it, the House proposes to maintain Perkins funding. Given the House’s stated goal of reducing federal spending, this is a tremendous victory for Perkins and CTE!

As we reported last week, the Senate also proposed level funding for Perkins in their appropriations bill, so there is a good chance that the final bill will reflect this consensus. However, this is not guaranteed, and we must continue to fight for CTE funding. I encourage you to call your Members of Congress and thank them for preserving Perkins funding in their respective draft bills, but also ask them to keep  Perkins level funded in the final bill.

I also encourage you to ask your business and industry partners to show their support for CTE funding by signing onto a business letter that we, along with ACTE, AACC, CCSSO and AASA, are planning to send up to Congress in October. If you have businesses in your state that want to sign on, please have them email me at [email protected].

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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Senate Proposes Level Funding for Perkins Act

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education marked up their FY 2012 appropriations bill this afternoon. The bill would reduce FY12 funding from the FY 2011 enacted level by $308 million. While we have not yet seen bill language, we have learned that Perkins Act funding would be level funded. Given the fiscal climate on Capitol Hill, and the number of programs cut and eliminated in FY11, we are encouraged by the Senate’s plan to maintain Perkins funding. Some of the other highlights of the bill include:

The subcommittee voted 10 – 8 in favor of referring the bill to the full committee, and it is expected to be marked up tomorrow. The bill will not likely be considered on the Senate floor, but will be included as part of an omnibus bill later this fall.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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NASDCTEc Webinar: The Ins and Outs of Advocating

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Recent cuts to the Perkins Act and the threat of further cuts to all discretionary programs reinforces the need to let Congress know that CTE programs are vitally important to preparing individuals for careers and turning around the economy.

Join NASDCTEc’s Public Policy Manager, Nancy Conneely, as she walks you through how to be an effective advocate for Perkins and CTE. While many use the terms “lobbying” and “advocating” interchangeably, there is a difference. So, even if your state prohibits you from lobbying, there are still things you can do to bring attention to the importance of CTE at a time when it is needed more than ever.

When: Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
Where: http://nasdcte.adobeconnect.com/advocacy/

You do not need to register for this webinar. Simply log in using the link on September 14th.

By admin in Webinars
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CompTIA Supports Fight to Recover Perkins Funding

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Federal funding cuts to Perkins will scale back the number of educated and skilled workers who are needed to help rebuild the nation’s economy, according to a recent blog by CompTIA. The non-profit is dedicated to advancing the global interests of information technology (IT) professionals and companies including manufacturers, distributors, resellers, and educational institutions.

CompTIA is urging its members to contact their local Congressman, discuss the importance of career and technical education (CTE), and urge Congress to restore funding to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

“In the IT industry, 400,000 jobs are open on any given day, waiting to be filled with qualified personnel,” says Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA, said in the blog. “Further cuts to Perkins will damage a key conduit in our nation’s IT workforce pipeline. “

Kimberly Green, NASDCTEc Executive Director, said Perkins supporters should expect a tough fight for Perkins funding as all federal spending is expected to be scrutinized.

“The CTE community has to do a more thorough job of educating the members of Congress about the value and success of CTE programs. We need to shift the mindset that these crucial federal funds are an investment, bringing a positive return to the economy, not just an expenditure.”

By admin in Public Policy
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Legislative Update: Deficit Committee, Bills Introduced

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Congress Appoints Deficit Reduction Committee

The Budget Control Act, which raised the debt ceiling earlier this month, requires Congress to select a bipartisan, bicameral committee to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion. Congressional leaders this week revealed their picks:

Senate

House

The co-chairs are Sen. Murray and Rep. Hensarling. The committee has until December 23 to vote on a final bill to reduce the deficit. If the committee cannot come up with $1.5 trillion in cuts or revenue, that will trigger $1.2 trillion in across the board spending cuts that will go into in 2013.

Because of the sheer number of cuts that need to be made to reduce the deficit, there is great potential for Perkins funding to be affected. And if we are not a part of the committee’s cuts, we may be impacted by the across the board cuts that will go into effect if the committee does not meet its $1.5 trillion target.

We encourage you to reach out to your members of Congress, but the committee members in particular, to ask them to preserve Perkins funding. Given that Perkins was cut in FY 2011, we know that we are vulnerable. Now is the time to tell Congress how those cuts and future cuts will hurt CTE students and programs.

Bills Introduced:

Hire, Train, Retain Act
Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH) introduced H.R. 2742, Hire, Train, Retain Act of 2011, which would provide tax incentives to employers for providing training programs for jobs specific to the needs of the employers.

METRICS Act
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Richard (CT) introduced S. 1464, Measuring and Evaluating Trends for Reliability, Integrity, and Continued Success (METRICS) Act of 2011. This bill is designed to help states implement integrated statewide education longitudinal data systems by awarding grants to state educational agencies.

Early Intervention for Graduation Success Act
Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) introduced S. 1495, Early Intervention for Graduation Success Act in an effort to curb dropout rates. This bill would amend ESEA to direct competitive grants to states and school districts with the lowest graduation rates for school dropout prevention activities.

By admin in Legislation
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New NASDCTEc Resource: Perkins Funding Table for FY 1991-2011

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Take a look at the latest resource from NASDCTEc to learn about changes in federal funding for Career Technical Education (CTE) over the last two decades. Funding levels for Basic State Grants, National Programs and Tech Prep are listed in addition to total appropriations for each fiscal year from 1991 through 2011.

To view the document, please click: Federal Appropriations for Career Technical Education: Fiscal Year 1991-2011.

By admin in Advance CTE Resources, Public Policy
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Final WIA/Perkins Dear Colleague Letter Signed by 29 Senators

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Thank you for reaching out to your Senators to support Perkins and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding through Sen. Blumenthal’s recent Dear Colleague letter. The letter was closed out last Friday with a respectable 29 signatures from the following Members:

Blumenthal (CT)
Collins (ME)
Rockefeller (WV)
Snowe (ME)
Begich (AK)
Kerry (MA)
Gillibrand (NY)
Levin (MI)
Leahy (VT)
Wyden (OR)
Sanders (VT)
Lautenberg (NJ)
Franken (MN)
Cantwell (WA)
Merkley (OR)
Kohl (WI)
Schumer (NY)
Stabenow (MI)
Tim Johnson (SD)
Tom Udall (NM)
Boxer (CA)
Akaka (HI)
Menendez (NJ)
Cardin (MD)
Durbin (IL)
Whitehouse (RI)
Tester (MT)
Reed (RI)
Lieberman (CT)

The letter will be sent to the chairman and ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee for review.

By admin in Public Policy
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