Perkins « Advance CTE Blog

Senate Passes CR, Tech Prep Safe For Now

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

This morning the Senate passed H.J. Res. 44, a short term continuing resolution that will fund the government until March 18. The House and Senate now have two additional weeks to work out a compromise on a longer term funding bill.

The bill funds most programs at current FY10 levels, but there were $4 billion in cuts. Tech Prep is not one of the programs cut in this bill, but Section 117 of Perkins, Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Vocational Institutions, was cut. This program awards grants to eligible tribally controlled postsecondary CTE institutions to provide basic support for the education and training of Native American students in CTE programs and for institutional support of tribally controlled postsecondary career and technical institutions.

While the maintenance of Tech Prep funding in this bill is an achievement, and shows that the advocacy efforts of the CTE community are making a difference, the fight is not over. This bill buys Congress additional time to work out a compromise, but Republicans in the House remained committed to deep cuts, of which Tech Prep could still be one. If we stop the fight now, Congress will not think Tech Prep and Perkins funding are important to their constituents or understand the affect these programs have on their state and district.

Please continue the great advocacy work you have been doing:

Call your Members of Congress to urge them not to cut Perkins Tech Prep funding
Send achievement and placement data, student stories, and best practices to your Members of Congress
Invite your Members of Congress to visit a CTE program in their state or district to see first-hand the impact of CTE and Tech Prep
Contact the media in your city or town to let them know the devastating impact cuts to Perkins will have on students and the local economy

This work could truly make a difference!

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, Congress, Data, funding, Perkins, Tech Prep

House Introduces Short Term CR to Avoid Government Shutdown

Sunday, February 27th, 2011

On Friday the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a short term continuing resolution (CR) that, if passed by the Senate and signed by the President, would fund the government until March 18, allowing time for a compromise to be reached on a longer term funding bill. Passage of this CR will prevent a government shut down that could otherwise occur on March 4. The CR contains funding to allow government agencies and programs to continue operating at current spending levels for the next two weeks, except for several programs that will be terminated or cut.

These cuts and eliminations total $4 billion in spending reductions, however, Tech Prep is not one of the programs targeted for cuts in this bill. While this is significant, and shows that the advocacy efforts of the CTE community are making an impact, the fight is not over. This bill buys Congress additional time to work out a compromise, but Republicans in the House remained committed to deep cuts, of which Tech Prep could still be one.

Please continue to call your Members of Congress to urge them not to cut Perkins Tech Prep funding!

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, Congress, Perkins, president, Public Policy, Tech Prep

House Passes Funding Bill That Would Cut Tech Prep

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

At 4:30 a.m. this morning the House voted 235-189 to pass H.R. 1, the continuing resolution (CR) that would reduce spending on federal programs by $60 billion below current FY10 levels. The bill includes cutting $103 million from Perkins Tech Prep.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) said of the bill, â€œCongressional Republicans have spent the last six weeks ignoring jobs and refusing to offer a plan to grow our economy. Today, they have made matters worse â€“ passing a spending bill that destroys jobs, weakens the middle class, hurts schools and young adults, eliminates assistance to homeless veterans, and diminishes critical investments in our future.â€

When the Senate returns from recess on February 28, they will take up the bill, but it is unlikely to pass. The Senate has said they will introduce their own short term resolution. Earlier this week, House Speaker John Boehner (OH) said that he would not vote for a CR that does not include cuts, but yesterday he said that a CR that could avoid a government shutdown would be ready â€œsoon enough.â€

Remember to call your Senator TODAY to ask them to restore Tech Prep funding!

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, Congress, federal legislation, funding, Perkins

Legislative Update: Appropriations, ESEA

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Debate on FY11 CR Continues in the House

The House planned to hold votes yesterday on H.R. 1, the continuing resolution (CR) that proposes to cut $100 billion from federal programs, including $103 million from Perkins Tech Prep. However, the vast number of amendments (many of which call for deeper cuts) has kept debate going late into the night this week. The House is now expected to conclude debate and hold a vote tomorrow.

The bill will then move to the Senate the week of February 28, where it is not expected to pass. The Senate has said they will introduce their own short term resolution, but House Speaker John Boehner (OH) has said that he will not vote for a CR that does not include cuts, which could result in a government shutdown.

Remember to call your Member of Congress TODAY to ask them to preserve Tech Prep funding!

President Meets with Congressional Leaders to Discuss ESEA

Yesterday morning President Obama with the â€œBig 8,â€ the education committee chairmen and ranking members, and subcommittee chairmen and ranking members of the committees that oversee K-12 education issues. This group includes Sens. Tom Harkin (IA), Mike Enzi (WY), Jeff Bingaman (NM), and Lamar Alexander (TN); and Reps. John Kline (MN), George Miller (CA), Duncan Hunter (CA), and Dale Kildee (MI).

According to the White House, the group discussed redefining the federal role in education, raising expectations for students and schools, boosting teacher effectiveness, and providing greater flexibility to support innovation and improvements. The timing of the meeting shows that the Obama Administration is committed to reauthorizing ESEA this year.

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, Congress, funding, NCLB/ESEA, Perkins, president, Public Policy

OVAE Continues â€œCommunity Conversationsâ€ on CTE

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

During NASDCTEcâ€™s Fall Meeting in October 2010, OVAE kicked off their â€œCommunity Conversationâ€ listening sessions on CTE and Perkins. Since that first listening session, OVAE has hosted six other sessions throughout the country, getting feedback from stakeholders on the following questions:

How can states and local programs better prepare students for college (without the need for remediation) and careers?
What has been your experience in implementing programs of study [career pathways] and what actions need to be taken to further support their availability and effectiveness for students?
What partnerships have you formed to implement your programs of study and what supports should be provided to continue and expand those relationships?
How do you measure your studentâ€™s success, particularly as it relates to college and career readiness, and what information (data) do you need to better track and improve program outcomes?

The next two sessions are scheduled to take place in Pennsylvania and Missouri. More information and notes from each session can be found here. You may also provide comments via e-mail at [email protected].

By admin in Public Policy
Tags: career pathways, college and career readiness, Data, OVAE, Perkins, programs of study

Ask Business and Industry Leaders in Your State to Sign Letter in Support of CTE Funding

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) and American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) strongly urge you to join in the fight to protect career and technical education (CTE) funded by the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

The legislation proposes to cut the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act by eliminating its Tech Prep program. This elimination results in a significant loss of career and technical education funding to all states and districts and will impact the ability of education institutions to provide students the skills needed in todayâ€™s workplace. You can view a chart with projected state loses on ACTE’s Web site.

We need your help to show Congress the negative impact these cuts will have on businesses and the economy! Please join ACTE, NASDCTEc and AACC in a fight to save Perkins funding by signing your organization or business on to this letter. Contact Nancy Conneely at [email protected] by noon on Friday, February 25.Â We will send the final version to the Senate.

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, business and industry, Congress, federal legislation, funding, Job training, Perkins

ACTION ALERT: House Proposes Cutting Tech Prep!

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

On Friday evening, the House Appropriations Committee released its updated continuing resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year (FY) 11. The bill, H.R. 1, proposes to cut $100 billion from non-security discretionary funding from a variety of federal programs. Department of Education programs would be cut by $4.899 billion compared to FY10. This includes cutting Title II of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in its entirety, or $103 million in Tech Prep funding for CTE. This affects ALL states, even those that chose to merge Tech Prep because that portion of funding will be taken from their Basic State Grant.

The House is expected to debate and vote on the CR this week, allowing for amendments that could mean deeper cuts than those in the bill. The Senate will take up the House bill when they return from recess on February 28 and try to work out a compromise before the current CR expires on March 4.

While the President released his FY12 budget today that proposes deeper cuts to Perkins, we are focusing our efforts on the FY11 CR because of the very short timeline to affect change. We will take up the fight on FY12 cuts after this is resolved.

CALL YOUR SENATOR

It is crucial that you contact your Member of Congress (especially your Senator) this week to urge them to preserve Tech Prep funding for FY11!

Call the Senate at 202-224-3121and the House at 202-225-3121. Ask to be connected to your Membersâ€™ offices.

Once connected to the Memberâ€™s office, ask to speak to the staffer that works on appropriations or education issues.
Tell them to oppose eliminating Tech Prep funding in H.R. 1

SEND US BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY CONTACTS

NASDCTEc is working with ACTE on a sign-on letter to send to business and industry that will show Congress the number and variety of businesses that support Perkins funding and how many of them will be impacted. If you have any contacts in your state, please send them to us, so that we can ask them to sign on to the letter.

RESOURCES

Talking points

Congressâ€™ rationale for eliminating Tech Prep is that it is duplicative of how funding in the Basic State Grant can be used. You can counter this by saying:

Any cut to Perkins funding will hurt CTE students in every state. Insert concrete examples and data from your state about how students and programs will be impacted by losing this money. Make the case, where appropriate, that cutting Tech Prep will hurt the stateâ€™s economy.
Some states have chosen not merge Tech Prep with the Basic State Grant so that they can ensure that the full amount of funding is used for these activities. Losing this money will eliminate these programs, as their Basic State Grant funding is being used for other things.
In the states that have merged, the funding may be used for other programs and activities, thus eliminating Tech Prep funding will actually impact non-Tech Prep activities.

Also use the talking points on ACTE’s Web site.

State funding chart

ACTE has put together this chart that shows the impact of Tech Prep cuts on each state. Use these numbers to make the case to your Senator that these cuts will hurt his or her state.

Key Members to contact are those on the:

If you have any questions or to update NASDCTEc on your contact with Congress, please call Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager at 301-588-9630 or email her at [email protected]

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, business and industry, Congress, funding, Perkins

Obama Proposes Deep Perkins Cuts in FY12 Budget

Monday, February 14th, 2011

President Barack Obama today released his FY12 budget, which proposed increasing Department of Education funding by $2 billion, or 11%, but there were significant cuts to Perkins programs. As he did in last yearâ€™s budget, the President merged Title II Tech Prep with the Title I Basic State Grant. However, this year he also proposed cutting $264 million from Title I, bringing the total appropriations for FY12 to $1 billion (13.9% decrease).

The Departmentâ€™s rationale for the cut is that:

CTE programs across the country are inconsistent in their quality;
Too few CTE programs prepare students for postsecondary education;
Not enough data to prove the effectiveness of CTE programs and
Too few programs aligned to high skill, demand occupations.

You can see a breakdown of the impact of cuts on each state here.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this afternoon at the Departmentâ€™s Budget Briefing said that â€œWhile we know that high-quality career and technical education strategies have the potential to prepare students for jobs in the knowledge economy, many career and technical programs haven’t lived up to their promise of preparing students for careers and college.â€ It is vitally important that we have the data and examples to back up our assertions that CTE programs do prepare students for college and careers. Please send any information you have on postsecondary going rates and programs linked to high skill, high demand careers to Nancy Conneely at [email protected].

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, Data, federal legislation, funding, Perkins, Secretary Duncan

Republicans Propose Tech Prep Cuts

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

On Thursday Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), head of the Republican Study Committee, introduced the Spending Reduction Act of 2011, which aims to reduce federal spending by $2.5 trillion by 2021. This bill first proposes setting FY11 non-security spending levels at FY08 levels, and thereafter setting FY12 to FY21 levels at FY06 levels.

Second, the bill would repeal or eliminate a variety of programs in an effort to reduce the deficit. One of the programs slated for repeal is Title II of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. While President Obama last year proposed consolidating Title II Tech Prep funding into the Title I Basic State Grants, this bill would eliminate that funding.

Among the programs singled out for rescission are those in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which includes the Community College and Career Training Grants that were just announced by the Administration last week. The bill would also rescind unobligated funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes funding for Race to the Top and the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

While this bill may pass the House due to the new Republican majority that has made deficit reduction a major priority, it is unlikely to pass the Democratically-controlled Senate. However, NASDCTEc will be watching this bill closely and will be advocating on the Hill for maintaining Perkins funding. But we may need your help! If the bill progresses through the House, we will likely contact you for state specific information on the impact of cutting Tech Prep funding, and may need your help in contacting key members of Congress that represent your state or district.

By admin in Legislation
Tags: advocacy, appropriations, budget, community colleges, Congress, federal grants, federal legislation, funding, Perkins, Public Policy, race to the top

Legislative Update: ESEA, Appropriations, Senate Retirements

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Sen. Harkin Plans to Draft ESEA This Spring

Senator Tom Harkin (IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has announced that he hopes to have a draft of the ESEA reauthorization bill by the time the Senate recesses in April, with plans to bring it to the floor in late spring. Senator Michael Enzi (WY), Ranking Member of the committee, has not committed to this timeline, but his office has said that â€œa bipartisan bill remains a top priority.â€

Harkin will be getting help this session from Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM) who will take over retired Connecticut Sen. Chris Doddâ€™s role as the â€œNumber Twoâ€ man on ESEA reauthorization in the Senate. Bingamanâ€™s focus has been on English-language learners, math and science education, high school reform and graduation rates.

In the House, Rep. John Kline (MN), Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, has made it clear that he hopes to pass a series of smaller bills to address the issues contained in ESEA, rather than a large scale overhaul. It remains unclear how this will play out as both chambers must reach compromise in order to pass a bill.

House Names Labor-HHS Democratic Assignments

We told you last week which Republicans would serve on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, which oversees funding decisions for education programs. This week we have word on which Democrats will be on the subcommittee:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT), Ranking Member
Nita Lowey (NY)
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Barbara Lee (CA)

A Number of Senators Announce Retirements in 2012

Last week Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (TX) announced that she will not run for reelection in 2012. The senior Senator from Texas has served in Congress since 1993 and is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services which oversees Perkins funding.

Sen. Kent Conrad (ND) released a statement this week saying that he will not seek reelection in 2012. First elected to Congress in 1986, Conrad currently serves as the chair of the Senate Budget Committee and is one of the Senateâ€™s most powerful members.

On Wednesday Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT) announced that he would not seek a fifth term in 2012. Lieberman has served Connecticut in the Senate since 1988 and is Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee.

By admin in Legislation
Tags: appropriations, budget, Congress, funding, Graduation Rates, NCLB/ESEA, Perkins, STEM

Posts Tagged ‘Perkins’