$2 Billion Approved for Job-training Programs
Department of Education Pledges to Expand CTE
Duncan Discusses ESEA Blueprint on Capitol Hill
Congress Considers Numerous Jobs Bills
ACTE Launches New Policy Task Forces
Read More on the CTE Policy Watch Blog
$2 Billion Approved for Job-training Programs
On March 25, Congress cleared H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. It is expected to be signed into law by President Obama on March 30. While much of this bill (and the attention surrounding it) was focused on health care, there were education provisions included. Many of the education-related provisions mirror those originally included in the House-passed Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, however, numerous changes had to be made to cut costs due to the overall size of the reconciliation package.
The new law includes proposed changes to student loans--most notably for CTE, it provides additional funding for Pell Grants to shore up minimum grant amounts and $2 billion for new "Community College and Career Training Grants."
The new funds would provide $500 million a year for the next four years for the Community College and Career Training Grant Program through the Trade Adjustment Assistance account in the Department of Labor (authorized but not funded by last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The grants would be competitive, but each state would receive at least 0.5 percent of the total. Eligible institutions would include community and technical colleges, postsecondary vocational institutions (as defined by the Higher Education Act) and other postsecondary institutions offering programs that last two years or less. Grants must be used to develop, offer or improve an educational or career-training program that is suited to workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act.
We anticipate that more detailed guidelines and grant applications for the first year of funding will be released soon by the Department of Labor. ACTE will notify you when this additional information becomes available.
Department of Education Pledges to Expand CTE
On March 25, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee hosted a hearing on "Jobs, Training and Education." During this hearing Jane Oates, assistant secretary for the Employment Training Administration in the Department of Labor, and Martha Kanter, undersecretary in the Department of Education, testified.
The majority of the questions from Appropriations Committee members were aimed at expanding such workforce-training programs as the Green Jobs Act, Career Pathways Innovation Fund, summer jobs, and other programs housed under the Workforce Investment Act. However, there was also a strong focus on CTE.
Rep. Cole (R-OK) was the most vocal on the CTE issue, expressing his concern about the flat-funding of the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. He said that this program helps not only traditional secondary and postsecondary students, but dislocated workers who are struggling to re-enter the workforce. Undersecretary Kanter addressed Rep. Cole's concerns by saying that the Department of Education wants to expand CTE programs in high schools and community colleges. She said that the Administration did not ask for an increase in funds because they thought that the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) would provide additional funds to community colleges. (However, AGI funds did not end up being included in SAFRA-see our related story.) She acknowledged that many CTE programs are in desperate need of updated equipment, and that money in SAFRA could have addressed that if the Perkins program could not. She did say that "Perkins is critical" to education and workforce training, but did not discuss how high school CTE programs would be funded without increasing the Perkins program.
Duncan Discusses ESEA Blueprint on Capitol Hill
On March 17, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appeared before both the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee. The purpose of his visit was to discuss, and in some cases defend, the Obama Administration's blueprint for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Secretary Duncan provided an overview of the blueprint in his opening remarks and spent time in the House pointing out why the plan was good for teachers, perhaps in reaction to critical statements issued by teacher unions. He said the blueprint identifies three tiers of schools-- high-performing schools, schools making progress and the bottom tier of lowest-performing schools--and that the plan builds on the Race to the Top priorities.
A variety of issues were explored by committee members from both sides of the aisle, including questions about the blueprint's structure, the reasons for basing the plan on competitive rather than formula grants, why the plan focuses on only 5 percent of the lowest-performing schools and what that means for other schools related to accountability, and a host of other issues. Several questions focused on how the Administration envisions teacher effectiveness to be defined. Secretary Duncan said the definition would be developed with teacher input.
Senate HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued an opening statement including a set of seven goals laying out his priorities for the reauthorization. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) emphasized the blueprint's basis on college- and career-readiness standards. In answer to a specific question in the Senate about whether all students need to go to college, the secretary said that all good jobs will require some postsecondary experience.
Another hearing was held in the House the following day to examine how to address diverse learner issues in ESEA. You can read more about that hearing on the CTE Policy Watch Blog.
ACTE released an initial statement on the Administration's ESEA blueprint and followed up with a more detailed letter to the House and Senate education committees, outlining areas of the blueprint we support and areas where more attention to CTE was needed. We are also continuing visits with Members of Congress to ensure CTE is well-positioned as ESEA reauthorization moves forward.
Congress Considers Numerous Jobs Bills
Over the last few months, Congress has been working on legislation that aims to create and retain jobs. The effort began in December, when the House passed a $157 billion Jobs for Main Street Act that included many provisions for education and worker training. The Senate has been unable to secure enough votes to pass a similar-sized bill, so its strategy has been to break the House's large bill into many different pieces. Since then, numerous pieces of legislation have been passed by both chambers. Below is a summary of the activity.
- H.R. 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 18. This $17.6 billion bill contains tax credits for new hires, allocations for highway renovations, an expansion of the Build America Bonds program and a provision that allows companies to write off equipment purchases as a business expense. The bond program in particular could benefit education by financing new facilities.
- H.R. 4213, the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act of 2010, was originally passed in the House on December 9, 2009, but was amended by the Senate on March 10, 2010. It now awaits further action in the House. This bill extends numerous tax provisions and unemployment programs like COBRA, and numerous tax provisions, and also includes items for education, such as a tax deduction for teachers and other school employees who purchase classroom materials out of pocket.
- H.R. 4899, the Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010, was passed in the House on March 24. In addition to funding for disaster relief, this bill would provide $600 million for summer youth job programs, similar to those funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last year. This bill now awaits action in the Senate.
- H.R. 4812, the Local Jobs for America Act, was introduced by Rep. Miller (D-CA) to provide $23 billion to help save education jobs, as well as additional funding to help local governments keep workers. The education funding was also included as part of the December House-passed Jobs for Main Street Act. There have been discussions in the Senate about moving the $23 billion for education jobs, which would be funneled through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, but a specific plan has not been released.
ACTE will continue to monitor these bills, and others that may be introduced, and will keep you updated on the education and workforce development implications.
ACTE Launches New Policy Task Forces
ACTE is creating four new public policy task forces to help inform our work. The application process for these task forces is open to all interested ACTE members with the appropriate knowledge, passion and willingness to devote time to the focus of the group. Geographic and discipline diversity will be considered in the final selection of the task force membership, but we are really looking for people with an interest in policy and legislation and the ability to provide a local perspective on how federal policies might affect CTE around the country.
The first two task forces will be on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorizations. These two task forces are designed to operate during the congressional consideration of these two laws to provide feedback to ACTE staff regarding legislative proposals and policy developments during the reauthorization process. These groups will not have a formal meeting schedule. Most of the work will be accomplished over e-mail on an as-needed basis, with the possibility of some conference calls. For example, as the House and Senate introduce legislation in these areas, ACTE will contact the task forces for their feedback on specific issues.
If you are interested in joining either the ESEA Task Force or the WIA Task Force, visit the ACTE Web site's new Policy Task Forces page for more details and instructions. You can also contact Alisha Hyslop, ACTE assistant director of public policy, with any additional questions.
In a few weeks, you will be hearing more from us about the two other task forces we plan to launch, on school reform and Perkins reauthorization. These two task forces will have more definitive goals and thus will be smaller groups with a more rigorous application process.
Read More on the CTE Policy Watch Blog
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the ACTE Public Policy Department. You can read more about ACTE's policy activities and the latest happenings in Washington, DC, on ACTE's CTE Policy Watch blog—check it out today!