This week, the U.S. Department of Education initiated a reduction in force (RIF) reducing the agency’s workforce from 4,133 employees to approximately 2,183 workers.

This includes nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation opportunities through the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment. The other roughly 1,400 employees impacted by the RIF were placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21. Staffing cuts particularly affected the Department’s civil rights, financial aid and education research teams, although the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education lost staff as well. 

ACTE and Advance CTE are extremely concerned that staffing and funding cuts at ED are likely to hinder the distribution of Perkins grants, disrupt data collection on CTE participation and outcomes, reduce essential guidance, and jeopardize access for vulnerable learners. These recent actions also appear to essentially eliminate all functions at the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics, halting critical research and data collection. Read more in our joint statement.

This week the primary focus on the Hill was President Trump’s address to Congress, with concerns also growing about some proposed policy shifts and DOGE-related cuts. Several congressional committees did focus on education and workforce issues though, discussing potential funding and legislative opportunities to promote career development and education. The Senate also confirmed Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. Meanwhile, as the deadline looms closer, Congressional leaders are working to agree on a plan to fund the government after March 14. Read more for details! 

• Republican Leaders Prepare Year-long Continuing Resolution: With federal funding set to expire on March 14, Congress has been working on plans to finish work on FY 2025 appropriations bills. Republican leaders in the House and Senate are currently working on a continuing resolution that would maintain federal funding at current levels for the rest of the fiscal year with a few adjustments. The text of this bill hasn’t been released yet, however, and it is unclear if there is enough support for it to pass.  

• Linda McMahon Confirmed as Secretary of Education: On March 3, Linda McMahon was confirmed as Secretary of Education by the Senate. McMahon has expressed interest in CTE, specifically apprenticeship opportunities, and voiced support for expanding Pell Grants for short-term training programs. Learn more about her policies and background on the blog! 

• Secretary McMahon Letter to the Department of Education: To kick off her term as Secretary, McMahon published a memo, “Our Department’s Final Mission,” to outline her policy goals for her tenure. Specifically, she pledged to review programs and initiatives and evaluate whether they should remain funded and functional, dependent on how they align with the Administration’s goals. McMahon’s intention to overhaul the agency is in line with President Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the Department, which is rumored to be the focus of an upcoming Executive Order (EO).  

• Education Department Releases New FAQs on DEI Issues: On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a Dear Colleague Letter suggesting a broad interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and directing educational institutions to comply with instructions outlined in the letter related to civil rights and anti-discrimination. To address questions on the letter, ED released an additional set of Frequently Asked Questions on March 1. Check out the blog for more details. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds WIOA Reauthorization Hearing: On March 7, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing focused on reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Lawmakers from both parties highlighted their interest in reauthorizing the legislation. Read more on the blog! 

• Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Holds Member Day: On March 5, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education held a Member Day. Member Days are an opportunity for Members of Congress who are not part of the Subcommittee to voice their interests and let the appropriators know what funding they want for their districts and communities. Witnesses included House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), both of whom advocated for continued investment in education, specifically CTE. Read more on the blog.  

• President Trump Signs EO on English as National Language: President Trump signed an EO to designate English as the national language of the United States. This may have long-term implications for accommodating multilingual students. This also revokes previous mandates on translation services for federal agencies and the resources they provide.  

Yesterday, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing focused on reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  

The witnesses for the hearing were:  

• Dr. Stephen Moret, President and CEO of the Strada Education Foundation 

• Molly Dodge, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Careers at Ivy Tech Community College 

• Robert Sainz, Chair of the National Youth Employment Coalition 

• Nicholas Moore, Director of the Office of Education and Workforce Transformation for Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) 

Lawmakers on both sides highlighted their interest in reauthorizing WIOA this Congress and noted various aspects of A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA), which almost passed Congress in December. ASWA was a bipartisan agreement that would have reauthorized WIOA that was originally included in the continuing resolution being considered at the end of the year, but was removed at the last minute. 

Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-PA), co-chair of the House CTE Caucus, used his time to ask the witnesses about how WIOA and Perkins could be better aligned. He noted that WIOA planning guides should include states’ wider strategic vision for CTE as outlined in Perkins V. In response to this, Nicholas Moore added that Alabama added “Perkins CTE to our combined plan in 2020” and did so again in 2024.  

Witnesses also addressed the need for better data to improve alignment between training programs and good-paying jobs. Dr. Moret said that one way to do this would be to codify and expand the Workforce Data Quality Initiative grants, as included in ASWA. 

A recording of the hearing can be found here. 

On March 5, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education held a Member Day. Member Days are an opportunity for Members of Congress who are not part of the Subcommittee to voice their interests and let the appropriators know what funding they want for their districts and communities. Witnesses included House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), both of whom advocated for continued investment in education, specifically CTE.  

Rep. Thompson began the hearing by emphasizing his strong support for CTE programs, noting how they provide learners with career-ready skills and work to develop America’s most valuable resource – its people. He highlighted the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act that reauthorized Perkins in 2018, citing the success that CTE programs have had in subsequent years. Rep. Thompson also expressed gratitude for the recent increase in Perkins funding secured in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and urged the Subcommittee to support Perkins in FY 2026. 

Rep. Magaziner also expressed support and interest for CTE. He reminded the Subcommittee of a previous letter he issued with several other Members of Congress asking for increased funding for CTE Modernization and Innovation grants and emphasized the need for bipartisan support. Rep. Magaziner also urged the Subcommittee to invest more funding into Pell grant expansion and expressed concerns over education and workforce cuts proposed in the most recent House budget bill. 

On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a Dear Colleague Letter suggesting a broad interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and directing educational institutions to comply with instructions outlined in the letter related to civil rights and anti-discrimination. However, many educational institutions had questions about the broad interpretations and directives provided in the Dear Colleague letter.

To address some of those questions, ED released an additional set of Frequently Asked Questions on March 1. Notably, the FAQs largely only focus on race, and not other student characteristics. The questions addressed include:

• Can schools separate students by race if they treat all students equally?
• Are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs unlawful under Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard? 
• How will OCR investigate allegations of covert discrimination? 
• How will OCR proceed with schools that it determines are out of compliance with Title VI? 

The FAQs do suggest that some DEI programs would not be found in violation of the civil rights law, assuming programs do not “engage in racial exclusion or discrimination” and “are open to all students regardless of race.”

It is important to note that the Dear Colleague Letter and related FAQs are merely guidance and do not have the force and effect of law and do not create new legal standards. The issues addressed in both are already facing legal challenges however, which are likely to continue.

ACTE has released a set of briefs that describe the components of Perkins V legislation in an easy-to-understand manner. These short publications can serve as an introduction for teachers, administrators, policymakers, journalists, partners and others who are new to the purpose, importance and impact of this federal law.

• Perkins 101: Introduction to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Federal Funding (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Accountability (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (February 2025)

Please read and share these resources with individuals who would benefit from understanding the role that Perkins plays in CTE program offerings and student outcomes.

The Administration continues to move forward on efforts to reduce federal spending and staffing. In Congress, leaders are still negotiating on possible options to address Fiscal Year 2025 funding since the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on March 14. Republicans are also continuing conversations on how to move forward on the budget reconciliation process now that both the House and Senate have passed different budget resolutions. Meanwhile, ACTE has been concluding CTE Month Activities with the annual CTE School Month Visit and publication of the State Policies Impacting CTE: 2024 Year in Review report. As we wrap up the month, use ACTE’s Action Center to urge your Representatives to support the House CTE Month Resolution!  

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Economy and Workforce: The House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing this week, “Unleashing America’s Workforce and Strengthening Our Economy,” discussing challenges and opportunities that the American workforce is encountering.  

• Senate HELP Committee Advances Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s Nomination for Secretary of Labor: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination for Labor Secretary. Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination will move to the Senate floor for a full, final vote at a later date. ACTE will share more updates on her nomination as they develop. 

• Update on DOGE Access to Education Data: A federal judge has barred the Department of Education and the Office of Personal Management (OPM) from sharing sensitive information with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This information could include Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status and disability status. Democrat Leadership in the House Education and Workforce Committee have issued letters to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Labor on this matter. 

• Department of Education Announces “End DEI” Portal: The Department of Education published a new portal for teachers, students and others to submit reports of these practices in schools.  

• OPM Releases Guidance on Mass Government Layoffs: The OPM released a memo with instructions for federal agencies to make plans for significant force reductions. Plans are due on March 13, and must also include broader agency restructuring suggestions, which could feed into the Administration’s goals to eliminate the Department of Education.   

• ACTE and Advance CTE Release State Policies Impacting CTE: 2024 Year in Review: ACTE and Advance CTE released the 12th annual report compiling CTE policy trends at the state level to highlight advancements in the field, accompanied by a webinar held on February 27. Read more about the report on the blog! 

• ACTE and Crossland High Schol Host Annual CTE Month School Visit: ACTE partnered with Crossland High School to host the annual 2025 CTE Month School Visit. ACTE is grateful for the commitment and collaboration with Crossland High School in hosting this thoughtful event in celebration of CTE Month. Read more about the visit on the blog! 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Announces WIOA Hearing: The House Education and Workforce Committee announced a hearing for next Wednesday (March 5), “Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for America’s Workforce.” We will share any relevant information from this hearing and keep you updated!