On July 14, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations bill on a party-line vote. In some good news for CTE, the Perkins Basic State Grant is level funded in this bill. However, the bill reduces overall education funding, including rescissions to some funding that would become available to programs this fall and significant cuts to or complete eliminations of dozens of education and workforce programs, such as WIOA Youth and Adult programs, federal work-study, ESSA Title I and II and more.

The proposed cuts to major education and workforce development programs are deeply concerning, and will harm the ability of CTE programs to support learners and provide access to broader career and postsecondary opportunities. Education and workforce programs work hand-in-hand to develop a skilled workforce – CTE programs cannot be successful without the support of the entire system.

As the bill moves forward in the House and the Senate begins work on its bill as well, it is critical that Members of Congress understand the impact of these proposed cuts, and that you lend your voice in support of funding for the entire education and workforce development system.

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to tell your Members of Congress about the impact of proposed cuts to education and workforce programs in the FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. You can also call or email directly any personal contacts that you have in your Members’ offices, such as from a meeting at NPS, or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your Member of Congress.

ACTE is re-launching our Policymaker Perspectives discussion series! In this first Policymaker Perspectives of 2023, ACTE’s Public Policy Department recently heard from Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), who represents Oregon’s First Congressional District.

Rep. Bonamici joined the Congressional Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus as the lead Democratic co-chair in the House of Representatives at the start of the 118^th Congress in January 2023. She was first elected to the House in November 2011.

Rep. Bonamici attended Lane Community College and the University of Oregon. In Congress, she is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. She is a committed advocate for policies that support our nation’s education and workforce development systems and works to advance legislation that supports CTE programs and the students they serve. Read on to learn more about the Congresswoman’s top CTE priorities!

ACTE: You attended Lane Community College in Lane County, Oregon. How did this experience shape your education and career path and your views and understanding of CTE today?

Rep. Bonamici: Community college changed my life. I would not be where I am today without the opportunities provided to me by Lane Community College. The two-year associate degree program I completed gave me confidence and provided an affordable higher education that opened doors and allowed me to pursue my passion of helping others.

Community colleges are a great starting point for many paths. I chose to continue my education at the University of Oregon, where I earned my undergraduate and law degrees. Many people receive the education and training they need to enter good-paying jobs directly after community college, including through the CTE programs they offer.

I was able to graduate from college with a manageable amount of debt using a combination of loans, grants, and work study. It is more difficult to do that today, but the affordability and value of a community college education continues to be significant. In my role as a senior member on the House Education Committee, I am committed to making opportunities like those I received through my community college education available to all, including by expanding and strengthening CTE programs.

ACTE: As a CTE Caucus co-chair, how will you work to advance legislation in support of high-quality CTE? What are some of your top policy priorities within CTE and workforce development?

Rep. Bonamici: I am always looking for ways to strengthen and expand CTE programs. The main source of federal funding for CTE is the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. I enthusiastically supported its reauthorization in 2018 and look forward to working with my friend and CTE Caucus Co-Chair Congressman GT Thompson on its update. I’m advocating for this bipartisan legislation to be responsive to the growing needs of CTE programs, students, and educators by supporting innovative programs, increasing access among historically underserved students, and fostering collaboration among schools, parents, colleges, and employers. 

I am also eager to leverage the historic federal investments in workforce development we have made in recent years. Last Congress, I helped pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and CHIPS and Science Act, and I was glad to help create more pathways to good-paying, family-wage jobs in the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, I worked with my colleagues on the Education Committee to advance the bipartisan National Apprenticeship Act reauthorization and a comprehensive reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, both of which would provide training and career services to help workers find and keep good jobs. These bills passed the House but not the Senate, and I will keep working to get them across the finish line.

ACTE: You represent Oregon’s First Congressional District. Can you pinpoint some of the innovative approaches to CTE in your district? What lessons can we learn from them?

Rep. Bonamici: Oregon is leading the way in making CTE programs more accessible – CTE Programs of Study exist in nearly every Oregon high school and at all 17 community colleges, providing opportunities to more than 150,000 students each year.

Portland Community College in NW Oregon is a leader in preparing students for careers in different in-demand industries, including aviation, construction, agriculture, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. Century High School, St Helens High School, and other schools in the district I represent engage their students in high-quality CTE programs that prepare them for good-paying jobs in a range of industries. St. Helens High School has eight different CTE programs, including auto repair and early childhood education. At Century High School I was able to meet with students participating in a semiconductor youth apprenticeship program that provides them hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment so they can learn the skills needed to land a high-quality, good-paying job in the semiconductor industry. Programs like these demonstrate the important role that industry and sector partnerships with K-12 schools and community colleges can play in building a diverse, skilled, and well-prepared workforce.

ACTE: How can members of the CTE community best work together with federal policymakers?

Rep. Bonamici: I encourage you all to tell your stories and share your experiences with Members of Congress and their staff. Stories are powerful – many people have spoken with me about how CTE programs have changed their lives. I have drawn from their powerful narratives and experiences to advocate for improving and expanding CTE programs. Talk about your successes with CTE programs and be candid about what you need from us. You can also express why it would be helpful to pass long-overdue reauthorizations of the National Apprenticeship Act and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and what priorities you hope to see included in an update of the Perkins Act. We can accomplish a lot by working together, and I am grateful for your tireless advocacy.

As Members of Congress returned to Washington this week, their focus was on the FY 24 appropriations process and the reauthorization of the National Defense Authorization Act. For CTE stakeholders, the biggest news was the House’s appropriations subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which proposed significant cuts to education and workforce development programs. As we await the next phase of the appropriations process, here are some more news and notes:

• House Subcommittee Appropriators Approve FY24 Education Funding Bill: Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, including funding for education and workforce development programs. The bill was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies earlier today on a party-line vote. Unfortunately, because House leaders chose to develop appropriations bills at a much lower funding level than agreed to in the debt limit deal, this bill makes significant cuts across education and workforce programs. Learn more about the bill here.

• Department of Education Makes Corrections to Income-Driven Repayment Plan Balances: On July 14, the Department of Education issued federal student loan balance discharges to borrowers whose balances qualified for forgiveness upon correction of their count of payments made through income-driven federal loan repayment plans. Learn more about the discharges here.

• Senate CTE Caucus Co-chairs Introduce Data for American Jobs Act: On July 13, Senate CTE Caucus co-chairs Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Todd Young (R-IN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced 2290, the Data for American Jobs Act, a bipartisan bill to ensure that CTE is included in federal data systems to help improve career readiness programs, meet the needs of the economy and expand the skilled workforce. ACTE has endorsed this legislation, and you can view the accompanying press release with a quote from ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Curry here.

• Senate Committee to Consider Supporting Small Business Career and Technical Education Act: On July 19, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will consider 936, the Supporting Small Business Career and Technical Education Act as part of the committee’s pending legislative business. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, including funding for education and workforce development programs. The bill was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies earlier today on a party-line vote. Unfortunately, because House leaders chose to develop appropriations bills at a much lower funding level than agreed to in the debt limit deal, this bill makes significant cuts across education and workforce programs. There are approximately 60 programs completely eliminated and another 50 programs with proposed reductions. Overall, the bill reduces funding 29% below the FY 2023 enacted level, and also includes recissions to prior funding.

In a small victory for CTE, the legislation “maintains career and technical training grants,” suggesting that the Perkins Basic State Grant should be level funded at FY 2023 levels.

However, while we appreciate the legislation’s recognition of sustaining current levels of federal investment in CTE via Perkins, we are extremely concerned about proposed cuts to other major education and workforce development programs elsewhere in the legislation. You can view our statement about the bill here.

Below are just a few of the funding cuts included in the bill that are most relevant:

Education Cuts/Eliminations

• 80% cut for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title I state grants to local education agencies
  • Note: Rescinds $8.7 billion of advance funding for Title I grants to states that would become available in Fall 2023 and could be used for the upcoming program year
• Eliminates funding for Magnet School program
• Eliminates funding for Teacher Quality Partnerships
• Eliminates funding for Federal Work-study Program
• Eliminates funding for ESSA Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants

Department of Labor Cuts/Eliminations

• Eliminates funding for Department of Labor WIOA Youth and cuts Adult training programs
• Eliminates funding for the Women’s Bureau
• Eliminates funding for Job Corps program
• Cuts Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by $95 million

The bill now advances to consideration by the full House Appropriations Committee. We are still awaiting the date of the full committee markup, and we will continue to provide updates as the bill moves along in the appropriations process. Be on the lookout for an Action Alert next week to get involved and let Congress know that these massive cuts will have a negative impact on the broader education and workforce system, including CTE programs. You can view the full text of the bill here.

Connecting Education and Workforce Data: The Institute for College Access and Success recently published a report analyzing the importance of linked education and workforce data. The report examined Kentucky and Tennessee’s integration of education and workforce data sets to identify best practices and lessons learned. It notes the importance of the Kentucky Center for Statistics, which facilitates the integration of Kentucky’s education and workforce data and shares its findings with agencies within the state to respond to specific and relevant research questions that can inform policy. Similarly, Tennessee links education and workforce data in a system that receives contributions from a variety of partners and assists many agencies in their policy process. This system provides answers to policy questions in a centralized manner, and the state plans to expand access in the future. 

The report highlights the importance of integrating education and workforce data and the need for adequate federal funding through the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program to bring these centralized, integrated data systems to every state. The newly introduced Data for American Jobs Act in the Senate, supported by ACTE, aims to better support state longitudinal data systems and build stronger connections between education and workforce data, including CTE.

Linking Postsecondary Education to Jobs: Harvard University’s The Project on Workforce explores the ways in which postsecondary education connects to job outcomes. The initiative recently released a College-to-Jobs Map that visually illustrates the connection between regional workforce trends and availability of college graduates. The tool’s College Graduate Data map looks at graduate demographics, fields of study and degree attainment against the backdrop of regional growth rates in number of college graduates, including an economic mobility rate for different communities. The Labor Market Data map compares college graduate supply to worker demand for various occupations. Both tools can be filtered by a number of variables.

A companion report describes educational interventions that postsecondary institutions can implement to assist students in accessing quality, good-paying jobs. These include career coaching, experiential learning, industry-recognized credentials, apprenticeships and other programs that orient students towards success in the workforce. Studying the existing research and current implementation of these interventions, the report found that colleges and the job market needed further alignment and that interventions were often not equitably accessible to all students. 

Implementing a Student-level Data Network: A recent report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy explores design options for a future national student-level data network (SLDN) that incorporates data from postsecondary institutions and federal agencies to provide greater insights into postsecondary student outcomes. Teams of experts developed plans for hypothetical SLDNs to identify potential benefits and anticipate problems around student identifiers, data storage, revising submitted data and adding new data elements.

The teams all emphasized the importance of a network that would decrease the burden on institutions through the use of state systems that collect and report data on behalf of institutions. As a result, institutions would only need to report data to one place, and the burden on the federal data collection help desk would be reduced as it would now interact directly with states. In addition, the panelists agreed that institutions should have access to their own data within an SLDN to analyze it for internal use.

This week in Washington was another quiet week for federal policy with the Independence Day holiday. Congress is out of town until July 10, when they will return to continue work on fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills and other key legislation. Neither the House nor the Senate Appropriations Committee has released a draft of its Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Agencies funding bill, and there is no clear timing on projected markups of these bills, so advocacy continues to be critical. Here are some additional notes as we await Congress’s return from recess:

• Perkins Plan Submissions and Revisions for FY 2024: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) has released guidelines for states to receive FY 2024 Perkins grant awards through submission of new or revised Perkins state plans and/or updated state-determined performance levels (SDPLs). Submissions will be due by COB on May 10, 2024. Read the full memo here.

• Analysis of National Data Illustrates CTE Teacher Shortages: ACTE recently analyzed the National Center for Education Statistics 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS)for relevant CTE teacher data such as demographics, distribution, vacancies, and salaries and credentials, among other topics. Learn more from the survey here.

• President Biden Announces New Actions on Student Loans: In the wake of the Supreme Court decision blocking President Biden’s proposal to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for most Americans, the administration announced new stepsto aid borrowers. Learn more about these new actions here.

• Committee for Education Funding Sends Letter on FY 2024 Appropriations: On July 6, ACTE’s coalition partner, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as leadership of the Labor, HHS and Education subcommittees, opposing the significant cuts planned for FY 2024 appropriations bills.

• Department of Labor Launches Youth Employment Works: The Department of Labor has launched the Youth Employment Works strategy to center young people at the heart of the workforce development conversation. The strategy will focus on efforts that can offer seamless access to supportive services and workforce development opportunities for youth and young workers, increase public and private commitments to youth and young adult career pathways, philanthropy across all sectors to invest in high-quality pathways for young people, and offer guaranteed paid work experiences. Learn more about the strategy here.

• Additional Funding for Broadband Internet Announced: The Department of Commerce has announced funding for each state and U.S. territory and the District of Columbia for high-speed internet infrastructure deployment through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) initiative created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision blocking President Biden’s proposal to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for most Americans, the administration announced new steps to aid borrowers.  

The Department of Education is starting the negotiated rulemaking process, where they will bring in various parties that would be affected by regulatory changes. The parties will discuss Title IV financial aid programs. Afterwards, the department will draft a rule that could allow them to forgive loans through a different policy mechanism. The department also announced the creation of a 12 month on-ramp transition period for borrowers. During this period, borrowers will resume payments and interest will accrue, but borrowers will not be penalized for missing late or missing payments. Student loan payments are set to resume on October 1.  

Additionally, the Department of Education finalized the new income-driven repayment plan. The plan, known as the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, will cut monthly payments to zero dollars for low-income borrowers, save all other borrowers at least $1,000 per year and curb interest rate accrual. Borrowers will be able to begin enrolling in the SAVE plan later this summer, and the department will automatically switch borrowers currently enrolled in the existing RAPYE plan to SAVE at that time. The department says that borrowers who apply for one of those plans “this summer” will have their applications “processed in time” for their first payment due dates that begin in October.