In the 118th Congress, seven new senators-elect will take office. While we will learn more about their education and workforce development priorities as the 118th Congress kicks off, several of the senators-elect have discussed CTE-related issues and priorities in their campaigns. To help CTE advocates prepare to meet these new senators, here is a preview of their public statements and/or plans for education as they begin their service. 

Senator-elect Katie Britt (R-AL) 

Sen.-elect Britt is replacing retiring Appropriations Committee leader and Alabama political stalwart Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). Most recently, Sen.-elect Britt served as president and CEO of Alabama’s business council. On her campaign website, she mentions that “One of the biggest keys to a 21st century economy is a 21st century workforce. It’s been reported that by 2025, we will need 500,000 new highly skilled workers to meet the demands of our ever-growing industry needs. While we are currently off the pace, I will work tirelessly to help meet this ambitious goal. The students of today need to know about the opportunities available to them outside of a traditional college degree that will allow them to land high-paying, modern jobs that will support their families long into the future.” 

Senator-elect Ted Budd (R-NC) 

Sen.-elect Ted Budd, who currently represents North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, is replacing outgoing Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). While Budd did not specifically refer to CTE in his formal campaign priorities, he has noted that he “supports school choice and opportunity scholarships to give all students a chance to match their skills and interests with an education that best prepares them for the job market — whether that’s college or not.” 

Senator-elect John Fetterman (D-PA) 

Sen.-elect Fetterman is set to take over for retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Currently, he is Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor. On his campaign website, Fetterman specifically called out CTE as a top education priority: “There are too few opportunities for the many young people who don’t think college is the right option for them. If we want to prepare the next generation for a highly competitive world, we need to get serious about what education in the 21st century looks like I will also work to increase investments in career and technical programs to prepare young adults for successful and in-demand careers in critical industries.” 

Senator-elect Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) 

Currently, Sen.-elect Mullin is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. He is replacing longtime Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Mullin has not made any specific statements regarding CTE in his public campaign platform. 

Senator-elect Eric Schmitt (R-MO) 

Sen.-elect Eric Schmitt is currently Missouri’s Attorney General. Schmitt will be replacing retiring appropriations leader Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Schmitt has not made any specific statements regarding CTE in his public campaign platform. 

Senator-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) 

Sen.-elect J.D. Vance is an author, entrepreneur and former U.S. Marine who is a newcomer to federal elected office. Vance did not mention CTE on his campaign website. He is replacing outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a co-founder and co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus. 

Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-VT)  

Sen.-elect Peter Welch has represented Vermont in Congress since 2007. Currently, he is the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Welch is replacing retiring appropriations leader Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). On his campaign website, Welch notes some of his previous education-related priorities as a member of the House of Representatives, including debt-free college and making public community and four-year colleges more accessible.

On December 20, congressional leaders announced that a bipartisan, bicameral deal had been reached on fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding and released the corresponding appropriations omnibus package. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies portion was given a 7.1% overall increase from FY 2022, including a $50M increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. This increase for CTE state grants is slightly more than proposed in the original House draft bill and a significant improvement over the President’s budget request, making it yet another year of modest yet critical growth in investment in CTE.  

In addition to the Basic State Grant, this bill would give $25M in additional funds to Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grants (Section 114(e) of Perkins V). This program provides competitive grants to spur innovation in CTE, and additional funds were included to support the Administration’s proposal for “Career-Connected High Schools”. This Biden-Harris Administration initiative supports dual enrollment, career counseling, industry-recognized credential attainment and work-based learning opportunities.  

Further, this bill would give increases to the following programs related to CTE:  

Department of Education 

• $850M increase for ESSA Title I grants to local education agencies 
• $100M increase for ESSA Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants
• $11M increase for Teacher Quality Partnership grants 
• $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award ($7,395 total) 
• $25M increase for Adult Education 

Department of Labor 

• $50M increase for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state grants 
• $50M increase for registered apprenticeships 
• $15M increase for Strengthening Community College Training Grants  

House Democrats are expected to pass this bill along party lines; however, the Senate will need to secure at least 10 Republican votes this week in order to send it to President Biden for his signature. It is expected that these votes will occur before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on December 23. ACTE will keep you abreast of the bill’s passage or any other developments. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org). 

UPDATE: On December 29, President Biden signed the omnibus package into law following passage by the House and Senate.

When the 117th Congress comes to a close, Congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) will depart from their offices one final time to begin their well-earned retirement. The two public servants have dedicated large parts of their career to advancing the needs of CTE learners, educators and systems, earning them each an ACTE Lifetime Achievement Award this year. 

Sen. Portman, alongside his colleague Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), co-founded the Senate CTE Caucus in 2014. As caucus co-chair, he led several bipartisan efforts to expand opportunities in CTE and address the growing national skills gap. Most notably, Sen. Portman has been a leading co-sponsor of the JOBS Act – legislation that would allow the Pell grant to be used for high-quality short-term workforce training programs – since 2015. Since that time, the bill has grown from 2 co-sponsors to 52, making it one of the most widely supported bipartisan education bills. The Senator also successfully included the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2017 into the reauthorization of Perkins V. His efforts on these issues, as well as his support of apprenticeships and CTE prison re-entry programs, have made a lasting impact for educators, learners, and the economy.  

Rep. Langevin spent 11 years as the co-chair of the House CTE Caucus alongside his colleague, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA). During his tenure, he became well known as an advocate for CTE funding, career counseling and cybersecurity careers. Langevin co-led the annual bipartisan letter to the House Committee on Appropriations requesting robust funding for the Perkins Basic State grant. Further, he was an original co-sponsor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, commonly known as Perkins V, which modernized CTE systems. Most recently, he re-introduced bipartisan legislation that would invest funds in CTE to develop the cybersecurity workforce. Rep. Langevin’s contributions will last long beyond his time in Congress.  

ACTE warmly thanks both Rep. Langevin and Sen. Portman for their dedication to CTE and congratulates them on their fantastic careers. Their leadership will be sorely missed, but we will work to ensure that their legacies continue in the 118th Congress. 

Last week in Washington, the focus was still on negotiating a funding package in order to avert a government shutdown as Congress heads out of town for the holidays. In addition to appropriations work, Congress passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and President Biden later signed the bill into law. Other focuses last week included statehood for Puerto Rico, immigration and tax provisions.

The 118th Congress will begin right after the new year, on January 3. In the meantime, here are some updates from Washington:

• FY23 Appropriations Update: On December 15, Congress passed a one-week extension of government funding until December 23, which is the new deadline for completing an omnibus funding package for FY23. The next steps for lawmakers and appropriations staff members will be to introduce legislative text of the omnibus agreement, which is expected on December 19, followed by formal Senate and House approval of the package by the December 23 deadline.

• Introducing Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, New Co-Chair of House CTE Caucus: On December 16, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) announced that Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will become the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus! She will be taking the place of Rep. Langevin, who is retiring after 22 years in Congress, 11 of which he spent leading the caucus. Read press releases from ACTE and Rep. Langevin here. Learn more about the Congressional CTE Caucus here.

• A Deep Dive into Perkins V Enrollment and Performance Data: In October, the U.S. Department of Education released data from states’ Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) submissions for program year 2020-21 – the first year that states reported performance data under Perkins V. The dataset includes CTE participant numbers, CTE concentrator numbers and CTE concentrator performance on Perkins accountability indicators, including the secondary program quality indicators new under Perkins V. Read more here.

• Election Watch: Teacher Shortage Legislation in the 118th Congress: This year, amid growing concern over teacher shortages across the country, Congress increased its focus on the educator pipeline through hearings and legislation. However, with personnel changes in the House and Senate and new education committee leaders, the 118th Congress will offer a different political dynamic that will impact how the federal government may respond to national teacher shortages. Read more here.

• OCTAE Releases Perkins Secondary Program Quality Guide: OCTAE has released a comprehensive resource guide titled “Collecting and Analyzing Data for the Secondary Program Quality Indicators in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006” to support state secondary and postsecondary education agency administrators and data analysts in addressing the accountability provisions within Perkins V. ACTE Senior Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop contributed to the guide, and you can view it here.

On December 16, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) announced that Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will become the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus! She will be taking the place of Rep. Langevin, who is retiring after 22 years in Congress, 11 of which he spent leading the caucus.  

Rep. Bonamici serves Oregon’s 1st congressional district, which includes parts of Portland, Portland’s western suburbs, and rural communities stretching to Oregon’s Pacific Coast. Bonamici has been a stalwart of the House Committee on Education & Labor during her career. Since she entered Congress in 2012, she has served as the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, a member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investments, and led bipartisan negotiations of the Every

 Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Congresswoman also currently serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and is the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional STEAM Caucus, which promotes the integration of arts and design with STEM.  

Before earning her bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Oregon, Rep. Bonamici began her postsecondary education at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. She has focused her work in Congress on making postsecondary education more affordable, providing workers with in-demand skills, and promoting equity in education funding.  

ACTE looks forward to deepening its relationship with Rep. Bonamici and her staff as we work together to provide more opportunities in CTE for learners across the country. Please join us in congratulating her on becoming the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus by clicking here to sign a card! 

In October, the U.S. Department of Education released data from states’ Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) submissions for program year 2020-21 – the first year that states reported performance data under Perkins V. The dataset includes CTE participant numbers, CTE concentrator numbers and CTE concentrator performance on Perkins accountability indicators, including the secondary program quality indicators new under Perkins V.

In a previous blog post, ACTE shared high-level takeaways from the dataset. Here, we will offer a more in-depth look at the data, which can be accessed through the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. This online data hub includes national- and state-level summaries, a new dashboard of national- and state-level performance data and the customizable Perkins Data Explorer.

CTE Participants: In 2020-21, there were almost 12 million participants in CTE nationwide, including 8.3 million secondary CTE participants and 3.5 million postsecondary participants. In total, the number of female and male CTE participants was roughly equal, with more male CTE participants on the secondary level and more female CTE participants on the postsecondary level. When disaggregated by race and ethnicity, the data shows that about:

• 5.5 million CTE participants identified as white
• 3.2 million identified as Hispanic/Latino
• 1.7 million identified as Black or African American
• 606,000 identified as Asian
• 417,000 identified as two or more races
• 170,000 identified as an unknown race
• 116,000 identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native

When disaggregated by special population status, the data demonstrates that about:

• 5.3 million CTE participants were from economically disadvantaged families
• 5 million were preparing for career fields nontraditional for their gender
• 1 million were learners with disabilities
• 683,800 were English learners
• 213,000 were single parents
• 168,000 were out-of-workforce individuals
• 138,00 were individuals experiencing homelessness
• 116,000 were youth with an active-duty military parent
• 5,000 were youth who were in or had aged out of foster care

CTE Concentrators: There were about 3 million secondary CTE concentrators and close to 1.9 million postsecondary CTE concentrators nationwide in 2020-21, for a total of about 4.9 million CTE concentrators. As with CTE participants, the number of female and male CTE concentrators was roughly equal, with more male CTE concentrators on the secondary level and more female CTE concentrators on the postsecondary level. When disaggregated by race and ethnicity, the data shows that about:

• 2.4 million CTE concentrators identified as white
• 1.1 million identified as Hispanic/Latino
• 677,000 identified as Black or African American
• 226,000 identified as Asian
• 146,000 identified as two or more races
• 77,000 identified as an unknown race
• 43,000 identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native

When disaggregated by special population status, the data demonstrates that about:

• 2 million CTE concentrators were from economically disadvantaged families
• 1 million were preparing for career fields nontraditional for their gender
• 384,000 were students with disabilities
• 205,000 were English learners
• 127,000 were single parents
• 105,000 were out-of-workforce individuals
• 42,000 were individuals experiencing homelessness
• 38,000 were youth with an active-duty military parent
• 14,000 were youth who were in or had aged out of foster care

Because states have different ways of operationalizing the legislative definition of concentrator in Perkins V, cross-state comparisons and data aggregated across states should be interpreted with caution.

Concentrator Performance: 2020-21 marked the first year that local recipients and states reported CTE concentrator performance on the Perkins V accountability indicators. For each indicator, states set measurable targets to meet, known as state-determined performance levels.

Secondary Performance

• All states met their targets for secondary CTE concentrators’ four-year graduation rate, with an average graduation rate across the nation of 96%. In addition, all six states that chose to measure the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate met their targets.
• 34 states met their targets for reading and language arts proficiency, 32 states met targets for mathematics proficiency and 32 states met targets for science proficiency.
• 47 states met their targets for post-program placement, defined as concentrators who are in postsecondary education, advanced training, military service, national service, the Peace Corps or are employed after graduation.
• 46 states met their targets for nontraditional program concentration, which measures the percentage of concentrators from underrepresented gender groups studying for career fields in which individuals of that gender comprise less than 25% of the workforce.
• Among the 22 states that chose to measure attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials, 17 states met their targets and 227,765 CTE concentrators attained recognized postsecondary credentials.
• Among the 12 states that chose to measure attainment of postsecondary credits, 10 states met their targets and 98,877 CTE concentrators attained postsecondary credits.
• Among the 29 states that measured participation in work-based learning experiences, 23 states met their targets and 128,019 CTE concentrators participated in work-based learning.

Postsecondary Performance

• 48 states met their targets for postsecondary placement, defined as concentrators who remain enrolled in postsecondary education or pursue advanced training, military service, national service, the Peace Corps or employment after graduation.
• 48 states met their targets for attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials.
• 47 states met their targets for nontraditional program concentration.

Owing to different definitions as well as different measurement approaches, cross-state comparisons and data aggregated across states should be interpreted with caution.

Data Collection Challenges: Locals and states faced numerous challenges in collecting and reporting 2020-21 Perkins data. These include:

• New definitions for secondary CTE concentrators
• New program quality indicators on the secondary level
• COVID-19 impacts such as waivers for academic assessments, which affected academic proficiency indicators, and fewer opportunities for hands-on and work-based experiences
• Ongoing challenges in collecting data that originates in other systems, such as post-program employment data

Reporting for measures like placement and work-based learning participation will likely improve over time as states continue to improve their data systems.

Government funding talks for fiscal year 2023 are proceeding slowly, with appropriations leaders in both parties at odds over the total amount of non-defense spending to be included in a potential “omnibus” spending package. ACTE has been monitoring this process closely and participating in meetings with education and workforce staff members on Capitol Hill to advocate for the priorities of the CTE community.  

As this is likely one of the final bills to be considered by this Congress, there is the potential for additional, bipartisan priorities to be attached to the final funding legislation. One area that could be addressed is the expansion of Pell Grants to short-term CTE programs. Earlier this year, the JOBS Act (S. 864/H.R. 2037) was close to being included in other legislation, and the bill’s sponsors have been looking for an appropriate vehicle where it might be included. Now is a perfect opportunity for CTE advocates to make their voices heard in support of short-term Pell Grant expansion during these negotiations. 

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your policymakers in the House and Senate to ask them to support Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term CTE programs as they negotiate fiscal year 2023 appropriations packages. 

If you have a direct contact in your representative’s or senator’s office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested congressional office. Please contact your senators and representatives today!