Federal Policy UpdateAlisha Hyslop

Assistant Director of Public PolicyAssociation for Career & Technical Education

Overview

• Budget and Appropriations• Elementary and Secondary Education

Act• Workforce Investment Act• Data Quality Issues• Perkins

Budget and Appropriations

Budget Timeline• February – President releases budget request• March/April – House and Senate work to

complete budget resolutions by April 15• May-July – Appropriations committees set

discretionary funding levels• September – Final appropriations bills passed

and signed by President• October 1 – beginning of federal fiscal year

FY 2012 Budget• Level funding for Perkins based on last year’s

level ($1.1 billion)• .189 % cut to all education, workforce, labor

and health programs• Additional 1.5% cut to “advance

appropriations” was restored• Total education cut by $233 million• Most workforce programs level-funded

FY 2013 President’s Budget• $1.1 billion level funding for Perkins!• $1 billion new career academies initiative• $8 billion Community College to Career Fund– $4 billion to Department of Education– $4 billion to Department of Labor

• $1.047 trillion budget cap translates to $4 billion increase for all discretionary programs

FY 2013 House (Ryan) Budget• Cuts overall spending by $5.3 trillion over 10 years• Sets spending cap at $1.028 trillion, $19 billion below the

$1.047 trillion spending cap agreed to in the August 2011 debt limit deal

• A $9.5 billion cut below the current baseline for Labor-Health and Human Services and Education

• Some Republicans don’t think the bill goes far enough• Not binding, but sets the budget limits that

appropriators can spend

FY 2013 Senate Budget

• The Budget Committee marked up a version of the Simpson-Bowles Commission debt reduction plan

• Proposal will see little action, no votes are expected on this resolution in either the budget committee or on the Senate floor

• The Senate is using the spending cap from debt limit deal at $1.047 trillion

• Five other budget bills to see votes today

House and Senate Appropriations

• Labor-Health and Human Services and Education allocations are $157 billion in the Senate and $150 in the House

• The $7 billion difference between House and Senate will cause problems for appropriators

• Subcommittees will produce appropriations bills in the coming months

• June markup expected in Senate; July in House

FY 2013 President’s Budget

Looming Threat: Sequestration

• Perhaps single biggest policy challenge on horizon

• Estimated 7-10% cuts to every domestic discretionary program

• $98 billion in cuts will go into effect January 2013 without congressional action

Education Department Funding

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In billions

Lame Duck Session

• Finish appropriations bills• Address sequestration• Raise the debt ceiling• Address expiration of Bush tax cuts

Authorizing Legislation

Pending Authorizing Legislation• Workforce Investment Act (2003)• Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(2007)• Institute for Education Sciences (2009)• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(2012)• Higher Education Act (2013?)• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical

Education Act (2013)

ESEA Reauthorization• “No Child Left Behind”• Originally due to be reauthorized in 2007• House and Senate bills remain far apart,

conceptually• Congress unlikely to complete work on the bill

this year• Administration ESEA waiver authority an

influencing factor

H.R. 3989House “Student Success Act”• Eliminates Adequate Yearly Progress and

replaced it with state-determined accountability

• Requires states to develop academic ELA and mathematics standards

• Removes Highly Qualified Teacher requirements

H.R. 3990House “Encouraging Innovation and

Effective Teachers Act”• Includes requirements for locally-developed teacher

evaluations• Requires states and school districts to develop

teacher evaluation systems that measure an educator’s influence on student learning

• Support opportunities for parents to enroll their children in local magnet and charter schools

• Consolidate a myriad of existing K-12 programs

Education for Tomorrow’s Jobs Act

• ACTE has worked with Alliance for Excellent Education in support

• Would allow ESEA Title I funds to be used for academic CTE integration (with certain requirements)

• Sen. Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Thompson (R-PA) sponsors (S. 1686, H.R. 3154)

Senate Republican Bills• Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments

Act (S. 1571)• Teacher and Principal Improvement Act (S. 1567)• Empowering Local Education Decision-Making Act (S.

1569)• Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools

Act (S. 1566)

Senate Reauthorization Bill• Eliminates AYP• Focuses on identifying Achievement Gap Schools

and Lowest Achieving Gap Schools (lowest performing 5%)

• Career Academies are an option that can be used to turnaround a school

• Authorizes Race to the Top• Includes new focus on secondary schools

Missing ESEA Pieces• Good changes include growth model,

accountability relief, secondary schools focus• College and career readiness equated to be

transition to college with no remediation• No focus on comprehensive guidance and

career development

WIA Reauthorization

• Originally scheduled for reauthorization in 2003• House Democrats and Republicans have both

released new legislation this spring• Senate action has stalled• Generally speaking, everyone agrees the law

needs updating…but disagreement on how to update it

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WIA House Republican Bill• H.R.4297 – Workforce Investment Improvement Act• Combines current WIA funding streams into a single

Workforce Investment Fund• Options for further consolidation• Increases the role of employers on WIBs• Establishes common accountability• Eliminates Sequence of Services provisions• Perkins was originally included as consolidation option, but

has been removed

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WIA House Democrat Bill• H.R. 4227 – Workforce Investment Act• Supports adult career pathways and sector

strategies• Includes President Obama’s “Community College

to Career Fund”• Establishes common accountability• Eliminates Sequence of Services provisions

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WIA Senate Action• Bipartisan discussion draft was released in

summer 2011 but only two Republican senators signed on

• Markup of the legislation never materialized• Progress has stalled

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Data Quality Issues

• New Workforce Data Quality Campaign• NCES CEDS Workforce Taskforce• OVAE State Perkins Accountability

Congress

Administration’s Perkins Blueprint

Perkins Blueprint

• Released on April 19 at an Iowa Community College

• Titled “Investing in America's Future: A Blueprint for Transforming Career and Technical Education”

• Four key themes:- Alignment - Accountability - Collaboration - Innovation

Perkins Blueprint

• 10% of total set-aside for innovation fund• States would have to secure private-sector

match & meet certain conditions• 5% of the state total for admin funding

and 15% for leadership activities• States would “identify in-demand

occupations in high-growth industry sectors”

Perkins Blueprint• States would run competitions for funding these

areas • Only consortia of LEAs and postsecondary

institutions and their partners would be allowed to apply

• Grants awarded for entire period of law• Consortia must use common measures• Performance-based funding would be awarded

to high-performing consortia

Perkins Blueprint• Concerns arise with specific details of theme

implementation:– Competitive grants– Mandatory secondary-postsecondary consortia– Funding limited to high-growth career areas

identified at state level– State grant funding redirected to national

Innovation Fund– Private sector match– State conditions to receive funding

Perkins Blueprint• ACTE Response– Numerous conversations with OVAE before Blueprint

release discussing concerns– OVAE listening session during NPS– Press statement expressing concerns after Blueprint

release and follow-up interviews with press– Information distribution to state leaders and

members– Organization of call with other key education and

workforce groups to discuss common concerns– Meetings with key Members of Congress to discuss

concerns and counter positive statements

ACTE Perkins Guiding Principles

1. Redefine the Federal Role in CTE2. Target Expenditures3. Define Program Quality Elements4. Ensure Relevant & Consistent Data5. Offer Incentives for Innovation6. Provide the Infrastructure to Support the

System

Perkins Next Steps

• Blueprint is only a proposal – many steps before law is reauthorized

• Congress not likely to discuss Perkins at all before 2013, final reauthorization not likely for several years

• ACTE in the process of developing detailed recommendations to flesh out principles

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Contact Info

Association for Career and Technical Education1410 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314800-826-9972

www.acteonline.org

ahyslop@acteonline.org

Perkins Discussion Session

Alignment

Collaboration

Innovation

Accountability

Accountability Measures• High school graduation• Transition to postsecondary (with and without

remediation)• Attainment of an industry-recognized credential

or licensure• Attainment of a postsecondary certificate or

degree• Rates of employment and earnings• Participation of special populations in CTE