One day after the release of President Trump’s full budget request to Congress, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos went before the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee to defend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget plan for education. As we reported, the budget proposes drastic cuts in federal support for CTE, including a $168 million cut in the Perkins Basic State Grant! It also proposes to put an additional $20 million in the Perkins National Programs to establish a new grant that would support only certain CTE programs in STEM fields that are able to compete for funds. ACTE has strongly rejected the proposal, and will work with Congress to ensure strong funding for CTE.
In her first appearance before congressional appropriators, Secretary DeVos was often at pains to defend the budget outline. She struggled to reconcile the proposed cuts with her stated priorities in education. In response to a question from Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), she praised innovative partnerships between community colleges and employers, while also agreeing with Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) about the importance of secondary CTE in providing students with a comprehensive career pathway. Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) noted the disconnect between the secretary’s praise for CTE and the proposed cut to Perkins—admonishing DeVos to quit “talking out of both sides of her mouth” on the issue. Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) added to the chorus of support for CTE, and invited DeVos see the great work being done at programs in his home state of Oklahoma.
The secretary also took criticism for plans to eliminate Title IV grants under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which can support career guidance programs and other CTE-related initiatives, along with ESSA Title II funds for educator training and professional development. On the postsecondary side, cuts to Federal Work-Study student aid, as well as TRIO and GEAR-UP programs that support college access for low-income students, received a cold reception from committee members.
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