ACTE’s work and that of other CTE advocates and stakeholders has paid off! Last week, Congress approved the long-awaited omnibus appropriations bill to fund federal programs for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, and Perkins Basic State Grants will receive a $75 million increase! This is the first increase in a number of years for Perkins (the Trump Administration’s FY 2018 budget actually requested a 15 percent cut to the state grant program) and it is a strong sign of the growing support for CTE on Capitol Hill.
Overall, the omnibus includes a $3.9 billion increase in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, and a $192 million increase for discretionary funding for the Department of Labor. In addition to the Perkins increase, other notable increases include:
- Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (ESSA Title IV-A) – Increased $700 million, to $1.1 billion in its second year of funding. This program can provide funding to CTE programs, particularly in the areas of career exploration and college and career guidance, technology and STEM.
- Pell Grants – Increases the maximum Pell grant by $175, to a total of $6,095.
- Work Study – Increased $140 million, to $1.1 billion.
- Apprenticeship Opportunities – Increased $50 million to a total of $145 million.
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