CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ACTE’s August Advocacy Week 4: Attend or Host an Event with Your Policymaker

During the August recess, Members of Congress often host events and meetings to connect with their constituents and keep eyes and ears on the issues that are most affecting them. These instances are great times to get some face-to-face time (in-person or virtually) with your federal policymakers and ask them to take action to support the CTE community! This week, ACTE’s August Advocacy campaign is featuring tips to help you get the most out of your time with your policymakers! 

  

If your policymaker has not scheduled any constituent events or meetings during the August recess, you can create your own event, invite the policymaker to attend and keep up pressure on them to act.

 

TAKE ACTION: Attend or host an event with your federal policymakers, where you express the importance of strong federal investments in CTE, ask your policymakers for their support of the CTE community and demonstrate the positive impacts of CTE! 

 

As always, if you haven’t had a chance to participate in ACTE’s August Advocacy tasks yet, it’s not too late! Your advocacy is valuable at any time. Previous weeks’ tasks are pinned to the top of the blog. Stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for further advocacy opportunities!

ACTE’s August Advocacy Week 3: Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor

Policymakers are particularly tuned in to local media in the area they represent, so sharing information on relevant policy priorities, major news and initiatives, and other current issues that are affecting CTE with media professionals can help get important messages in front of policymakers. A great way to do this is to write an op-ed or letter to the editor of a local publication. The goal of an op-ed or letter to the editor should be to leave your readers feeling like they have a solid understanding of the issue, what the solution to the problem is and how they can get involved to help make that change happen. A strong media campaign can reach large numbers of people to communicate about the importance of making strong federal investments in CTE! 

ACTE’s Action Center features a media directory to help you find a list of media publications in your area to submit your op-ed or letter to the editor. If you choose to send a letter to the editor, the Action Center can submit your letter directly to the publication without any additional steps! Just type your letter, subject line and closing line, then click send. 

TAKE ACTION: Draft an op-ed or letter to the editor to share with local or national media professionals expressing the importance of investing in CTE to: 

• Upskill and reskill workers to respond to the ever-changing demands of a pandemic-impacted economy. 

• Include specific examples about how you are equipping your students to succeed. 

• Help institutions recover from the financial demands of the pandemic and build on innovations that emerged during the last year. 

• Discuss challenges you have faced and innovations you have made. As educators and administrators, you know your program best! 

• Develop the educators, program content and flexibility necessary to help meet future workforce needs. 

• Explain how you are meeting workforce needs in your program! 

Remember, if you haven’t had a chance to complete previous ACTE August advocacy activities, they are pinned to the top of the blog – your advocacy is valuable at any time! Stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for more advocacy opportunities!

ACTE’s August Advocacy: Week One Kickoff

For our first advocacy task of August, ACTE’s Public Policy Department would like to familiarize ACTE’s membership with the Action Center, especially as Congress continues to work on a multitude of legislative vehicles – including President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, a bipartisan infrastructure package and a potential budget reconciliation package. We need your help to ensure CTE has a seat at the table! 

We have included some sample language to help guide your letter, but we would like you to customize the letter and include specific examples about your program and community needs! The subject line and text of the letter are fully-customizable to help you craft a personal message.

TAKE ACTION: Navigate to the Action Center and send a letter to your federal policymakers expressing the importance of: 

• Upskilling and reskilling workers to respond to the ever-changing demands of a pandemic-impacted economy. 

• Include specific examples about how you are equipping your students to succeed. 

• Helping institutions recover from the financial demands of the pandemic and build on innovations that emerged during the last year. 

• Discuss challenges you have faced and innovations you have made; As educators and administrators, you know your program best! 

• Developing the educators, program content and flexibility necessary to help meet future workforce needs. 
• Explain in your letter how you are meeting workforce needs in your program!

This is just the first of four advocacy tasks that we have planned for this month – stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for the next advocacy task, as well as tips and updates!

ACTION ALERT: ACTE’s August Advocacy Launch!

Traditionally, Members of Congress return to their districts and states for at least a portion of the month of August to work in their communities, often hosting events and meetings to connect with their constituents and keep eyes and ears on the issues that are most impacting them. 

With Congress moving quickly to act on multiple legislative vehicles that may impact CTE, this is a prime opportunity to gain the attention of Members of Congress and express the impact that robust federal investments in CTE would have on American students and workers – especially as they adapt to a rapidly-changing economy, and millions of jobs in in-demand career fields remain unfilled. 

This August, ACTE is launching a month-long advocacy effort to support robust federal investments in CTE. With your help, we can ensure the strength and future of CTE! 

ACTE’s Public Policy Department has created four advocacy tasks that will help you spread effective, positive information about CTE with federal policymakers, your communities and the media. 

Each Monday in August, a new task will be released on our August Advocacy page and will be the focus for that week. If you can’t complete a task the week it is posted, feel free to complete them later – your advocacy is valuable at any time! In addition to influencing CTE-related policy, the goal of this advocacy push is to also help you become more familiar with grassroots advocacy tips and techniques.

• Week One (8/2): Connect with Policymakers through ACTE’s Action Center 
• Week Two (8/9): Post on Social Media 
• Week Three (8/16): Write an Op-Ed or Letters to the Editor 
• Week Four (8/23): Attend or Host an Event with your Policymaker

If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, or if you would like assistance with advocacy tasks, please reach out to Jori Houck, ACTE’s Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, at [email protected]. 

Now, it’s time to take action – the first task has just been released! Each week, we will update this post to include a new task. Bookmark CTE Policy Watch for more to come!

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Support CTE Funding in the Budget Reconciliation Process!

Last week, ACTE called on CTE advocates to contact their representatives and request that they sign a letter to House leadership advocating for workforce development funding to be incorporated into the “budget reconciliation” package that is being negotiated right now among congressional leadership.

The deadline to sign-on to the letter has been EXTENDED until close of business on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

Please contact your House members BY TUESDAY to ask them to sign on to the letter on workforce development funding sponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV).

We have provided more details here about this advocacy request, as well as instructions for how you can help.

Support CTE Funding in the Budget Reconciliation Process!

Late yesterday, ACTE received a time-sensitive advocacy request! Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV) are circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter for Members of Congress to sign to advocate for workforce development funding to be incorporated into the “budget reconciliation” package that is being negotiated right now among congressional leadership. This package is designed to implement portions of the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan, which included $100 billion for workforce development programs. However, negotiations are fluid, and the workforce funds could be eliminated from the proposal without adequate support.

We want to make one more big push to show congressional leadership that funding for workforce development is critical as the country and economy recover from the pandemic. However, timing is crucial, as this phase of negotiations is wrapping up soon. The deadline to sign the letter is by close of business TODAY, Friday, July 16.

ACTION NEEDED: 

• Please contact your House members TODAY to ask them to sign on to the letter on workforce development funding sponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV). To sign the letter, Members should contact Adam McBride in Congressman Krishnamoorthi's office at [email protected].  
• Because time is short, please call the offices and ask to speak with the education staff person, or reach out directly to a contact you have in the office via email. We are not sure if emails sent through the form on our website will get routed to the correct staff person in time to be effective. You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to reach House offices, or find direct contact information for your representative in ACTE’s Action Center. If you need help finding contact info, please let ACTE know! 
• Please forward this message to others who might be able to reach out to offices TODAY!

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Senator: Support Robust Funding for Perkins in FY 22!

Each year, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) lead a sign-on letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in that year’s Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. Committee members view these “Dear Colleague” letters as a critical part of the process, because they show the breadth of support a specific issue has, making this letter’s success critical. These senators have begun circulating their letter for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and are seeking additional senators to sign on. 

After years of declining federal support for CTE, the past few budgets have included modest increases for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing increases in Perkins funding; we need your help again to secure a significant number of signatures on this important letter and keep the momentum going!  

ACTION NEEDED: Send a letter to your senators asking them to sign the “Dear Colleague letter” supporting robust funding for Perkins CTE in Fiscal Year 2022. The deadline for sign-ons is COB on June 25, 2021. 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your 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 Senate office. Please contact your senators today! 

ACTION ALERT – Ask Your Rep. to Support Robust Funding for CTE in FY22!

Following the release of President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request, congressional appropriators in the House will begin consideration of the Administration’s funding priorities later this month. While the Perkins Basic State Grant Program received a $20 million increase over the FY 2021 enacted level, this increase is smaller than included in FY 2021 and not enough to meet the growing needs of CTE programs as the country emerges from the pandemic. We need your help to put pressure on your representatives for a more robust increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant and keep up the fight for CTE!

Your advocacy has been instrumental in securing funding increases for CTE for the past several years, and your voice is critical to ensuring policymakers in Washington understand the many benefits of high-quality CTE programs.

The House of Representatives is expected to begin its appropriations markup process on June 24, 2021, so now is the time to act!

ACTION NEEDED:

• If your representative IS a member of the House Appropriations Committee, CLICK HERE to send a letter asking them to support additional funding to strengthen CTE.
• If your representative IS NOT a member of the House Appropriations Committee, CLICK HERE to send a letter asking them to contact the Appropriations Committee and express their support for additional funding to strengthen CTE.

Additionally, if you have met with a staff member during NPS or at another time and have a direct contact, feel free to call or email directly rather than using the Action Center link. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested House office. Please contact your representative today!

ACTION ALERT – Ask Your Rep. to Support Perkins Funding in FY22!

Every year ahead of the annual appropriations process, House CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and G.T. Thompson (R-PA) circulate a sign-on letter to the Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in that year's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. Committee members view these sign-on letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support a specific issue has, making this letter's success critical.

Ask your Representative to sign onto the letter and show support for Perkins CTE in FY22.

After years of declining federal support for CTE, the past few budgets have included modest increases for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing increases in Perkins funding, and so we need your help again to keep the momentum going!

We need to continue to raise awareness with policymakers to ensure they understand the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages policymakers to take action, so please contact your representative today! Additionally, if you have met with a staff member during NPS or at another time and have a direct contact, feel free to call or email directly rather than using the action center. The deadline for Members of Congress to sign onto the letter is Friday, April 23.

Ask Your Policymakers to Co-Sponsor the JOBS Act!

The House and Senate just reintroduced the bipartisan Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, a critical bill to ensure students have access high-quality, short-term job training programs which are critical to meeting industry demand and ensuring all workers and businesses can access and contribute to an inclusive economic recovery.

Please click here to ask your policymakers to co-sponsor the JOBS Act.

We need your help to get JOBS across the finish line. Click here to contact your Reps in the House and Senate and tell them to support the JOBS Act today!