ED Reverses Course on K-12 Formula Transition
Late last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it will continue to distribute K-12 formula funds becoming available on July 1, 2026, via the agency’s existing G5 grant management and payment system. The news comes after ED entered into an interagency agreement (IAA) with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) last year to transition the day-to-day administrative functions of many K-12 education programs to DOL, including transitioning these programs to two separate grant and payment systems used by other federal agencies. As the Career Technical Education (CTE) community is aware, ED and DOL similarly transitioned these functions for formula grants authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Act (Perkins V) and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) last fall.
According to reports, ED cited concerns from states about potential administrative and technical challenges associated with these efforts alongside new statutory requirements to distribute these funds by July 1– one of several provisions included in final FY26 appropriations legislation. It remains unclear whether or when ED will similarly transition K-12 formula programs over to these new systems, but it has continued to move forward with its use in several discretionary grant competitions in recent months.
WIOA Reauthorization Moves Forward in the House
This week, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced a bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), titled the A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 (ASWA26). Although the previous iteration of this legislation was strongly bipartisan, this latest WIOA reauthorization proposal was passed narrowly along party lines by a margin of 19 to 14. As previously reported, ASWA26 includes language seeking to codify a portion of one of the administration’s 10 IAAs impacting the administration of adult education. This inclusion has been the center of partisan disagreement and has made it difficult for committee members to find the bipartisan support the bill had in the previous Congress. Read a summary of the legislation here.
National Apprenticeship Week Celebrations Next Week
Next week, communities across the country will celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, highlighting the role of apprenticeship programs in building strong talent pipelines. The week will showcase partnerships among employers, education agencies, and workforce systems, with a continued emphasis on expanding access to high-quality opportunities to bridge career pathways. The celebration reinforces the opportunity to align CTE programs as a readiness pathway to postsecondary opportunities, such as registered apprenticeships, and to advance the Trump administration’s goal of one million active apprentices nationwide.
FY27 Appropriations Update
The appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2027 continued this week, as the Senate Appropriations Committee’s deadline for member requests passed on Tuesday. As previously reported, a “Dear Colleague Letter” was submitted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), garnering support from members on both sides of the aisle to call for an increased investment in CTE through the Perkins V State Grant program. The finalized letter can be found here.
Next week, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee focused on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) FY27 legislation– the bill which provides funding for Perkins V. The hearing will provide further insight into the Trump administration’s budget priorities, agency operations, and implementation goals, including the IAAs, as well as ED’s wider spending plans.
Secretary of Labor Resigns
This week, the Trump administration announced a cabinet-level change at DOL, with Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigning from the post. In the interim, Keith Sonderling will serve as the acting Secretary of Labor. Advance CTE will continue to monitor key administrative transitions with implications for the CTE community.
Proposed Rule on Postsecondary Accountability
Last Friday, ED issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish a new accountability framework for all postsecondary programs as required by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The proposed regulations follow a previous negotiated rulemaking effort where negotiators narrowly reached consensus on a package this past January. The rule is open for the next 30 days with comments due May 20. The framework will impact all postsecondary programs, including certain CTE programs, through the prism of graduates’ earnings. ED’s press release on the proposal can be found here, and the rule can be accessed here.
