The following statement can be attributed to Advance CTE and The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE):
“Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) commend the Senate Appropriations Committee for recently advancing federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) appropriations legislation– a proposal that would provide for a $35 million increased investment in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) State Grant Program. We urge Congress to enact this critically needed increased investment in CTE as the wider FY25 process continues to advance this year.
ACTE and Advance CTE are particularly encouraged to note the broad bipartisan support this FY25 funding proposal received during the Committee’s recent consideration of this measure. Increasing the investment in Perkins V’s foundational support for state and local CTE systems is critical to ensuring that all learners have access to high-quality CTE learning opportunities directly supported by this legislation.
Despite current budgetary constraints, we applaud the Senate Appropriations Committee for recognizing the importance of this annual federal investment which supports CTE pathways that lead directly to further education, training, and family-sustaining employment. We also were pleased to note overall levels of investment in other critical education and workforce development programs in support of the wider career preparation ecosystem.
While our organizations continue to have concerns regarding additional funding for competitive grant programs as envisioned in this FY25 proposal, particularly in light of such a challenging fiscal environment, we encourage Congress to ensure that if these funds are allocated, they are targeted for activities that are truly innovative and not duplicative of the existing, foundational investment made in CTE through Perkins V’s State Grant program.”
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Contact: Stacy Whitehouse, Associate Director of Communications
