May 17, 2017 – Silver Spring, M.D. – The following is a statement in response to a report in The Washington Post revealing a $168 million cut to Career Technical Education (CTE) in the President’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget. The joint statement can be attributed to LeAnn Wilson, executive director of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), and Kimberly Green, executive director of Advance CTE.
“Reports of a $168 million cut to Career Technical Education in the President’s FY18 budget are damaging and demoralizing for millions of students, parents and employers alike. If reports are accurate, this budget does not reflect the vital role CTE plays in securing a strong talent pool to help America’s economy grow and innovate.
“This draconian cut to federal funding for CTE is an extremely disappointing departure for a President who just last month claimed his administration was ‘working to ensure our workers are trained for the skilled technical jobs that will, in the future, power our country.’ This budget would also directly contradict a recent claim by Secretary DeVos that ‘this Administration is committed to supporting and highlighting Career Technical Education…’
“Cuts to CTE funding would ignore employers’ consistent warnings of significant workforce shortages that are negatively impacting their businesses. Over the next several years, millions of high-wage, high-skill careers will go unfilled because the labor market does not have enough skilled workers to meet the demands of today’s economy. Career Technical Education helps fuel the talent pipeline for the next generation of skilled American workers, yet the President’s budget would cut off the pipeline, depriving schools all across the country of critical resources used to ensure students have access to high-quality CTE.
“Just days before the 2016 election, speaking about CTE, the President said that, ‘We’re going to start it up big league.’ This budget wouldn’t be big league, it would be a swing and a miss for students and employers. We implore President Trump to reconsider his FY18 budget and support a significant new investment in federal support for CTE.”
Media Contacts:
Katie Fitzgerald, Advance CTE
301-588-9630
Jarrod Nagurka, ACTE
703-683-9312
###
About ACTE:
The Association for Career and Technical Education is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.
About Advance CTE
Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports visionary state leadership, cultivates best practices and speaks with a collective voice on national policy to promote academic and technical excellence that ensures a career-ready workforce.
