Advance CTE, Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Encouraged by President Biden’s Budget Request
The following statement can be attributed to Advance CTE and ACTE:
“Yesterday, President Biden published his Administration’s federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget request to Congress. This request includes a $40 million budget increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) basic state grant program–just under a 3% increase over current FY23 enacted levels.
Our organizations understand the tight fiscal constraints under which the administration developed this budget proposal and we applaud the President for his vision for the future which recognizes that investing in Career Technical Education (CTE) is a national imperative. Currently, less than 3% of total education funding directly supports CTE, and this figure is only 1% without the investment made by the Perkins state grant program. Investing in the Perkins V state grant program remains the most effective way to ensure that all learners have equitable access to career-focused education through the proven model of CTE and the wider opportunities these experiences provide.
The request also proposes $64 million for the continuation and expansion of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Career-Connected High Schools competitive grant program. While we appreciate the administration’s broader focus on providing more career-connected learning opportunities, much of what is envisioned and has been funded in the initial round as part of these competitive grants can and already is funded by Perkins V’s formula program. Any additional resources available in the President’s budget for CTE should instead be invested in the legislation’s state grant program. Prioritizing resources for the basic state grant avoids duplicating program structures already funded and avoids exacerbating equity barriers that often prevent underserved communities from applying to competitive grant opportunities.
Beyond these aspects of the proposal, we were pleased to note proposed investments in community and technical colleges, including new focus on “career-connected” dual enrollment experiences and an accompanying state-matching requirement.
Our organizations look forward to working with Congress and the Biden administration this year to enact federal investments for Perkins V that fully meet the needs of the millions of CTE learners across the nation. Learner demand for CTE is only continuing to increase. For that reason, we must provide the investments needed to ensure that every learner has the skills required to succeed in careers and in life.”
