News this Week: 
Congress returned this week after a six-week recess, and continued with the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations process. Read below to learn more about the appropriations outlook, Secretary DeVos’s recent visit to Career Technical Education programs in Alaska and a new article about collaboration between education and foster care services. 
FY2020 Appropriations Process Continues 
Congress returned from the six-week summer recess this week with the intention of moving forward with the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) appropriations process following the budget deal that was reached right before break. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education) was scheduled to markup their FY20 appropriations bill on Tuesday, September 10. However, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) postponed this markup shortly before it was scheduled to begin due to partisan disagreements about the bill. The disagreements mainly revolved around the funding level, as well as policy amendments attached to the bill. 
Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted on the spending levels for each of the 12 appropriations bills, passing on party lines. Although the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill has not been shared with the public, the allocation for Labor-HHS-Education is $187.7 billion- just about a 1% increase over FY19 funding. As a reminder, the House Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that was passed earlier this summer included about a 6% increase over FY19 funding.  
Federal funding runs out on September 30, and appropriators are now working to come to an agreement before that time. One possible outcome is that Congress will pass a short-term funding bill, or a continuing resolution, to extend current funding levels while continuing to work on the full long-term funding bill. 
Advance CTE will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available. 
Secretary DeVos Visits Career Technical Education Programs in Alaska 
Recently, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos traveled to Alaska to visit two Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and learn more about existing CTE opportunities in the state. Secretary DeVos first observed students at King Tech High School in Anchorage. King Tech High School offers CTE programs in 25 occupations and provides learners with the skills to be successful in both college and a career. Next, Secretary DeVos visited the Northwestern Alaska Career & Technical Center (NACTEC), located on the Nome-Beltz Jr./Sr. High School campus. NACTEC classes are open to learners across the region.
New Article Shares Recommendations for Supporting Learners in Foster Care
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) pushes local education agencies to collaborate with foster care services and coordinate supports for students. Perkins V also focuses on youth in foster care by adding them to the list of special populations and requiring states to review and report disaggregated performance data. In many states, these requirements will involve new processes and relationships, but they are ultimately designed to support the success of students in foster care. In this article, advocates in California lay out a series of recommendations and opportunities to foster stronger collaboration between education and foster care services at both the state and local level. 
Meredith Hills, Policy Associate