State CTE Policy Update: A Glimpse at the Year to Come

While Advance CTE and The Association for Career Technical Education (ACTE) Year in Review is a powerful tool to reference policies passed across the nation in 2022, new legislative agendas are constantly being designed and implemented. The 74, a non-profit education news organization, released Teacher Pay, School Choice, Literacy: Top...

State CTE Policy Update: A Glimpse at the Year to Come

Public Policy
• March 28, 2023

jlangellotti

Notably, the teaching process and workforce development were identified as priorities for many governors across the country. This blog elevates some of the policies mentioned that specifically speak to Advance CTE’s shared vision of ensuring that each learner is able to engage in a flexible and responsive career preparation ecosystem.

Idaho: Idaho is proposing $8,500 yearly scholarships to high school graduates planning to attend an Idaho university, community college, career technical or workforce training program of their choice.

Montana: Montana is proposing to allow students to use work-based learning experiences as high school credits that are applicable to their graduation status. The state is also working to double the Montana Trades Education and Tax Credit, which gives employers a tax credit for expenses incurred by training employees for a trade profession.

Nevada: Nevada is proposing to use Career Technical Academies and Career Technical Education (CTE) to increase the teacher pipeline. Additionally, Nevada is also planning to appropriate $6 million in funds to maintain support for Promise Scholarships, a scholarship program for high school students who will be attending a community college.

Ohio: Ohio is proposing an investment of $300 million for capital improvements and equipment for CTE. Unrelated to the investment, Ohio is also looking for ways to reduce the shortage of pediatric behavioral healthcare professionals.

Virginia: In order to reach its eventual goal of ensuring all students graduate with an industry credential, Virginia is proposing to accelerate dual-enrollment partnerships with high schools and community colleges. They also seek to use a high school and college program to recruit 2,000 police officers. Virginia is also striving to provide $35 million to their Earn to Learn accelerator to train more nurses.

While this is only a taste of the legislative agenda for 2023, it does show that several governors are committed to providing strong CTE opportunities to their constituents. In addition to CTE-specific policies, governors have established a commitment to improving teacher pay and building teacher pipelines, removing barriers to practice within the healthcare profession and improving access to mental healthcare for learners.

With the first quarter of the year ending, Advance CTE will be monitoring see how these agendas fare among state legislatures. Advance CTE will be providing updates via the member newsletter and a comprehensive list of all passed legislation in the Year In Review for 2023.

With many governors focused on policies related to credentialing and dual enrollment, The State of CTE: Early Postsecondary Opportunities is a great resource for more information on these topics.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate