ADVOCACY

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POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

• Tight budgets 450 billion deficit
• Divided Congress
• Legislation still requires bi-partisan support
• Focus will be on November elections

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POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

• Education focus will be on No Child Left Behind
  implementation
• Accountability is key!
• Congressional Priorities
• - Economy
• - Defense
• - Homeland Security

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EDUCATIONAPPROPRIATIONS
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FY 04 APPROPRIATIONS

• Presidents budget proposed eliminating all
  funding for programs in current Perkins Act, and
  replacing with 1 billion Secondary and
  Technical Education Excellence Act
• Proposed 25 cut in funding from FY 03 Perkins
  levels

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FY 04 APPROPRIATIONS

• House and Senate passed versions of the Labor,
  Health and Human Services, and Education
  Appropriations bill in the summer and fall
• Due to time constraints, this bill was combined
  with six others into an omnibus appropriations
  bill
• The omnibus bill proposed slight increase in
  Perkins funding, but provided only small
  increases for education overall and included
  controversial cuts and policy riders
• The House passed the omnibus December 8, and the
  Senate passed on January 22

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FY 04 APPROPRIATIONS
PERKINS PROGRAM Presidents Request Final FY 04 Change from FY 03
STATE GRANTS 1,000,000,000 1,195,008,000 2,807,000
TECH PREP 0 106,665,000 -633,000
NATIONAL PROGRAMS 0 11,852,000 -70,000
SECTION 118 0 9,382,000 -56,000
TECH PREP DEMO 0 4,939,000 -29,000
TOTAL 1,000,000,000 1,335,031,000 2,250,000
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FY 05 BUDGET PROPOSAL

• Presidents FY 05 budget proposal was released
  February 2rd and included a 25 cut in funding
  for career and technical education
• Eliminated all funding for programs in current
  Perkins Act, replaced with 1 billion Secondary
  and Technical Education Excellence Act
• Wisconsin would loose approximately 5,479,954

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FY 05 BUDGET PROPOSAL

• Included funds for new Jobs for the 21st
  Century initiative.
• Included some language related to the
  reauthorization of the Perkins Act did not
  reflect positive tones that have been coming from
  OVAE.
• OVAE is expected to release more details of its
  Perkins reauthorization proposal soon, and has
  issued assurances that more moderate ideas will
  form the basis of the proposal.

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LEGISLATIVE AGENDA2004

• Workforce Investment Act
• Welfare
• IDEA
• Head Start
• Higher Education Act
• Child Nutrition
• Perkins

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PERKINS REAUTHORIZATION
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REAUTHORIZATION TIMING

• Final ACTE Recommendations January 2004
• New Outline of OVAE Proposal Unclear ??
• Congressional Proposals
• Spring 2004 ??

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ADMINISTRATIONS PERKINS PROPOSAL

• Original proposal posed major threat to career
  and technical education
• CTE community helped force changes
• Administration appears to be rethinking some of
  its original proposal
• Concentrating on pathways to postsecondary
  education through partnerships, providing
  students with a common academic core, and
  developing state approved programs of study.

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ACTE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Purposes Increase focus on technical skills and
  meeting the needs of business and the economy
• Definitions Update perceptions of CTE
• Funding Protect and increase funding prepare
  for the future of the program
• Tech Prep Refocus on innovation, transition,
  partnerships

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ACTE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Accountability Protect technical skill
  attainment focus allow for differences in
  post-secondary and secondary goals
• State Administration Leadership Strengthen
  support for state level leadership
• Local Activities Identify pathways require
  education-business advisory groups

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ACTE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Areas to Strengthen
• Career Information and Career Counseling
• Include in Acts purposes
• Require mandatory support from states
• Teacher Quality, Recruitment and Retention
• State and local plans
• Definition of teacher quality
• Demonstration grant
• CTSOs
• Include in Acts purposes
• Require mandatory support from states

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT

• House and Senate have passed bills. Must work
  out differences in conference.
• Several concerns
• Allows governors to take money from partner
  program administrative funds postsecondary
  portion only
• Eliminates required Youth Councils
• Reduces focus on in-school youth
• Eliminates requirement for partner program
  representation on local boards

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WELFARE REFORM

• Process was started last year but not completed.
• The House passed their bill in February, it
  includes tougher work requirements and limits
  full-time education and training to 4 months.
• The Senate Finance Committee approved a welfare
  bill in early September. Its bill includes
  smaller increases in work requirements and
  maintains 12 months as the time allowed for
  full-time education and training.
• Education time could be extended as the bill goes
  to the floor of the Senate.

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WELFARE REFORM

• ACTE PRIORITIES
• Extending time allowed for educational and
  training activities from 12 months (current law)
  to 24 months
• Including education and training included as
  Direct Work Activities

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I.D.E.A.

• ACTEs priorities include transition, funding,
  discipline technical assistance, and reduction of
  paperwork.
• House passed H.R. 1350 April 30, bill has
  received mixed reviews.
• Positives Steps to reduce paperwork, NO VOUCHERS
• Concerns No mandatory funding, discipline
  provisions, very partisan approach

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I.D.E.A.

• Senate introduced its IDEA bill June 12, and the
  bill was passed by the HELP Committee.
• Senate bill is bi-partisan and includes a much
  stronger focus on ACTEs top priority
  transition.
• Senate bill must now be debated and voted on by
  the entire Senatecould happen later this fall or
  in the spring.

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HIGHER EDUCATION ACT

• House has begun the process of reauthorizing
  Higher Ed
• Plan to use several separate bills instead of
  reauthorizing all at once
• Several bills, including ones related to teacher
  traininghave been passed by the House, but no
  action has been taken in the Senate
• ACTE is working to ensure that CTE teacher
  training programs have access to improvement funds

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WHAT YOU CAN DO.
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WHY IS ADVOCACY IMPORTANT?

• Puts your program in the spotlight
• Lets policymakers know what is happening in the
  real world of education
• Creates more opportunities for students
• The future of career and technical education
  depends on you!

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WHO SHOULD YOU TARGET?

• Education programs like career and technical
  education are governed by the federal government,
  state government and by your local school
  districtso all three levels are important!

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WHO SHOULD YOU TARGET?

• Federal Level
• Congressional representatives
• U.S. Secretary of Education
• Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• President Bush

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WHO SHOULD YOU TARGET?

• House Education and the Workforce Committee
• Chairman John Boehner (R-OH)
• Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA)
• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
  Committee
• Chairman Judd Gregg (RNH)
• Ranking Member Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

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WHO SHOULD YOU TARGET?

• House Education Appropriations Subcommittee
• Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH)
• Ranking Member David Obey (D-WI)
• Senate Appropriations Committee
• Chairman Ted Stevens (RAK)
• Ranking Member Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)

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METHODS OF COMMUNICATING

• Visits with key policymakers
• Fact sheets
• Letters/faxes/e-mails
• Calls to key policymakers
• School tours
• Presenting testimony
• Political campaigns

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GENERAL ADVOCACY GUIDELINES

• Know the person you are targeting
• Be well prepared for your contact
• Have a goal in mind, and be specific about the
  action you would like your target to take
• Be concise in your written and verbal
  communications
• Share the results of the contact
• Continue the relationship

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Attend ACTEs National Policy Seminar!
• March 14-16, 2004
• Capital Hilton Hotel - Washington, DC
• Invited speakers include
• Assistant Secretary of Vocational and Adult
  Education Susan Sclafani
• Key congressional staff
• Key members of Congress

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Develop a relationship with your congressional
  representatives
• Share data and statistics with ACTE and your
  congressional representatives
• Get informed on key issues and share this
  information with others Sign up for ACTE
  Legislative Alerts and take action
• Promote your programs
• Join ACTE and contribute to the Legislative
  Support Fund

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HOW TO CONTACT ACTE

• ACTE
• 1410 King Street
• Alexandria, VA 22315
• 1-800-826-9972
• FAX [phone]
• www.acteonline.org
• Public Policy Staff
• Christin Driscoll
• Alisha Dixon Hyslop