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Prepared by Michael R. Stone, Executive Director
Reviewed by Jim Edwards, Legislative Liaison

THE FINAL TWO DAYS of the 2007 “short” Kentucky General Assembly session will take place Monday-Tuesday, March 26-27. Few substantive measures have passed this session. What seemed in mid-February like a session heading toward some significant legislation stalled over the issue of state employee and teacher retirement systems. The last two days are set aside for consideration of governor vetoes, but Gov. Ernie Fletcher has not vetoed any of the few items on his desk. The legislature can use the days for other work, and Gov. Fletcher has suggested he may call a special session to address the future of the retirement systems if nothing is done in the last two days of the session.

A frequent subject of hearings, and always mentioned in budget discussions, is the future funding liability for state employee and teacher retirement payments. Simply, there are more pending obligations than currently can be supported by existing or anticipated revenues without changing the amounts of contributions or distributions. In the last few days of the session, the Senate passed a plan, which Senate leaders said was based on research and actuarial reports prepared through the Legislative Research Commission, to issue $800 million in bonds to support the current system and eventual payouts for current staff, and amend future contribution and payout schedules, which only would impact future employees and teachers.

The Senate leaders indicated they would not act on any more legislation until the House passed their plan or at least met to develop a compromise. House leaders say they need more time to study the impact of the Senate’s proposal. The result is the legislative process essentially stopped. Some broadly and bipartisan supported items have not passed, and they may not. Legislation affecting Career and Technical Education (CTE) is awaiting passage, and it may not pass, either, given the legislative stalemate.

Ø Projects, many to support Kentucky Community and Technical College System and state public university building expansions, which were vetoed by Gov. Fletcher in the 2006-2008 biennial budget, are awaiting Senate approval after being overwhelmingly approved in the House.

Ø SJR125, which would direct the Education Cabinet secretary and Department of Education commissioner to appoint a work group to develop a multiphase plan to utilize CTE programs and facilities to understand the relevance of literacy, mathematics, technology and science knowledge and skills so students may improve academic performance and skill mastery needed for continuing education and career preparation, is awaiting final passage in the House after passing the Senate 35-0.

Ø HB326 would lead to increased pay for staff at area technology centers. It is sitting in the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee after passing the House 98-0.

Ø HB461, which would make changes to the teachers’ retirement system, was recommitted to the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee before it could be brought for final vote. It passed the House 99-0.

More details on each of these bills may be found at the Legislative Research Commission website, www.lrc.ky.gov.

MEANWHILE, THE RELEVANCE for CTE programs continues to grow in Kentucky and elsewhere (see Federal Issues below). The state P-16 Council met on March 21, and one discussion item was the recently released study: Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the U.S. Workforce. The study clearly argued high school and college graduates are ill-prepared for current workforce openings. Further, the study reinforced the value of CTE-related programs. Among items included in the study:

Ø Issues of timeliness, dress, career growth, courtesy, teamwork, commitment, responsibility, and integrity should be addressed.

Ø Critical thinking, problem solving, communication and making appropriate choices concerning health and wellness should be stressed by teachers and others.

Ø Business and education need to better understand each other’s environment, and programs should be established more broadly for internships, summer jobs, work-study, job shadowing, mentoring and on-the-job training.

Ø Instruction should be more meaningful to the student, and leadership skills should be stressed.

Ø More jobs are being filled by post-secondary educated workers than high school graduates.

The study recommends assessing current curricula in response to the identified deficiencies and future needs, and researching promising models that incorporate hands-on and practical experience for students.

THE KEY ISSUE for CTE at the Federal level is to secure adequate funding in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget process now underway. In early March, KACTE members participated in the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington and visited with members of Congress or their staff in support of CTE programs. Following is part of Executive Director Stone’s trip report:

“THE URGENCY of the ACTE National Policy Seminar (NPS) and the traditional congressional office visits accompanying the meeting was not as intense in 2007. Instead, with Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, the 2006 passage of long-awaited Perkins Act reauthorization, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) program federal appropriations maintaining the previous year level, the feeling was more hopeful and forward looking. This sense was bolstered by NPS speakers and recent research and publications citing CTE’s increased visibility and effectiveness in the educational community. This included encouraging words from Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education Troy Justesen at the NPS opening session.”

(ADDED NOTE: Justesen said: “I believe that what you do is absolutely critical; I believe what you do is the secret that needs to get out a little more.” He stressed the need for data to support CTE success, such as the brochure developed by the Division of Career and Technical Education and Office of Career and Technical Education showing the improved accountability testing and skill standard attainment by Kentucky CTE concentrators. On a panel at NPS, CTE was cited as an integral partner in addressing the skill gap and maintaining global competitiveness. Panelists indicated CTE gives students a reason to stay in the classroom and obtain skills necessary for the workplace. David Byer, Apple Computers, called for education to be made relevant through applied learning. Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise lauded the concept of individual graduation plans.)

“THE CONTRAST to the positive message is contained in two legislative proposals. First is the Fiscal Year 2008 administration budget proposal, which would cut CTE-Perkins Act funding by 50 percent. Second, the initial No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization proposal from the federal Department of Education would permit CTE-Perkins Act appropriations to be used for virtually any educational program at the state and local level. KACTE’s messages to its federal legislators were threefold:

“ACTE PREPARED board-adopted recommendations on NCLB reauthorization, improvements to postsecondary education (for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act), and reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, which were given to federal legislative staff. These positions, which stress the importance, achievement, rigor and relevance of CTE, and the continuing need to integrate academics into CTE programs and enhance student guidance, are available for review and downloading from the public policy section of the ACTE website: http://www.acteonline.org/policy/index.cfm.

Ø Sarah Raikes, Washington County High School (ACTE Region 2 Policy Committee representative)

Ø Michael McMillen, Bluegrass Community and Technical College (ACTE Nominating Committee)

Ø Jay Jackman, Lexington (NAAE executive director, who was joined by the NAAE Associate Executive Director Alissa F. Smith and other NAAE staff)

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, Executive Director
Reviewed by Jim Edwards, Legislative Liaison

The Kentucky General Assembly is progressing through its odd-year session, which is limited to 30 working days. As this is written, there are nine days left in the session, and two of those (March 26-27) are reserved for veto override (although sometimes they are used for regular legislative business). Little legislation has passed, and observers do not expect many items to make it through the session to the governor’s desk. Among the reasons given for an expected lack of legislative action:

Ø The pending May gubernatorial primary. Neither party wants to give the other a campaign issue.

Ø The 2006-2008 biennial budget was passed last session. Legislative leaders do not want to open up the budget for amendment, and many of the proposed bills would cause budget adjustment.

Ø The sheer volume of proposed legislation introduced. Almost as many bills have been introduced in this 30-day session as typically are introduced in the even-year, 60-day session.

As usual, education and education-related legislation comprise much of the legislative focus. Legislative proposals affecting Career and Technical Education (CTE) are prominent. Some of the legislation demonstrates that at least some members of the Kentucky General Assembly, if not the whole body, understand the value of an effective, quality CTE system for workforce preparation, economic development and dropout prevention.

SJR125, introduced by Sens. Jack Westwood, Dan Kelly and Ken Winters, is an example of legislative focus on the potential of CTE programs. It could spur increased application of CTE programs by directing the Education Cabinet Secretary and the Commissioner of Education to appoint a work group to develop a multiphase plan to utilize CTE programs and facilities to understand the relevance of literacy, mathematics, technology and science knowledge and skills so students may improve academic performance and skill mastery needed for continuing education and career preparation. The plan would be delivered to the Joint Interim Committee on Education by Dec. 1, 2007. This bill was introduced Feb. 15 and assigned to the Senate Education Committee. It was scheduled for hearing before the Senate Education Committee on March 1.

SJR125 particularly cites CTE’s importance in dropout prevention noting in “whereas” clauses: “the number of dropout may be diminished if students comprehend the relevance of school subjects in general and specifically the relevance of literacy, mathematics, technology, and science to their futures; many students say they are bored and unchallenged in traditional school settings that utilize abstract and theoretical instruction methodologies; and many students find school unconnected to daily life and lacking relevance to their futures.” Another clause suggests “students can overcome their academic deficiencies when engaged in meaningful activities through intentional interventions and hands-on opportunities.”

SJR125 directs the plan to include summer career camps with applied learning opportunities for middle school students; intensive academic interventions delivered through ninth grade academies or other designs; increased career counseling, mentoring and support systems; increased opportunities for students across the state to participate in high-quality CTE studies relevant to today’s workplaces; recommendations for upgrading the quality and statewide access to rigorous, technologically current CTE programs; and an implementation timeline and cost projections.

HB326, introduced by Reps. Harry Moberly, Frank Rasche and Jody Richards among 18 total sponsors comprising the House Democratic leadership, would amend the budget by giving Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) certified and equivalent employees with the option to select a salary adjustment based on Part IV, State Salary/Compensation and Employment Policy, or a salary adjustment of 2 percent for fiscal year 2006-2007 and a $3,000 salary increase for 2007-2008. This addresses a question of salary equalization between OCTE Area Technology Center teachers and administrators with local school district personnel. The bill passed the House 98-0 on Feb. 16 and now is before the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee.

HR152, introduced by Rep. Robin Webb, urges OCTE to pay all certified or equivalent employees an annual increment required by 151B.035. It was introduced Feb. 16 and sent to the House floor without a committee assignment.

SB46, introduced by Sen. Jerry Rhoads, would permit high school students to use part of their earned KEES scholarship to pay for dual enrollment costs of postsecondary institutions. It was scheduled for its final reading and possible passage by the Senate on Feb. 27.

Two bills, HB461, introduced by Reps. Frank Rasche and Ted Edmonds, and HB220, introduced by Rep. Rick Nelson, address state and teacher retirement issues. HB461 would make changes in retirement program participation. HB220 would expand the definition of “penalization” under 151B.010.

Two well-publicized bills have passed the Senate by large majorities and now are awaiting action by the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. SB1, introduced by Sens. Winters, Gerald Neal and Dick Roeding, would encourage enhanced Advanced Placement courses in calculus, physics and chemistry, including increased rewards for both teachers and students. It passed the Senate 28-7. SB2, introduced by Sens. Kelly, Neal and Roeding, would increase teacher pay for calculus, physics and chemistry in demographically poor districts. It passed the Senate 26-7.

CTE was at the forefront in the State Capitol on Student Organization Leadership Day on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. In spite of weather challenges, almost 600 student organization members and advisers participated. Highlighting the day was testimony before the House Education Committee by 2007 ACTE national Teacher-of-the-Year Leslie Watkins, Reidland High School. She emphasized the rigor, relevance and relationships now at the forefront of CTE programs. Governor Ernie Fletcher signed a proclamation before officers of the seven secondary Career and Technical Education Student Organizations declaring February Career and Technical and Entrepreneurship Education Month.

Student Organization officers met separately with Senate President David Williams; Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, Economic Development Committee chair; Sen. Charlie Borders, Appropriations and Revenue Committee chair; Rep. Frank Rasche, Education Committee chair; Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, Economic Development Committee chair; and Rep. Fred Nesler, Appropriations and Revenue Committee vice-chair. SR43, introduced by Sen. Bob Leeper, honored Watkins for being named 2007 national teacher-of-the-year. SR100, introduced by Rep. Vernie McGaha, and HR129, introduced by Rep. Rob Wilkey, recognized CTE Month and Student Organization Leadership Day. Earlier, Sen. McGaha and Rep. Derrick Graham spoke to students at the Sixth Annual SOLD civics program.

All Kentucky legislators were provided with KACTE’s recently adopted 2007 Legislative Agenda, “Leading the Transformation.” The document may be found at: http://www.kacteonline.org/summer_program.htm.

The Perkins State Plan Advisory Committee is continuing meetings to develop the transition plan for Kentucky under the new Perkins Act. The plan must be submitted to the federal Department of Education in April.

Implementation of the new Perkins Act will be the subject of several programs at the 2007 Annual Statewide Career and Technical Education Summer Program to be held at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, July 22-25. Kim Green, executive director, National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium, will be a featured presenter. Kentucky agency officials will address implementation among program areas.

The newly formed Kentucky STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Task Force held its first meeting last December. The goal is to strengthen educational programs in these areas and increase the number of postsecondary graduates in STEM-related fields. Rodney Kelly, director, KDE Division of Career and Technical Education, and Dr. Keith Bird, chancellor, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, are among the 100 members on the statewide STEM Task Force, which is organized under the Council on Postsecondary Education. Also participating are Education Cabinet Secretary Laura Owens and Barbara Veazey from West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

KACTE officials are preparing to attend the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington March 5-7. Visits will be made to all Kentucky congressional offices, primarily carrying these messages:

Ø Thank you for past support of CTE through almost unanimous passage of Perkins Act reauthorization in the last Congress and by passing level appropriations in the Fiscal Year 2007 continuing resolution, which was signed into law by President Bush on Feb. 15.

Ø Maintain Perkins Act funding in Fiscal Year 2008. The administration’s budget proposal asked for a 50 percent cut in Perkins funding. Kentucky would lose more than $9 million under the proposal.

Ø Offer suggestions for recognizing CTE’s importance in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind legislation. The Department of Education proposal for NCLB reauthorization would permit Perkins funds to be co-mingled with all state and local federally appropriated education funds to support any program.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, Executive Director
Reviewed by Jim Edwards, Legislative Liaison

With 2007 approaching, this Issues Update will recap federal legislative and policy developments, report a national panel’s projection of the future of Career and Technical Education, and present some long-term Kentucky considerations.. This Issues Update is divided into four sections:

The top federal issue for Career and Technical Education (CTE) in 2006 was reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. It passed the House of Representative 399-1, and the Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent. It was signed into law by President Bush.

The new Perkins Act demands local educators be more knowledgeable of the legislation and regulations to fulfill new requirements, according to a handout on state and local coordination produced by ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education): “With the introduction of new local accountability requirements and ‘programs of study,’ coordination between states and local Perkins funding recipients will be more important than ever under the new Perkins law. In addition to the traditional State role of allocating funding and approving local plans, States and local recipients must now work together to develop a local accountability system that works for the diverse stakeholders involved, and to develop and implement programs of study.”

Another source in information on the impact of the new Perkins legislation is the National Center on Career and Technical Education, www.nccte.org. A NCCTE webcast recommended for viewing is Career Pathways: The New Career and Technical Education. It can be found at http://www.nccte.org/webcasts/description.aspx?cl=1&wc=217.

IN KENTUCKY, a State Plan Advisory Committee is meeting to develop Kentucky’s transition plan to the new Perkins Act requirements. The Committee has met twice, and two more meetings are scheduled for January and February. A fifth meeting may be held in March, if necessary, before the transition plan is submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in April. Among others, KACTE Guidance Service Area Vice President Johnetta Grant, Eastside Technical Center, Fayette County, is participating on the Advisory Committee.

FUNDING for Perkins Act programs – basic state grants, national programs and Tech Prep – likely will remain at $1.3 billion in 2007, the same appropriation as the current year. Congress has not passed an appropriations bill for 2007, but both the House and Senate bills contain the exact same appropriation levels, which are identical to 2006. Incoming Appropriations Committee Chairs Sen. Robert Bird (D-WV) and Rep. David Obey (D-WI) indicated the week of Dec. 11 their intention is to pass a year-long continuing resolution when the 110^th Congress convenes in January. They then will begin the Fiscal Year 2008 budget and appropriation process.

Two presentations at the ACTE Convention were relevant to discussions on the future of Career and Technical Education. Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education Troy Justesen, who said he was a product of CTE and from a family of coal miners, praised CTE programs and said the “the challenge to us is to transfer what we know to the rest of education.” He reported more than 97 percent of all high school students take at least one CTE course, and 25 percent take two or more CTE courses.

“CTE students are among the best students and typically do better than students who don’t take CTE courses,” he said. The OVAE will be working to improve the relationship between high schools and community colleges to ensure a partnership leading to smooth transitions for students. Another initiative will build a strong partnership with business and industry.

A PANEL DISCUSSION moderated by John Bailey, Gates Foundation, featured Gene Bottoms, senior vice president, Southern Regional Education Board; John Ferrandino, president, National Academy Foundation; and Richard Blais, vice president, Project Lead the Way. Bailey noted the Gates Foundation’s priority to improve quality education and reduce dropouts by emphasizing the new three-Rs – rigor, relevance and relationships. In response to questions, the panelists believe CTE programs are integral in the transformation of the American high school, but more work is needed.

Ferrandino replied CTE is on the cutting edge of change in many places, but in many places it still is hampered by “1950s definitions of vocational education but using the CTE name.” Bottoms added CTE is changing the most where there is linkage between high-quality CTE and rigorous academic studies. He stressed that the best results have been seen when CTE professionals make themselves a part of the discussions on high school reform. He cited programs in Virginia, Kentucky and New York as examples, noting in particular Kentucky’s skill-standards exams.

Blais said programs like Project Lead The Way integrate academics and experiential learning in a fully developed curriculum. He said such applications will lead to development of skills that will sustain America competitively. Moreover, they answer the questions: “Why do I need to know this? Where will I ever use it?” He pointed out the answer to those questions is the very essence of rigor and relevance.

Ferrandino said American secondary education is in crisis. It is boring kids to death. He argued for a complete change in pedagogy, not just curriculum. It requires a change in focus from teaching the subject to teaching the student. It involves the academic and CTE teacher both working with students at the same time. Blais added the future of education is not what it used to be. He argued the term should be high school transformation, not high school reform. He said CTE is better positioned to drive the transformation. Academics are in silos. He asked where else but CTE are there programs to engage students all at the same time?

Bottoms concluded if academic teachers provide contextual learning, there is a “big bump” in achievement.

Kentucky still will have two members serving on the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, although with diminished power. Following its victories in the 2006 congressional elections, Democrats will lead the committees as the majority party. Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Fifth District) will remain on the committee but no longer hold a subcommittee chair. Rep. Anne Northup (R-Third District) lost to Democratic Representative-Elect John Yarmuth; however, Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Sixth District) was named to the Appropriations Committee. Yarmuth was appointed to the Education and the Workforce Committee, which is the authorizing committee for the Perkins Act and other educational programs. In the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell was elected Republican Minority Leader, and he retains his seat on the Appropriation Committee.

SPEAKING at the ACTE Convention in Atlanta Nov. 29-Dec. 1, ACTE Executive Director Jan Bray urged CTE professionals to continue advocacy efforts to meet ACTE’s core purpose, “to provide leadership in developing an educated, prepared, adaptable and competitive workforce.” She noted the current debate on reforming – or transforming – America’s high schools, reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and CTE’s role in engaging students. ACTE has developed detailed recommendations on high school reform and an issue brief on CTE’s role in strengthening economic competitiveness. It is developing recommendations on postsecondary education reform and reauthorizing NCLB.

Ø Integrate Academic and Technical Education to Better Engage and Prepare Students for the Workplace and the “Real World.”

Ø Provide Students Clear Paths to Postsecondary and Workforce Goals through Continuous Career Guidance Support.

Ø Seriously Address the Dropout Issue through Better Use of Data, and Provide Opportunities for Students to Re-Enter the Education System.

Ø Ensure that Highly Effective Teachers and Leaders Are Available in All Schools and Across the Curriculum.

Ø Eliminate Disincentives and Provide Incentives Related to Adequate Yearly Progress and Accountability.

KACTE, under the guidance of Legislative Liaison Jim Edwards, Office of Career and Technical Education, is developing an advocacy agenda for the 2007 Kentucky General Assembly Session. Included in the process of developing the advocacy agenda were a brainstorming session among the KACTE Board at its Nov. 10 meeting and consultation with CTE system administrators. This is not a budget session for the General Assembly, so most issues will focus on programmatic initiatives. KACTE’s advocacy efforts will focus on educating and informing legislators, administrative officials and the general public on the importance of Career and Technical Education both within the educational system and for improvement in the state’s economy. The advocacy agenda will be published and distributed by the Jan. 2, 2007, convening of the General Assembly.

It is clear effective CTE programs are critical for economic prosperity Sarah Horton pointed out at the ACTE Region 2 Leadership Conference in Mobile, AL, in October. Horton, career readiness certification coordinator, Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, Office of Workforce Development, noted a study from Louisiana State University listing the top reasons for business relocation: workforce productivity, workforce availability, and workforce cost. CTE programs are the primary shapers of the nation’s workforce. In 1950, about 20 percent of all jobs were filled by individuals with a baccalaureate degree or higher, about 20 percent were filled by skilled workers, and about 60 percent were filled by unskilled workers. In 2000, the number of jobs filled by individuals with a baccalaureate degree or higher remained about 20 percent. However, the number of jobs filled by skilled workers jumped to 65 percent, while the number filled by unskilled workers dropped to 15 percent. She concluded, “Money goes where the smart people are.”

The importance of education for Kentucky’s future was a common thread woven through presentations at the 13^th Annual Conference of the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center. Measures and Milestones 2006, Trends Affecting Kentucky’s Future was held in Lexington on Nov. 14. In a panel presentation on the state’s economic future, Kris Kimel, founder and president, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, said economic growth is tied to and hinges on educational attainment. On the same panel, Kenneth R. Troske, Ph.D., director, Center for Business and Economic Research, and William B. Sturgill Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky, added Kentucky has been stagnant because of a lack of knowledge workers and innovation. It must train new workers and attract innovative businesses.

Attracting innovative businesses requires a quality educational system, he suggested. “People don’t move families without schools to send their kids (K-12). It will take a fundamentally different way of thinking to move Kentucky forward,” he said. “Unless we change the way people feel about education in Kentucky, we’ll remain 44^th. . . Don’t focus on the ‘hot thing,’ but on putting the process and infrastructure in place.”

AN EDUCATION PANEL featured Jim Applegate, Ph.D., vice-president for academic affairs, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, and Robert F. Sexton, Ph.D., executive director, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Applegate stressed the need to double the number of baccalaureate degree holders in the Commonwealth by 2020. He added associate degrees are important, too, and Kentucky is doing well in that area. However, a higher percentage of baccalaureate degree holders correlates with a higher per capita income. To reach the top 20 percent in attainment will require the 402,000 degree holders to climb to 791,000 in 2020. The benefits of such attainment will be enormous, he reported:

He said Kentucky’s statutory and policy framework allows for improvement, and higher education must be at the forefront of innovation. Kentucky currently ranks 47^th among the states in percentage of the population with baccalaureate degrees and 43^rd in per capita income. He cited six challenges to be addressed to move the state toward the goal.

1. Create a seamless P-16 system (currently almost half of high school graduates require collegiate remediation),

4. Raise the bar on quality (next year CPE will start assessing the quality of postsecondary education),

SEXTON complimented the 2006 General Assembly session for its new interest and commitment to K-12 education. He said the question now is how to keep the momentum going? Central will be maintaining a focus on foundational elements: funding, improving leadership, improving accountability, and increasing the involvement of the business community and parents. He said the Pritchard Committee will be advocating five issues.

Ø Teacher Quality – Every student needs a highly qualified teacher. He said part of the solution is reforming the pay system. He advocated a differentiated system rewarding better pay for performance.

Ø High School Graduation – Get Kentucky’s high school graduation rate into the top one-third of the nation. It now is 69 percent. The 20^th best in the nation is 75 percent. He called for more rigor in coursework, end of course assessments, and KEES scholarships based on rigorous assessment.

Ø Improve Math, Science and Technology – He noted surveys indicate a large number of parents don’t see this as important.

Ø Achievement Gap – He said the gap between disadvantaged students and the rest of the student population is “intolerably high,” yet the evidence from the last testing cycle is the gap can be closed.

THE NEXT Issues Update will present the KACTE advocacy agenda and summarize the Kentucky Department of Education legislative agenda.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The Kentucky Senate unanimously passed on April 10 a 2006-2008 biennial budget authorizing almost $18 billion over the two-year period to operate Kentucky state government. The House of Representatives passed the budget bill (HB 380) April 11 on a 98-2 vote. Both Senate President David Williams and Speaker of the House Jody Richards said they believe Gov. Ernie Fletcher will sign the budget into law. Neither anticipates significant line-item vetoes from the governor. With its meeting on April 12, the General Assembly completed its constitutionally mandated 60 session days.

Both Williams and Richards, as well as many legislators and observers, are calling this budget the most significant investment in education since the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act. Critics warn that the approximately $2.3 billion in debt resulting from the budget is excessive. The “rainy day fund” has been lowered to $35 million in 2006-2007 and $20 million in 2007-2008. They feel the state’s bond rating will be lowered and the debt burden will be overwhelming to future generations. The supporters cite the education projects as investments, which will pay future dividends.

Regardless, the budget provides additional educational funding in a number of areas. Beginning in 2007-2008, there will be 177 mandated instructional days, with $32.6 million added to cover the cost. ACT and WorkKeys testing were added to the 2007-2008 year at $1.4 billion. CATS testing will continue, with funding at more than $8 million each year.

Teacher salaries will increase by at least 2 percent in 2006-2007 and $3,000 in 2007-2008, in addition to normal rank and step increases. School classified personnel will receive a 2 percent increase in 2006-2007 and a 5 percent increase in 2007-2008, but not to exceed $2,500. Health care premiums are funded around $500 million, or more than 10 percent of the Department of Education’s $4.2 billion budget in 2006-2007 and $4.5 billion budget in 2007-2008. Contributions to the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System are more than $166 million in 2006-2007 and more than $193 million in 2007-2008.

Locally Operated Vocational Centers will receive a funding increase to equal the percentage increase for State Operated Vocational Schools (Area Technology Centers), totaling $10,945,400 in 2006-2007 and $11,175,400 in 2007-2008. Vocational transportation will receive almost $2.5 million each year. Funding is included for operations and debt service of local career and technical education programs at Bath, Jessamine, Johnson, Letcher County Central, and Rockcastle Counties.

Kentucky TECH programs operated at Area Technology Centers through the Education Cabinet’s Department for Workforce Investment, Office of Career and Technical Education, will operate on more than $65 million each year. New ATCs will open in Pulaski, Warren and Butler Counties. State operated technical programs will be funded at Hancock and Kenton County schools. A new carpentry program will begin at Mayfield-Graves ATC. Kentucky TECH will receive funds to provide instruction at juvenile justice facilities.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s overall budget will increase to $631 million in 2006-2007 and $672 million in 2007-2008. It will receive $5.8 million in each year to provide educational programs at Department of Correction facilities. KCTCS funding includes bond authorization and other monies in 2006-2007 for the following capital improvements (unless otherwise noted, all are for new facilities):

Ø Gateway Community and Technical College (CTC) Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, $28 million.

Ø Elizabethtown CTC, Central Regional Postsecondary Ed Center, Phase 2, $20 million.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

On the big ticket items – teacher and classified personnel raises and health insurance – the Senate version of the 2006-2008 biennial budget for the Commonwealth adopts the House positions, which are reported in the March 15 Issues Update that follows this report. The Senate did remove more special programs and capital projects than it inserted into the budget (HB 380) in an effort to lower debt service and shift funding to projects favored by the Senate leadership.

Some Career and Technical Education programs – particularly additional funding for Locally Operated Career and Technical Education Centers (still labeled vocational schools in state budget language) – were cut from the House-passed levels. Procedurally, the House did not accept the Senate version of the budget, so the measure now goes to a Conference Committee consisting of the General Assembly leadership and members of the Appropriations and Revenue Committees from both chambers. The General Assembly is scheduled to meet on March 24 and 27, then recess while Gov. Ernie Fletcher considers vetoes; returning April 10 and 11 to conclude the 60-day session. In some years, budget negotiations continue through the veto period. Regardless, little time is left to resolve differences and achieve compromise.

Overall, the Senate budget plan increased spending in Fiscal Year 2006-2007 by $8.9 million to $9.3 billion, and by $40 million in 2007-2008 to $9.56 billion. It slightly reduced the Executive Branch budget, which includes funding for the Kentucky Department of Education, the Education Cabinet Office of Career and Technical Education, and post-secondary education including the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The Senate increased the $38 million balance the House proposed for the “rainy day” fund to $80 million. A complete analysis of the state budget proposals may be found at www.lrc.ky.gov/budget/06RS/E_analysis.htm#E_senate.

In accepting the House proposals for salary increases and health insurance provisions for state employees, public school teachers, and public school classified personnel, the Senate inserted language directing the Secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to determine whether estimated savings in some areas will be sufficient to support the expenditures. Recommendations, if any, are to be presented to the Governor and Legislative Research Commission, and adjustments may be accomplished by Executive Order.

IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, the Senate provides $4.2 billion in 2006-2007 and $4.5 billion in 2007-2008, both slight reductions from the House-passed levels. The House had increased the budget proposed by the Fletcher administration (see below for details). It added $16.5 million for a P-16 Educational IT Integration Initiative, but deleted $50 million for an Educational Technology Pool. The Senate added $8.6 million to SEEK funds to support two additional instructional days in 2007-2008.

Specifically to Career and Technical Education, the Senate removed the percentage increases the House added to the funding of Locally Operated Vocational Schools, leaving the support at $10,785,400 in each of the two years of the biennium. It deleted $1.5 million for a Rockcastle County Vocational and Technical Center, and it shifted a total of $135,400 for a Mayfield/Graves County carpentry grant program from the Department of Education budget to the Education Cabinet budget for Career and Technical Education.

EDUCATION CABINET funding for the Kentucky TECH system of Area Technology Centers was not adjusted significantly by the Senate.

POST-SECONDARY CAPITAL projects were added and deleted by the Senate. The overall postsecondary expenditures increased, with most funds going toward the University of Kentucky. KCTCS overall funding increased by a few thousand dollars to $625 million in 2006-2007 and $659 million in 2007-2008.

Capital projects deleted by the Senate from the House version shown below were the Hazard Family Life Skills Center, Kentucky Coal Academy, Bluegrass Winchester Campus, construction of the Ashland Tech Drive Campus, the Madisonville Energy and Advanced Technology Center, design of a new facility at Big Sandy, planning and design of the Maysville Rowan County Campus, and the Owensboro Technology Center. The Senate added $27 million for the Gateway Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, $200,000 to existing construction funding of the Laurel Allied Health/Technical Education Building, $400,000 to the existing funding for replacement of the Maysville Administration Building, $600,000 to the existing funding of the Elizabethtown Regional Post-Secondary Education Center (Phase 2), $1.5 million for a Bluegrass Advanced Manufacturing Center, and $2.5 million to expand the Franklin Technology Center.

On March 16, the U.S. Senate voted 73-27 for an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 83) sponsored by Senators Arlen Spector (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to increase the overall spending cap for education, employment and training, and social programs by $7 billion. The amendment’s effect is to restore the funding level for programs under these categories, which includes Perkins Act funding of Career and Technical Education, to Fiscal Year 2005 levels. The Senate’s 44 Democrats, 28 Republicans and one Independent voted for the amendment.

The budget resolution sets the targets for the congressional appropriations process. The Senate action creates the possibility for additional appropriations. The budget resolution must be agreed to by the House, but the final document does not require presidential approval as it only sets guidelines for appropriators. The House is scheduled to address its version of the budget resolution in April.

The importance of potential funding increases for Career and Technical Education can be seen in the March 22 edition of the Herman Trend Alert, an e-mail update from strategic business futurists and Certified Management Consultants Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia. Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, they conclude the U.S. will face a skilled labor shortage of 10 million by 2010. They also note this is a global situation. Already, they wrote, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to hire and retain their needed workforce. Further, this lack of educated, trained employees capable of performing work will affect everyone.

Career and Technical Education programs are designed to produce skilled workers. The trend noted by Herman and Gioia argues for more investment in quality Career and Technical Education programs.

State Issues
          House Budget Proposal
          Minimum High School Graduation Requirements
          Area Technology Center Goals

Federal Issues
          KACTE Visits Congress
          Perkins Appropriations
          Perkins Reauthorization

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The Kentucky House of Representatives passed 97-0 a 2006-2008 biennial budget bill (HB. 380) authorizing $17.7 billion to fund Kentucky state government including public education. Several items directly affect Career and Technical Education (CTE). The House plan now is under consideration by the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee. As in most years, there likely will be some changes made by the Senate requiring a conference between the House and Senate to finalize a compromise bill. Due to changes made by the House to the plan submitted by Gov. Ernie Fletcher based on state agency requests and budget management decisions, the governor indicated a veto or line-item vetoes may be possible.

The governor’s main objections to the House version are increasing the debt from $1.2 billion to $2 billion and lowering the state’s “rainy day fund” from $118 million to $38 million. The governor believes the state bond rating could be lowered and economic development harmed. He also cited displeasure with some of the specific budget proposals, although he did not object to increased spending on education and education-related projects. Senator Charlie Borders, Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair, also expressed concern over the same issues, but added he felt if borrowed money was spent in the right areas in can be an investment.

Only two weeks of actual General Assembly meeting dates remain in the legislative session, and two of those are set aside to address veto action. Detail on the House budget can be found at www.lrc.ky.gov/budget/06RS/E_analysis.htm#E_house.

House Bill 380 provides slightly more than $4.2 billion in 2006-2007 and $4.53 billion in 2007-2008 for the Kentucky Department of Education. The current funding level is just over $4 billion. Public school teachers will receive a 2 percent increase in 2006-2007 and a 3 percent increase in 2007-2008, and in addition $72 million will be spent in three consecutive years to raise teacher salaries to the regional average of $46,000 by 2009-2010. Funding is provided for health insurance and teachers’ retirement contributions. In 2007-2008, classified school personnel will receive a 5 percent raise.

The funding for locally operated vocational centers, which included operating funds for the new Jessamine County and Johnson County centers, was increased by the House to $10,845,400 in 2006-2007 and to $11,075,400 in 2007-2008 “to match increases in operating funds provided to state operated vocational schools.” Additional funds were provided for the Rockcastle County Vocational and Technical Center, a carpentry grants program at Mayfield/Graves County Area Technology Center, and the Bath County Vocational and Technical School. Budget language specified area vocational education centers are fully eligible to participate in the Kentucky Educational Technology System, with funds distributed based on average daily attendance equated to other local school districts.

SEEK funds for Secondary Vocational Education to pay for on-going operational costs, were set at $351,200 in 2006-2007 and $858,400 in 2007-2008. Additional SEEK funding was set aside to support new Area Technology Centers in Warren, Pulaski and Butler Counties. Vocational transportation was earmarked for $2.4 million each year.

Funds for Area Technology Centers and included in the budget for the Office of Career and Technical Education in the Education Cabinet’s Department for Workforce Investment. The ATC funding is proposed at $23 million in 2006-2007 and $23.56 million in 2007-2008. Three new ATCs are funded for Warren, Pulaski and Butler Counties. The Cabinet will receive $1,663,300 and $1,249,100 in the respective fiscal years for instruction programs at juvenile justice facilities. Funds were set aside to support instruction at Hancock and Kenton County schools. Budget language permits transfer of state operated centers to local control, and carries forward funds to purchase welding, carpentry and automotive equipment for Warren, Pulaski and Butler County ATCs.

The House budget bill increases spending for post-secondary education by $50 million during the biennium compared to the administration proposal. 2006-2007 total would be $4.54 billion, rising to $4.8 billion in 2007-2008. Of that amount, Kentucky Community and Technical College System funding would increase from the current $598 million to $626 million in 2006-2007 and $659 million in 2007-2008. KCTCS capital improvements and programs included in the House budget bill include: Bluegrass Lancaster Campus, Hazard Family Life Skills Center, Kentucky Coal Academy, design for Gateway Advanced Manufacturing Technical Center, construction of Western Kentucky Emerging Technology Center, construction of Laurel Allied Health/Technical Education Building, construction of phase two Licking Valley Center, renovation of Madisonville Gray Building, renovation of Hazard Kentucky School of Craft, construction of Henderson Child Development Center, renovation of Western Kentucky Anderson Building, renovation of Harlan Simulated Mine, green space development at Big Sandy Mayo Campus, renovate Southeast Administration Building in Whitesburg, renovate Elizabethtown Administration Building, establish pedestrian-vehicular connector at Somerset, improvements at Bluegrass Winchester Campus, construct Jefferson Science/Allied Health Building, construct Ashland Technical Drive Campus, construct phase two Elizabethtown Central Region Post-Secondary Education Center, Madisonville Energy and Advanced Technology Center, design Jefferson Carroll County Campus, design new facility at Big Sandy, design plant for Maysville Rowan County Campus, Owensboro Advanced Technology Center.

Effective with the graduating class of 2012, Kentucky’s minimum high school graduation requirements will be four credits of language arts, one mathematics course each year of high school based on the student’s Individual Graduation Plan, three credits of social studies, three credits of science, one-half credit each of health and physical education, one credit of history and appreciation of visual and performing arts, seven electives from standards-based learning experiences in academic and career interest areas. Of the seven electives, four must be aligned with the Individual Graduation Plan. Schools must provide an opportunity for students to be proficient in a world language by 2012. Students must demonstrate proficiency in technology and 21^st century literacy. The total credits required for graduation remains at 22.

Rodney Kelly, Director, Kentucky Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education, reviewed the requirements before the Statewide P-16 Council. He stressed school districts will implement advising and guidance processes for the development of Individual Graduation Plans (IGPs). Sixth graders will be required to begin the process in 2007. Performance-based credit may be awarded for standards-based coursework that demonstrates satisfactory learning. This may be obtained through portfolios, senior year or capstone projects; on-line or other technology mediated courses; dual-credit courses; or internship, cooperative learning or other supervised experiences. An integrated, applied, interdisciplinary or technical/occupational course may be substituted for a required course if it provides rigorous content and addresses the same applicable components of the Program of Studies. Instruction requirements may be a CTE teacher and a core-content teacher team, a CTE teacher meeting “highly qualified teacher” criteria, or a CTE teacher facilitating a course using a virtual “highly qualified teacher.”

Ø Scoring 90 or more points on the “HOUSSE Index” calculator through the Educational Professional Standards Board,

Ø Taking additional core content course while completing Masters and Rank I requirements to prepare for Praxis II.

Speaking before the Area Technology Center principals, David Billingsley, newly appointed Executive Director of the Office of Career and Technical Education outlined his belief in the state system of ATCs. He stressed two goals.

In focusing on state and local CTE issues such as funding, accountability and teacher pay, the importance of the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act often is overlooked. It is true that the federal funds supporting CTE in Kentucky amounts to 7 percent or less of total CTE expenditures. However, those funds are critical in stimulating innovation, providing professional development, and supporting new equipment purchases. Further, the existence of the Perkins Act forces state and local school officials to include and address CTE.

Ø Without Perkins, how many schools would have abandoned CTE in favor of placing more resources in the high-visibility, high-accountability areas of math, science and language arts?

Ø Without Perkins, which specifically authorizes Career and Technical Education Student Organizations, would CTE students have the opportunity to develop their skills in that type of nurturing environment?

Ø Without Perkins, what programs would provide students who need experiential learning to achieve academic success and post-secondary and job opportunities?

As the U.S. Congress continues its appropriations processes and efforts to reauthorize the Perkins Act, 10 KACTE members met with two members of Congress and with staff of all eight members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation in Washington, DC, March 7-8, to emphasize the importance of CTE programs and the need to fund and reauthorize the Perkins Act. Although much advocacy work remains, early indications are Congress will continue Perkins Act basic state grant funding. There is support for Perkins Act reauthorization, but the debate on other issues continues to move action on the bill to a lower priority. Attending the Association for Career and Technical Education National Policy Seminar and participating in the congressional visits were:

Ø Sarah Raikes, Washington County High School, KACTE Immediate Past-President and ACTE Region 2 Representative

Ø Jewell Deene Ellis, Kentucky Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical Education

Ø Pat Vencill, Kentucky Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical Education, ACTE Special Needs Division Vice-President

Ø Leslie Watkins, Reidland High School, Paducah, National Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences President

Ø Lynn Baldwin, Conner High School, Hebron, Kentucky Association of Vocational Education Special Needs Personnel President-Elect

Ø Faria P’Pool, Trigg County High School, Kentucky Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences President

Ø Bettye Brown, Bowling Green, National Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences Executive Secretary

Most of the meetings began with a review of the “leave behind” material. The key item was a one-page sheet developed by KACTE defining Career and Technical Education (CTE), noting some positive performance measures for CTE in Kentucky, and presenting three requests of Congress:

“The Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE) asks Congress to further the quality and skill level of Kentucky’s and our nation’s workforce by investing in Career and Technical Education. KACTE urges the United States Congress to address these requests to continue CTE’s ability to pave the road for a growing economy and to provide individuals with the education and skills necessary to lead a productive and fulfilling life.

Ø “Reinvest in America’s workforce and education systems by increasing funding for programs authorized by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act to $1.675 billion, consisting of $1.5 billion for basic state grants, $12.5 million for national programs, $12.5 million for occupational and employment information, and $150 million for Tech Prep. KACTE understands the tight fiscal reality with which Congress must deal, but it stresses the nation must have strong Career and Technical Education programs to ensure young adults succeed and meet the needs of a competitive global economy.

Ø “Pass a compromise reauthorization of the Perkins Act building on the important improvements to Career and Technical Education programs contained in HR. 366 and S. 250 by setting state administrative funds at 5 percent, maintain separate funding for Tech Prep, and establish “Career and Technical Education” as the program identification to reflect current terminology used in programs across the country.

Ø “Ensure Career and Technical Education remains a vital part of high school reform initiatives, which recognizes different learning styles while emphasizing program rigor and accountability.”

The KACTE delegates met with Representatives Geoff Davis and Ron Lewis, as well as the education staff of every member of the Kentucky congressional delegation. Strong statements of support for CTE were received in seven of the eight offices. All eight members voted for Perkins funding and reauthorization last year. Senator Bunning and Representatives Chandler, Lewis and Whitfield have signed letters addressed to Appropriation Committee chairs urging adequate funding for Perkins Act programs. Senator McConnell, as a member of the Senate leadership, and Representatives Northup and Rogers, as members of the Appropriation Committee, typically do not sign such letters because of organizational procedures as they are members of the addressed committee.

NOTE: Now is an opportune time for KACTE members to follow up and reinforce the Washington visits. KACTE members can assist this advocacy effort by contacting Senators Bunning and McConnell and their individual representative’s local offices and urging adequate funding for the Perkins Act, passage of Perkins reauthorization, and recognition of CTE as a critical part of high school reform. If local offices receive multiple messages on these topics, they will make sure the message is forwarded to Washington.

The administration’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget proposal would eliminate Perkins Act funding, instead calling for a high school reform initiative building on No Child Left Behind. The administration’s proposal would permit funds to be used at local and state discretion, not necessarily for CTE. There is no provision for post-secondary CTE funding. The Fiscal Year 2007 federal appropriation process is supposed to be completed by Sept. 30, 2006; however, in recent years the funding decisions affecting CTE have been included in Continuing Resolutions. The KACTE/ACTE requests for Perkins funding are noted above. For more detail on the current status of federal appropriations, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.

It will be difficult to obtain an increase in CTE funding this year, congressional staff and others advised ACTE members at the National Policy Seminar. But, as one congressional staff member told the KACTE delegation, “it’s your duty to ask.” KACTE will continue its advocacy effort throughout the appropriation cycle.

Perkins reauthorization, in spite of both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passing reauthorization versions containing many similarities, is stalled. Congress has not appointed a conference committee to work out the few differences between S. 250 and HR. 366. Supreme Court nominations, domestic spying and the Dubai Port World controversy, and other issues keep moving Perkins reauthorization to a lower priority. For current information, please visit

Congressional staff speaking at the ACTE National Policy Seminar suggested ACTE members need to remind their senators and representatives of the need to pass the Perkins reauthorization. They hope the process moves forward, and as a result Congress will firmly establish Perkins and CTE programs and the administration will have to end its annual proposal to eliminate funding. It was suggested CTE advocates emphasize how programs are important in addressing the dropout issue, the competitiveness of American students in science and math, and development of a skilled workforce.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

In Kentucky, Gov. Ernie Fletcher delivered his budget address on Jan. 17 and then submitted his budget proposal; introduced as HB 380. The House of Representatives Appropriation and Revenue Committee is conducting hearings and determining what items it will change to reflect House priorities and House goals. These are steps one and two of a seven- or nine-step process (depending on whether the governor signs or vetoes the final bill) culminating in a 2006-2008 biennial budget.

At the federal level, the first step – President George W. Bush’s delivery of a Fiscal Year 2007 spending plan to Congress – took place Jan. 31. The steps are similar to Kentucky, but the process takes much longer. A budget plan should be in place by summer, and appropriation bills passed by the Oct. 1 start of Fiscal Year 2007. Often, Congress passes continuing resolutions to allow funds to continue flowing to programs because it does not pass all the spending bills by the deadline.

Although the budget and appropriation process will be the focus of much attention, there are additional items of programmatic legislation. In Kentucky, bills on anti-bullying, driver’s license restrictions, and assessment testing are being debated. In Washington, both the House and Senate passed their respective versions of Carl T. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act reauthorization. A conference committee must negotiate a final bill for passage, which is hoped to take place before summer.

Regardless of program legislation, the budget and appropriation process draws most attention because funding decisions determine whether programs will continue, expand or be cut.

Governor Fletcher’s budget proposal of $17.7 billion devotes 57.9 percent to education. Elementary and secondary education would receive almost $8 billion, which includes a 2 percent salary increase for each of the two fiscal years in the biennium. There are proposals to spend $70 million to upgrade technology and $20 million to fund teachers in low-performing schools or hard-to-fill areas. It includes money to open three new Area Technology Centers and two new locally operated career and technical education centers.

Postsecondary education would receive about $2.5 billion, about a $50 million increase over the current funding level. There are several building initiatives, including some for Kentucky Community and Technical College programs. The proposed funding increase is about one-third of the increase requested by the Council for Postsecondary Education. The states universities and KCTCS are planning tuition increases to maintain programs.

KACTE is working to broaden knowledge of Career and Technical Education’s importance for Kentucky’s economic future. In communication with Kentucky legislators and others, KACTE is stressing the academic and program achievement of students. It links that achievement to the ability of Kentucky’s workforce to possess the skills needed for economic expansion. As detailed in the previous Issues Update (posted below), KACTE is asking for implementation of the recommendations contained in Legislative Research Commission Report #315, which called for increased funding for CTE programs. KACTE also is asking consideration of elimination of staffing caps, funding of postsecondary budget requests, and investment in education technology and equipment.

On Monday, Feb. 13, Gov. Fletcher will sign a proclamation declaring Feb. 12-18 Career and Technical Education Week in Kentucky. The Week’s theme is Career Tech: Education for Success. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, about 800 members of Career and Technical Education Student Organizations will come to Frankfort to participate in Student Organization Leadership Day. In addition to a civics program, the students will have an opportunity to meet with their legislators. The Senate and House each will receive floor resolutions honoring Career and Technical Education. Both the House and Senate Appropriation and Revenue Committees agreed to hear testimony on CTE from representatives of the student organizations.

KACTE urges its members to follow up on these positive activities. CTE Week is an opportune time to provide information to local media, policy makers and legislators about the quality of programs and the success of students. If you don’t speak up for your programs – and their funding needs – who will?

For the third consecutive year, the administration’s budget proposal eliminates funding for the Perkins Act and Career and Technical Education programs. KACTE will work with the Association for Career and Technical Education and other organization to convince Congress CTE is vital and should remain in tact. The effort has been successful the last two years. The administration’s proposal is to create a $2.5 billion high school initiative program, and although CTE can be an allowable activity, there is no mandate to maintain CTE programs.

The next Issues Update will contain more detail on the federal appropriation and reauthorization process.

Congratulations to David Billingsley, former principal of the Henderson County locally operated career and technical education center, who was named by Department for Workforce Investment Commissioner Laura Owens as the new executive director of the Office of Career and Technical Education in the Education Cabinet. He succeeds Emil Jezik, who retired from state service.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

Both the federal and state legislative sessions are starting slowly in 2006. Leaders and parties are positioning for the upcoming debates on budget and legislation. In Kentucky, Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s Jan. 17 budget address and subsequent release of the 2006-2008 budget request will begin a process likely to have a significant impact on education in Kentucky. Both the governor in his State of the Commonwealth Address and the House of Representatives Democratic leadership proclaimed a goal of raising teacher salaries. How successful they will be in reaching the goal will depend on how much money is available in the face of competing priorities, which include teacher and public employee health care, teacher and public employee retirement accounts, and Medicare.

KACTE drafted a one-page information sheet with recommendations, which was delivered to the Kentucky General Assembly on Jan. 17. (See below) All CTE professionals are urged to learn the issues and advocate for increased support and funding for CTE. The basis for advocacy is Kentucky Legislative Research Commission Report #315, Career and Technical Education in Kentucky. It testifies to CTE’s importance. Among its recommendations are continued investments in CTE. KACTE asks the Kentucky General Assembly to address the recommendations in the report. If it does, it will strengthen CTE programs and increase CTE funding.

Following are the main points in the cover letter sent with the one-page information sheet:

Ø “The approximately 300,000 students pursuing some level of CTE instruction at Kentucky’s middle schools, high schools, area technology centers and Kentucky Community and Technical College institutions are the foundation of a thriving economy. Their contributions in agriculture, business, communication, construction, family and consumer sciences, information technology, health sciences, manufacturing, marketing, technical education, technology education and transportation evolve impact more than 60 percent of all jobs in the state. These programs are necessary for the Commonwealth’s future success.

Ø “CTE programs provide education incorporating rigorous academic expectations and are aligned to industry skill standards. CTE programs bring relevance to education. The workforce educated and trained through CTE programs will attract new and expanding industries to Kentucky. This is the workforce that will spearhead an increase in the overall standard of living in the state.

Ø “The accompanying information page briefly summarizes key aspects of the CTE system, its accomplishments, and KACTE recommendations for the 2006 General Assembly deliberations. The General Assembly acknowledged the importance of Career and Technical Education when it adopted Legislative Research Commission Report #315, Career and Technical Education in Kentucky. To fulfill the recommendations in that report now requires investment in CTE programs and adequate funding.”

As Kentucky strives to get competitive, the first question a business asks when considering location, expanding or starting is whether it can be successful? Success depends on productivity. Productivity depends on a skilled, quality workforce. A skilled, quality workforce depends on education and training provided through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. CTE makes education relevant.

Graduates of Career and Technical Education programs are the foundation of Kentucky’s economy. They fill more than 60 percent of all jobs, which are the jobs that make things, build things, do things and fix things; not only machines, computers, cars and houses, but also what we eat, our health care and business services.

Ø At the postsecondary level, individuals are “voting with their feet” by enrolling in record numbers at Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) institutions.

Ø Kentucky TECH, the state-operated programs delivered through the Education Cabinet’s Office of Career and Technical Education at Area Technology Centers, are being recognized with the nation’s first systemwide accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Ø Secondary CTE students across the state are achieving larger accountability gains (9.3 percent) than the overall student population (6.8 percent) since 2001 according to data released by the Department of Education’s Division of Career and Technical Education.

Ø Enrollment in CTE programs at all levels of instruction is about 300,000 in the 2005-2006 school year.

Like business, which builds on successful products, or a basketball team, which continues to run a scoring play, the Commonwealth of Kentucky can further the quality and skill level of its workforce by investing in Career and Technical Education. The Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE) urges the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly to address these requests to continue CTE’s ability to pave the road for a growing Kentucky economy and to provide individuals with the education and skills necessary to lead a productive and fulfilling life.

Ø Implement the recommendations in Legislative Research Commission Report #315, which noted the importance of CTE to the state and called for increased funding for programs in both the Department of Education, for locally operated centers, and the Department for Workforce Investment budgets.

Ø Permit Area Technology Centers, through the Education Cabinet’s Office of Career and Technical Education, to initiate in-demand instruction by eliminating staffing caps.

Ø Recognize the importance of Career and Technical Education for Kentucky’s economic future by increasing funding for technology and equipment in all areas and at all levels of instruction.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

With 61 percent of Kentucky’s approximately $8 billion annual state budget spent on public education, it is obvious educational issues will be prominent in the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly Session beginning Jan. 3 and continuing through the end of March. Beyond that, speaking at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Policy Conference and Legislative Preview in Louisville on Dec. 14, Gov. Ernie Fletcher, legislative leaders, educational officials, and business representatives stressed the importance of a well-educated workforce if Kentucky is to be economically competitive in the 21^st century and Kentuckians are to raise their living standards.

Governor Fletcher outlined two major themes his administration will pursue in 2006:

He stressed that education is tied to both themes, and educational initiatives will be important issues before the 2006 General Assembly session. “Forty percent of (high school) graduates need remedial education when they go to college,” he explained. “We haven’t set rigor high enough in Kentucky. We’ll look at differential compensation, get professional development (for teachers) in schools, and (alternative) rewards.” He said there would be initiatives on expanding technology in schools, on increasing high school graduates, and expanding to full-day kindergarten. He asked the business community to work with his administration on educational issues because it will make Kentucky more effective.

The “get competitive, Kentucky” theme will include advancing manufacturing, commercialization and innovation, tourism, and making sure education and training serves the business community. Kentucky ranks third in the nation in its ability to train workers, but only 44^th in technology. “We have to take intellectual property and commercialize that; focus on return on investment,” he said. “For every tax dollar we get, how do we get the best value out of it?” The “get healthy, Kentucky” theme touches on education with initiatives to get junk food out of schools and increase physical education. It also includes promoting wellness, Medicaid reform, addressing the 500,000 uninsured Kentuckians, small business medical insurance, and tort (medical malpractice lawsuit) reform.

Several speakers referenced the Business Forum on Kentucky Education recommendations promoted by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner of Education Gene Wilhoit said the recommendations are reflected in the Kentucky Department of Education’s future agenda. The recommendations were praised by legislators, and most speakers urged business to take the lead in urging the General Assembly to action and in creating public awareness for needed action. The business lobby in Kentucky is large and effective, especially at a time when legislators and the administration pledge not to raise taxes.

Whatever occurs legislatively and administratively regarding education must be funded. State Budget Director Brad Cowgill demonstrated how difficult funding decisions will be. Following the tax modernization passed by the 2005 General Assembly and with an improving economy, Cowgill estimated there may be $700 million in “new money” available to the General Assembly; however, three areas – Medicaid; pension funding, particularly retiree health care; and prisons – could absorb all revenue gains. He said health care costs are driving budget decisions. He stressed a strong economy is not sufficient to provide enough revenue. He suggested Medicaid and education funding are on a collision course. He said it is essential to improve efficiency, obtain savings, and make spending cuts.

House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Harry Moberly declared the top priority is education, but warned of insufficient revenues. “We’re making progress, but we’re not where we need to be,” he said. “Unless we make significant investment, we may not be able to keep up with surrounding states. I think the prescription for education not only is new revenue but also accountability.” He expressed concerned there is no long-term revenue stream to make the needed investment in education. “We can’t get there with new taxes,” he added.

He cited a problem with funding of pensions both for public employees and teachers. Of particular concern is funding health insurance for retirees. Public employee retiree health insurance is mandated, and the legislature must come up with those dollars. But health insurance for retired teachers is not mandated, and if the state cannot provide the funds the retirement system will have to cut benefits. The problem recently has been addressed by amortizing payments. Moberly said that cannot continue long term. “The down-the-road effect of that is very serious,” he stressed. He emphasized the importance of the federal government granting the requested Medicaid waiver to obtain savings. Public employee and teacher health insurance, even with savings from self-insurance, likely will add $200-300 million to the next budget biennium.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly, a member of the Senate Appropriation and Revenue Committee, noted, “We have a lot of pent-up demand,” for programs. He said bond ratings require the state maintain at least $160 million in reserve. He agreed budget decision would be difficult, pointing to three areas requiring attention: debt service, retirement costs, and health costs.

Kelly, representing Senate leadership, stressed the 2006 General Assembly session would deal with complicated issues that would test the political system. He hoped the parties would continue to work together to make progress. He saw education as an important issue, particularly addressing or changing incentive or performance pay for teachers and how much to invest in higher education. Other issues will be medical malpractice insurance reform, how to balance tax modernization, eminent domain, and expanded gambling.

Kelly spoke after and somewhat reacted to the lengthy list of issues Speaker of the House Jody Richards said would be addressed his chamber. Richards stressed the importance of education, hoping the percentage of the budget devoted to public education could be increased to 65 percent from the current 61 percent; but he was concerned Medicaid, health insurance, prisons, and the retiree system costs will eat into the legislature’s ability to fund education.

“We need to make another commitment to education,” Richards explained. “Our education technology has aged. We need to make a significant commitment to education technology. We need to make a commitment to early childhood education. We need a commitment to middle schools. There is the question of all-day kindergarten.” At the end of his remarks, he emphasized the importance of education for the future of the Commonwealth. “When I go to recruit business, the first question they ask is how is your education system and how is your job training? If we’re going to have the kind of Kentucky everyone wants, we’re going to have to improve the educational system.” Other items on Richards' list were Medicaid funding, health costs, self-insurance, wellness programs and case management, veterans preference in hiring, eminent domain, identity theft, expanded gambling, review of tax modernization, and unemployment insurance.

The point of education’s importance for Kentucky’s future was driven home by a panel on economic development. Senator Brett Guthrie, vice chair, Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee, and Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Gene Strong both noted Kentucky’s economic development efforts are tied to education. Guthrie said he came to the Senate to fulfill a mission to help parents create a better life for their kids. His efforts focused on great schools, good jobs and communities. But he realized the issues cannot be addressed separately. They all have to be in one bowl. He said education is economic development, both higher education and K-12. Strong said Kentucky has a productive workforce and it trains employees well, but the measures of educational attainment are not growing. In 1990, Kentucky ranked 40^th in the number of bachelor degrees among its citizens. In 2004, it fell to 48^th. He said a high school diploma in 1994 ranked higher than it does today. He stressed in the next 20 years, 80 percent of all jobs will require some level of postsecondary education. “We cannot correct those numbers without increases in education,” he concluded.

Senate Education Committee Chair Ken Winters told the Chamber audience the state is doing some great things, but there is more work to be done. Without prioritizing, he listed several issues the Education Committee would address in the 2006 session, including capital construction needs, teacher compensation (stressing there must be progress and alternatives will be considered), teacher shortages in high-demand areas, funding of full-day kindergarten, principal training and selection, technology support, assessment and accountability, high school reform and graduation requirements, pre-paid tuition, and redesign of postsecondary scholarships to accommodate adult learners. He suggested a revitalization of education by increasing excitement and enthusiasm. One way is encouraging national board certification, he said.

Council on Postsecondary Education President Thomas Layzell said money will be a major challenge, but added Kentucky is blessed with the most comprehensive policy-making legislation in the nation. “Unless we significantly increase our educational attainment, we are going to suffer greatly in comparison to other states and other countries,” he explained. Later, he stressed, “Most, if not all, of Kentucky’s problems can be traced to a lack of educational attainment. This is the key if we (have) any chance to solve this problem.” The Council’s goals are organized around five questions.

Commissioner of Education Wilhoit commented on the difficult financial choices facing the General Assembly, particularly regarding health care. He said history is catching up with the Commonwealth because its citizens have undervalued education for centuries. One result is there are more Kentuckians on public assistance than there are in public schools. Still, there are educational issues that can be addressed without significant funding considerations, he said, citing teacher certification, student standards, the challenges of dealing with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and teacher salaries by looking at time exposure for students and merit compensation. He foresaw two critical issues for the legislative session: early childhood education and technology in schools. He also suggested there would be more aggressive dealing with low-performing schools and efforts to redesign high schools. (Please see later section in this Issues Update on High School Redesign, including the importance of Career and Technical Education to the discussion.)

Already, 48 bills addressing various educational issues are prefiled for the 2006 General Assembly session. The following is a partial summary of bills with possible interest to Career and Technical Education. All pre-filed legislation is posted on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website, http://www.lrc.ky.gov.

Congress continues its efforts to maintain funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE), but the threat of an across-the-board spending cut remains. With a Dec. 18 adjournment target, and with no formal conference committee appointed to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills, reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act likely will wait until 2006.

On Dec. 14, the House of Representatives passed a compromise Fiscal Year 2006 appropriation bill for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education programs. It contained $1.194 billion for Perkins Act basic state grants and $105 million for Tech Prep, the same figures as Fiscal Year 2005. It included a slight reduction in funding for national programs, but had no funds for Tech Prep Demonstrations or Section 118 Occupational and Employment Information. As a compromise proposal negotiated with the Senate, the bill was expected to pass the Senate; however, a possible 1 or 2 percent across-the-board spending cut is possible in order to meet deficit-reduction spending limits.

As the Perkins Act reauthorization process continues, Acting Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education Beto Gonzales spoke about his views on Career and Technical Education at the ACTE Convention in Kansas City Dec. 8-10. At the opening general session, he stressed the importance of increasing academic rigor in CTE programs. “The landscape has changed; (CTE) must adapt to serve students,” he said. “In the world we live in, rigorous academic education is the most practical education.” He suggested enhancing academic training is a necessity for the country and its workers to compete globally. He called low expectations for what students can achieve a “national tragedy.”

Gonzales addressed a quiet but respectful ACTE general session comprised of 3,000 CTE professionals. He said the No Child Left Behind Act is working, with urban schools improving faster than suburban schools. He believes higher expectations are liberating, not punishing. He explained vocational education cannot be a substitute for high academic learning. He concluded on a couple positive notes. He cited Career and Technical Education Student Organizations as a valuable tool for contextual learning, serving as a bridge to empower students with hands-on learning. “Your students don’t need to choose between practical (education) and academic; we provide them with both,” he said. “They are doubly equipped.”

Later, in a workshop on the Perkins Act, Gonzales recalled his own CTE experience. He was a SkillsUSA (then VICA) member for four years and managed the school farm while in high school. He said his story would not have been possible without CTE. He suggested CTE needs to be more active and more responsible in coming up with an accountability system across the states. He wants a qualitative, hybrid measure to determine Perkins impact on students. He said, “The assessment that matters the most are assessments that take place in students’ hearts and minds.”

Both houses of Congress passed their versions of Perkins reauthorization last spring. Both S. 250 (passed on a 99-0 vote) and HR. 366 (passed on a 416-9 vote) require a focus on career pathways or course sequences, and both increased local accountability. At the workshop, Alisha Hyslop, ACTE assistant director of public policy, reviewed the legislation. She said the Perkins Act is important because it:

She explained both bills maintain the bulk of current law, keep a focus on technical skill attainment, incorporate sanctions for local programs, focus on sequences or pathways of courses, and look at ways to strengthen academics in CTE. She said ACTE is working on 12 key issues it hopes to achieve in the final, compromise reauthorization measure.

She added that CTE professionals constantly need to be preparing for the future. She listed future issues as academic integration, secondary-postsecondary connections, and accountability. “These things will affect everyone in a new Perkins law,” she stressed.

In a Nov. 17 letter to congressional leaders of the committees that wrote the Perkins reauthorization bills, the National Governors’ Association presented its strong support for reauthorization and suggested six items it wished included in the final version. Most of the proposals mirror ACTE positions.

At another presentation at the ACTE Convention, Phyllis Eisen of the National Association of Manufacturers presented a strong statement of support for Career and Technical Education. She explained the organization’s Dream It; Do It campaign, which has a goal to bring the best and brightest students into the manufacturing sector. She cited a 35 percent enrollment increase at a NAM-supported CTE pilot program in Kansas City as proof that CTE can and does work.

“Manufacturing today is good for the economy and a skilled workforce is necessary (for success),” Eisen said, adding people need to be prepared to participate in the innovation economy. “We’re the only industrialized nation that is career illiterate. It’s not just about rigor; it’s about relevance. Career literacy must become a key part of what we’re doing.”

High school redesign is coming soon to a school near you if the number of different groups with ideas, proposals and agendas on the subject are an indication. The federal administration floated a proposal in its Fiscal Year 2006 budget plan to direct $1 billion to high school reform building on the principles in the No Child Left Behind legislation. For Career and Technical Education (CTE), and the U.S. Congress, which rejected the proposal, the problem with the plan was pulling the proposed $1 billion from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. KACTE, CTE professionals, and others, including Congress, believe the Perkins Act is essential to improving CTE across the country and in each state. Most of those promoting high school reform recognize the necessity to incorporate CTE, or something similarly described, in their recommendations.

The National Governors’ Association, the American Diploma Project, the National High School Alliance, and the Gates Foundation, which over the last few years has granted more than $1 billion toward school improvement, all are among the organizations urging high school reform. In Kentucky, Commissioner of Education Gene Wilhoit, speaking at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Policy Conference and Legislative Review in Louisville on Dec. 14 said the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky State Board of Education are, “looking at ways to redesign high schools.” He indicated change was necessary in order to prepare Kentucky’s youth to meet the challenges of a changing world.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), KACTE’s national affiliation, stressed at its annual convention in Kansas City Dec. 8-10 that CTE must be part of the debate. Failure to participate in the development of high school redesign proposals risks CTE’s vital role in comprehensive high school options to prepare students for work or postsecondary education. ACTE commissioned former federal Department of Education official Hans Meeder to help develop a position paper. Presentations at the convention from Gates Foundation Executive Director Tom Vander Ark and Meeder emphasized high school redesign and CTE’s role.

CTE clearly is important for Kentucky Wilhoit and Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education President Thomas Layzell said at the Dec. 14 Chamber program. Questioned how vocational-technical education plays into a technology-driven economy, Layzell noted the Kentucky Community and Technical College System “is a very important player in this area.” He urged more cooperation between secondary and post-secondary programs and with business and industry. He called CTE programs “real assets.”

Wilhoit explained Kentucky has, “an elaborate system of Career and Technical Education.” He said the major issue facing the system is when a student opts into a CTE pathway it is relevant to the skills needed for the jobs of the future. The student not only must master the skills in a particular area, “but prepare for other options in life. . . Another issue is stigma,” he continued. Too many parents think of CTE as “not for my child. The business community can be helpful in breaking this stigma.” He added CTE can lead to a satisfying career, “and many parents are not picking up on this opportunity.” After the presentation, he told KACTE that Career and Technical Education must be part of the high school reform model.

Much impetus for high school reform is coming from the business community, and Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., and his foundation are at the forefront. Meeder presented a Gates quote: “American high schools are obsolete. By obsolete, I mean that our high schools, even when they are working exactly as designed, cannot teach our kids what they need to know today. Training the workforce of tomorrow with high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about today’s computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. It’s the wrong tool for the times.” Meeder continued to cite two miscalculations still part of the old high school model:

The high school model hasn’t changed in 50 years to meet the challenges of the information age and global economy.

The Gates Foundation’s Vander Ark used statistics to make the point. Of all students entering high school today, one-third don’t graduate, one-third graduate but are unprepared for a “family wage job” or postsecondary education, and one-third are doing pretty well. He said the debate has reached a point of convergence on two points:

The key words in the debate are rigor, relevance and relationships. Meeder defined rigor as core curriculum designed to meet high expectations; relevance as career academies, experiential learning, and thematically focused schools; and relationships as support for students. Vander Ark also cited America’s high dropout rate as evidence that schools are not working, and he said a survey indicated half of the dropouts left simply because of boredom. Of those, 70 percent would return to school if it were interesting. “Career and Technical Education is the model of what the three R’s can look like,” Vander Ark explained. He said CTE:

“The essence of Career and Technical Education is helping kids see themselves in a job,” he concluded.

Meeder reported the National Governors’ Association adopted an action agenda on education including five points.

He added the American Diploma Project, which includes Kentucky, set four priorities.

The National High School Alliance, in which ACTE participates, identified seven core principals in its call to action to transform high school for all youth, Meeder continued.

The Association for Career and Technical Education is working to force inclusion of CTE in the debate over high school redesign. At the ACTE Convention, members were urged to participate in the discussions at all levels. Meeder is helping ACTE develop a detailed paper, Creating the New American High School. The organization hopes to release the document in mid-January 2006 accompanied by a media advisory blitz and tools to guide its use at the state and local level.

At its convention, ACTE distributed a two-page document, Strengthening a New Vision for the American High School through the Experiences and Resources of Career and Technical Education. It cites nine recommendations under consideration for release in the more detailed document. The summary read: “Given the magnitude of the CTE enterprise, it is vital that CTE educators and leaders participate in the important discussion of how to redesign American high schools for the needs of the 21^st century and bring its resources and areas of expertise to that discussion.”

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

Congress reconvenes following the Thanksgiving recess for approximately two weeks with funding of Career and Technical Education and reauthorization of the Perkins Act still on its agenda.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times’ Janet Hook in an article reprinted in the Monday, Dec. 5, 2005, Louisville Courier-Journal, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) thought remaining spending bills would pass Congress before the first session of the 109^th Congress ends before the Christmas recess. That would include the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriation bill funding for Career and Technical Education programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.

Frist was less optimistic about other legislation passing as are other congressional observers, including those at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). Reauthorization of the Perkins Act is included in this list, although each house of Congress has passed its version of the reauthorization, H.R. 366 and S. 250. Congress opens a second session in January, so both bills remain active. Congress could move into a conference committee on the measures. For more information, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/carl_perkins.cfm.

A conference committee did recommend a compromise Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill, which would have maintained Perkins basic state grants at the current $1.9 billion level, as well as the current level of Tech Prep funding. It would not have funded Section 118 occupational information or Tech Prep demonstrations. The conference committee report was defeated in the House 209-224 as a protest to recommended spending cuts and because the bill did not include special entitlements sought by some congressmen.

Over the next two weeks, Congress will consider a new compromise bill, placing the funding proposal in a Continuing Resolution, or attaching the measure to the Defense Department appropriation bill. There remains concern an across-the-board cut to all programs may be implemented to achieve spending targets. For more information, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/federal-approp.cfm.

THIS FALL, KACTE was active in contacting federal legislators in support of Career and Technical Education. In response, KACTE President Mary Kleber received a letter from Sen. Mitch McConnell, which read in part: “You will be pleased to know that the Senate recently voted to reauthorize the Perkins program through Fiscal Year 2011. I voted for this legislation when it passed the Senate on March 10, 2005, on a 99 to 0 vote. . .When a final conference report is brought before the Senate for a vote, please rest assured I will keep your support for this program in mind.

“It may also interest you to know that the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which I serve, recently approved the Labor, Health and Human Service and Education Appropriation bill. This bill includes over $1.9 billion in funding for vocational and adult education. The Labor/HHS/Education Appropriation bill was passed by the full Senate on October 27, 2005, and must now be reconciled with similar legislation passed by the House of Representatives. As this bill moves through the legislative process, please rest assured that I will keep your support of Perkins foremost in mind.”

KACTE officers will be attending the ACTE Convention in Kansas City Oct. 8-10, 2005. Among the speakers will be Acting Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education Beto Gonzalez. The next Issues Update will report on his remarks and other federal developments regarding Career and Technical Education.

The next Issues Update (anticipated posting Dec. 16, 2005) will focus on a preview of the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly session. KACTE Executive Director Mike Stone is registered to attend a legislative seminar sponsored by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, on Dec. 14, 2005. A presentation by Gov. Ernie Fletcher will kickoff the program, there will be a panels consisting of the legislature’s Education Committee chairs and Appropriations and Revenue Committee chairs, and it will close with presentations by the legislative leadership, Speaker of the House Jody Richards and President of the Senate David Williams.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

According to at least one observer, the American and world economies face an increasingly tight labor market. High-quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs can be instrumental in helping business obtain a skilled, professional workforce and guiding individuals into careers rewarding both personally and financially. According to the Aug. 3, 2005, Herman Trend Alert:

“While corporate leaders and human resource professionals continue denial that the labor market is tightening, numbers and reality tell a different story. People who insist that there is no shortage will soon find themselves in a very difficult reactive posture. Finding and holding good employees will become so challenging that a number of employers will be forced out of business. Those closures will have far-reaching implications. This problem is an international issue, not at all limited to a few communities, a region, one country, or just some industries.

“Our correspondents report that employers are having trouble attracting applicants who have the capability to do the jobs available. There are too many job-seekers who lack literacy, experience, education, training, career focus, or ambition; many who do not even meet minimum qualifications. Employers are assigning more employees to recruiting functions in attempts to find, attract, and sell their employment opportunities to the few people who are qualified.”

Recent accountability data indicate that Kentucky’s CTE programs are producing more and more qualified graduates each year. Continued emphasis on improving the quality and ability of CTE graduates will serve more than just the individual or the teacher pursuing a career. It will help Kentucky secure a reputation as a place of opportunity for expanding, relocating and start-up businesses, which will grow the economy and contribute to a higher quality of life. CTE is integral to improving economic security. KACTE will continue efforts with partner organizations, the Division of Secondary Career and Technical Education, the Office of Career and Technical Education, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to raise the visibility of CTE and the improvement of CTE programs.

Typically, late summer is Congress’ vacation; however, this year’s August recess was shortened as legislators returned to Washington to address hurricane relief efforts. Although Fiscal Year 2006 appropriations for education programs (including the approximately level funding of Perkins Act programs comprising CTE contained in both House and Senate committee-approved appropriation bills) and the reauthorization of the Perkins Act (passed by the House and approved by a Senate committee earlier this summer) are awaiting compromise and final passage, Congress and the Bush Administration are faced with more pressing matters: hurricane relief efforts, the nomination of Supreme Court justices and Iraq, to name three. There appears little urgency from Congress to move on CTE-critical legislation.

CTE enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, probably strong enough to withstand any administration efforts to radically alter the programs or reduce its funding. However, that may not be enough to move either appropriation or reauthorization legislation prior to the Oct. 1, 2005, start of Fiscal Year 2006. In that case, reauthorization will remain on hold and Congress will lump CTE funding into an omnibus appropriation bill, which could result in funding reductions if across-the-board cuts are needed to maintain set budget limits.

CTE also is buffeted by the resignation of Susan Sclafani as assistant secretary of education for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings appointed Beto Gonzalez as acting assistant secretary. Gonzalez is a former high school English and Spanish teacher from California who also was a lecturer and instructor and Fresno Pacific University. Prior to his government service, he was dean of students and student services at Bakersfield College. Sclafani, who was a local school district administrator before coming to the Department of Education with former Education Secretary Rod Paige, spoke about the importance of CTE in several public appearances. Spellings frequently has criticized CTE programs.Congress also is moving toward reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, but it, too now is stalled by the aforementioned major issues.

For more information on federal legislative issues, please visit the ACTE website. It presents a complete section with detailed summaries of all legislative developments. The link is http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/index.cfm.

Over the summer, KACTE was active in writing Kentucky’s Congressional delegation in support of CTE appropriations and reauthorization of the Perkins Act. The following is part of the text from the letters, which may be used to help model future individual advocacy letters on behalf of CTE programs.

The Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE) requests consideration of and support for Career and Technical Education in the Appropriation Committee mark-up of education funding for Fiscal Year 2006. KACTE is very grateful for your past support of adequate funding for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act and for your vote this spring to reauthorize the legislation. Now, KACTE asks for consideration of funding at least at the Fiscal Year 2004 level. Also, it is critical for Career and Technical Education programs to be able to coordinate Tech Prep programs through continuation of Tech Prep Demonstration funding and to provide occupational and employment information through continued funding of the Section 118 programs.

Programs funded under the Perkins Act are critical for America’s economic survival and security. The vast majority of jobs in America – at least 65 percent – require skills and education provided by CTE programs. These jobs form the foundation of the nation’s economy. These are the jobs that build, repair and create things ranging from homes to automobiles to computers. These are the jobs that grow and process our food. These are the jobs that fill many of the nation’s health care jobs and provide its financial, business and child care services. CTE programs directly impact the United States’ ability to compete in the global marketplace, particularly in manufacturing and machine tooling.

Kentucky’s CTE professionals have made great strides in program improvements. They have integrated higher level academic coursework into traditional CTE programs, and the results are reflected in increasing assessment scores. Since 2001, CTE students increased Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System (CATS) assessment points at a greater rate than the overall student population. High schools, area technology centers, and community and technical colleges have in place more dual enrollment and articulation agreements, which help students move more swiftly into their careers. CTE graduates are being hired for private-sector jobs, which may be the best assessment of all.

The 2006 Kentucky General Assembly session will convene its even-year, 60-day session on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006. It will meet on consecutive days, Monday-Friday, through March 27, except for Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 16 and President’s Day on Feb. 20. The final two post-veto days will be March 10-11.

The main task of the General Assembly in even-year sessions is to pass a biennial state budget. However, it failed that task in 2004. The process likely will not be easier in 2006. Although the tax reform legislation passed in 2005 and a healthier economy created a $300 million budget surplus in Fiscal Year 2004-2005, the figure is dwarfed by a Medicaid shortfall in excess of $600 million and demands to fully fund education, which would require an additional $800 million. Decisions will be difficult as the governor and legislators determine how to spend available funds.

One item that should not confront public school teachers or state employees in the budget debate will be health insurance. Gov. Fletcher announced following the report of the budget surplus the health benefit for teachers and state employees will remain unchanged in 2006. Maintaining health insurance may cost an additional $150 million in 2006, further squeezing the available resources.

KACTE notes all these factors make it more important for CTE professionals to advocate for their programs. Available on this webpage are 2005 Advocacy Guidelines for Career and Technical Education Professionals. It outlines the importance of CTE programs for the state and offers suggestions for professional and objective advocacy efforts. KACTE urges all CTE professionals to become familiar with the legislative process and build local support for CTE and its individual disciplines. Effective grassroots advocacy likely will be vital to maintaining CTE funding and programs during the upcoming General Assembly session.

Two bills already pre-filed for the 2006 session may impact CTE professionals. BR 1, introduced by Sen. Dick Roeding, and BR 74, introduced by Rep. Rick Nelson and others, both would remove writing portfolios as part of the required assessment program, requiring the portfolios to be used as instructional tools for continuous assessment. BR 17, introduced by Rep. C.B. Embry, would address professional development, including requiring compensation at the daily rate of pay if professional development activities are required beyond four days. All pre-filed legislation is available on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website, http://www.lrc.ky.gov.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The first action toward setting Fiscal Year 2006 funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (or its successor reauthorization bills currently before Congress) cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on June 9, 2005. The House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education included $1.312 billion to pay for Perkins Act programs in the next fiscal year. This essentially is level funding for the Perkins basic state grants, national programs, and Tech Prep. The House subcommittee did not fund Tech Prep Demonstration or Section 118 occupational information, but the Senate has insisted on maintaining those programs the last few years.

More detail on education appropriations and a complete chart of CTE funding proposals are available from ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) at

Overall, the subcommittee cut about $163 million from Fiscal Year 2005 levels, but implementation of the Medicare drug benefit in the appropriation proposal effectively cuts existing discretionary programs by more than $1 billion. In that context, CTE funding stands out in the bipartisan support it received at the subcommittee level. Rep. Anne M. Northup (R-KY 3^rd Congressional District) is a subcommittee member and supported the appropriation. Prior to the subcommittee action, it received a “Dear Colleague” letter signed by 110 representatives urging funding of CTE programs through the Perkins Act at least at the FY2005 level. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY 1^st Congressional District) and Rep. Ben Chandler (D-6^th Congressional District) signed the letter.

KACTE thanks members and others who responded to action alerts and contacted their representatives asking them to support Perkins funding. KACTE now requests its members, especially those in the first, third and sixth Congressional districts, to thank Reps. Whitfield, Northup and Chandler for their support.

THE NEXT STEP is a vote by the full Appropriation Committee to adopt the subcommittee recommendations. That may occur the week of June 13. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY 5^th Congressional District) is the second ranking majority member of the Appropriations Committee. KACTE requests members, especially those in the third and fifth Congressional districts, to contact Reps. Northup and Rogers requesting their support to maintain CTE funding in the House FY2006 appropriations bills.

The House appropriations action continues federal legislative support for CTE. The administration proposal was to use Perkins Act funding to initiate a comprehensive high school reform effort extending principles of No Child Left Behind. In near unanimous action, Congress is pursuing reauthorization of CTE while it conducts hearings on and consideration of other possible legislation to reform America’s high schools.

The House passed HR. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, May 4 on a 416-9 vote. The House bill makes significant improvements to CTE law, but includes two provisions KACTE will seek to change during the House-Senate Conference Committee deliberations – elimination of Tech Prep as a separate line item (The House bill combines its provisions into the basic CTE activities.) and reduction of the allowable state administrative funds from 5 percent to 2 percent. The Senate passed S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2005, in March on a 98-0 vote. While making similar program improvements, the Senate bill maintains Tech Prep as a separate line item and retains the state administrative allowance at 5 percent. Of interest to Kentucky, the Senate bill preserves the honor of being named for Rep. Carl Perkins, the legendary Eastern Kentucky Congressman. Kentucky’s six representatives and two senators voted for the bills.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee conducted a hearing on high school reform on May 18. Among those testifying was Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack who pointed out: “It is important to remember that high-quality CTE is simply an alternative path, not an inferior path, to higher-level math and science we know will be required for jobs in the future. It is increasingly recognized as an essential pathway for many of our students, providing a smoother transition from high school to postsecondary education.” (ACTE Career Tech Update, May 25, 2005) At the same hearing, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney commented on his state’s implementation of a high school exit exam, which now is passed by 96 percent of seniors. In Ohio and Oklahoma, as well as Iowa and Massachusetts, CTE is an integral part of improving high school performance to ensure students are prepared either for postsecondary school or the workplace.

Similarly, incorporating CTE in educational improvement plans is taking place in Ontario, Canada. In response to a 30 percent dropout rate, the province has allocated $158 million toward education, with $45 million earmarked to expand CTE programs and buy new equipment. Minister of Parliament David Zimmer said: “From horticultural studies to culinary areas to avionics and construction, our high schools will give more exposure and preparation of in-demand skilled trades and apprenticeships.” (ACTE Career Tech Update, May 25, 2005). Added the province’s Minster of Education George Kennedy, the program will provide students who are disengaged in academic learning with a hands-on contextual learning environment that officials hope they might find more appealing.

High school reform is an important topic in the Commonwealth, too. The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) lists refocusing secondary education as its first 2005-2006 priority. It will receive recommendations for refocusing secondary education at its meeting Aug. 3-4 in Frankfort. In May 2005, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence released High Achieving High Schools, which included a series of recommendations that are hoped will lead to improved performance by students making them better prepared for further education or to go to work. The complete report may be found at www.prichardcommittee.org.

Much of the report emphasizes increasing rigor in high school courses of study. It also stresses the need to prepare and reward teachers. It argues for replacing CATS (Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System) assessments for high school students with end-of-course or competency exams. It also would tie KEES scholarships to minimum ACT scores. The report contained few words about the relationship or importance of CTE; however, it did note, “There is limited understanding that all students, including those who will go straight into the labor force or into other training programs, need the same rigorous courses that students will need to enter postsecondary programs.”

At the June meeting, the KBE heard two reports on refocusing secondary education – one summarizing student focus groups and one from Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff on a work plan. Many of the items, such as revising CATS, using KEES as a reward, and strengthening the senior year, were similar to the Prichard report. According to the KBE Board Notes (Vol. 13, No. 3): “The Board expressed a sense of urgency for the high school refocusing work and asked that revisions occur on the work plan in order to bring it back to them in August.” For more information, e-mail lpitteng@kde.statte.ky.us.

The KBE approved changes to CATS to be implemented in 2007. Actions were based on 10 directional statements. Noted were revised core content, accountable student measures, more multiple choice questions and less on-demand writing, and an amended portfolio process. Pilot studies for alternative assessments in Arts and Humanities and Practical Living/Vocational Studies will be tested. More information may be found at:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE?Administrative+Resources/Kentucky+Board+Education/June+8-9%2c+2005+Kentucky+Board+of+Education+Regular+Meeting+Agenda+and+Agenda+Book+Documents.htm. If the KDE home page appears, click on “June 8-9, 2005 Kentucky Board of Education Regular Meeting Agenda and Agenda Book Documents” in the right hand column.

CTE IN KENTUCKY steadily has been increasing the rigor in its programs, and the results are evident in comparing the CATS assessment scores of students identified as CTE concentrators (taking three or more courses in one CTE program area) with the overall student population. Since 2001, the CTE concentrators have closed the gap significantly and have increased achievement points at a higher rate than the overall student population. Kentucky has been a long-time participant in Tech Prep and High Schools That Work programs, and the Kentucky Tech system is implementing portions of the American Diploma Project.

The KBE reviewed amendments to nutritional regulations. The proposal will be addressed at the Aug. 3-4 meeting. For more information, e-mail pmcelwai@kde.state.ky.us.

At its June 8-9 meeting, the Kentucky Board of Education began the process to develop Fiscal Year 2006-2008 biennial budget recommendations for the Kentucky General Assembly. The briefing paper noted education leaders will continue to advocate for unobligated increases in SEEK (the local district funding formula), early childhood programs, and technology. It indicated teachers will advocate for salary increases and health benefits. During the recommendation process prior to the 2004-2006 biennial budget submittal, the Kentucky Board of Education called for greatly increased funding to meet the goals of (KERA) the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

Last year, Gov. Ernie Fletcher indicated a re-examination of KERA was a priority, although no specific proposals have come from the governor’s office.

KACTE SUGGESTS all this focus on high school reform and funding sets the table for a very active 2006 Kentucky General Assembly session. CTE professionals will be challenged to justify their program’s importance as relevant to academic achievement and economic security. To support their programs and their careers, CTE professionals need to understand the issues and develop advocacy skills. To help, KACTE is organizing a special session at the 2005 Statewide Career and Technical Education Summer Program at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, on Monday, July 25, 8-9:30 a.m. Alisha Hyslop, ACTE Assistant Director of Public Policy, will lead the presentations on Perkins Reauthorization, Appropriation and Advocacy. In addition to updating attendees on the latest Congressional developments regarding the Perkins Act, the session will address questions such as: What is advocacy? How can I advocate? Are there advocacy tools available?

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

Eleven Kentuckians formed teams and met with staff of all eight members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation on Monday, March 7. The KACTE members were attending the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington, DC, which annually provides Career and Technical Education leaders with federal policy updates and affords the opportunity to interact with Congress and federal Department of Education officials.

KACTE President Sarah Raikes, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Washington County High School, led the delegation. Also participating were Bettie Tipton, Office of Career and Technical Education; Jewell Deene Ellis, Division of Secondary Career and Technical Education; Mike McMillen, KACTE’s Immediate Past Treasurer, Central Kentucky Technical College (and a member of the ACTE Legislative Committee); Pat Vencill, Lexington, ACTE Vice President representing Special Needs; Jay Jackman, National Association of Agriculture Educators Executive Director; Judy Swinney, Lyon County High School; Stacy Skaggs, Green County High School; Carrie Layfield and Samantha Alvis, National Association of Agriculture Educators staff; and Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director.

IN GENERAL, the congressional staff responsible for analyzing educational issues for the U.S. senators and representatives expressed support for Career and Technical Education programs, including the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. In fact, the week after the visit, the Senate unanimously passed its version of reauthorization, S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2005.

The staff members said funding decision would be difficult for Fiscal Year 2006, which begins Oct. 1, 2005. They did indicate that adequate funding for Career and Technical Education will be given full consideration. This was particularly noteworthy in the meeting with the staff for Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Hal Rogers, both of whom have powerful positions on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. The staff member for Rep. Anne M. Northup, who is a member of the Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, was less committal.

In discussing the congressional visits, those with previous experience said the congressional staff was more knowledgeable about and interested in Career and Technical Education this year. They asked relevant questions, took notes on the presentations, and welcomed the informational packets prepared by KACTE for each member of Congress. The packets stressed that Career and Technical Education is working in Kentucky. Examples of accountability improvements and student success in high schools, at area technology centers, and through postsecondary programs were included.

KACTE THANKS all groups for their efforts to help explain the importance of Career and Technical Education to Congress. One staff member said KCTCS President Michael McCall had visited the previous week carrying a similar message. Many Kentucky newspapers, particularly those in areas served by KCTCS technical colleges, have publicized the potential harm from proposed cuts to federal Career and Technical Education funding. Legislators pay attention to those articles. The Kentucky Farm Bureau included reauthorization of the Perkins Act and adequate Career and Technical Education funding as two of its requests during its Washington visit in late February-early March. Having several apparently unrelated groups all voice support for a program raises the issue on legislators’ priority lists. This is evidence that coalition building and subsequent letter-writing and telephoning can have an impact, both at the federal and state level.

Ø Reauthorize the Perkins Act. In addition to S. 250, the House is considering HR. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act. KACTE supports S. 250 in full, and suggests three enhancements to HR. 366 – change “vocational” references to “career,” maintain Tech Prep as a separate program, and restore the permitted administrative funding level to 5 percent.

Ø Appropriate adequate funding, at least at the Fiscal year 2005 level of $1.326 billion. The accountability and program improvement evidence is Kentucky, and all states, got the message sent with the 1998 reauthorization of the Perkins Act. Continued improvement depends on adequate funding.

1. The economic security of Kentucky and the United States depends on Career and Technical Education programs to prepare youth and re-skilling adults for 65 percent of all jobs that exist in the nation. These are the jobs that form the foundation of the nation’s infrastructure; jobs that make things, build things, fix things, grow our food, and provide business, health, hospitality, child care, nutrition and computer services.

2. The federal administration has proposed eliminating the Perkins Act, shifting the money previously appropriated for Career and Technical Education to a new initiative that extends the No Child Left Behind Act to high schools. KACTE and other groups agree improvements are needed in high school achievement, but believe that federal emphasis on Career and Technical Education is needed to prevent local districts from ignoring the programs. Programs will wither and die in many school districts if funds are shifted wholly to academic activities tied to financial rewards. The administration proposal would eliminate postsecondary programs’ share of Career and Technical Education funding. (Now, 40 percent of Perkins appropriations go toward postsecondary programs.) Business and industry dependent on skilled workers who achieve industry-approved certifications through Career and Technical Education would be damaged.

Without a technically skilled workforce, Kentucky will be unable to compete for new jobs. The administration proposal ignores the improvements in academic integration achieved since the 1998 Perkins Act reauthorization mandates. In Kentucky, high school Career and Technical Education concentrators have increased their CATS academic assessment by 9.3 points in the last four years, compared to a 6.8 point increase for all other students. This achievement should be enhanced, not hampered.

KACTE’s DELEGATION to Washington reports that the congressional staff seemed to understand the message. Several referenced the administration’s budget proposal and noted that in the American system of representative government, the administration proposes and Congress disposes. One staff member said, “We’ve heard lots of opposition to the administration proposal.” Another said, “Lots of people don’t go with the President. It’s just a proposal.” Both of these staff members report to Republican members of Congress.

Just as significant, Sen. Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair, in accepting an ACTE Policymaker of the Year Award, said, “My hunch is the Perkins program has pretty strong support in Congress that won’t let it be eliminated.” In his remarks, he cited the importance of lifelong learning and employment and training for a strong economy. He said high schools need improvement, but noted the best assessment of whether a student is ready for the workforce is whether they actually get a job. He said Career and Technical Education professionals understand jobs. They know that increasing skills is what builds a quality workforce and results in increased employee wages. He is working with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the ranking minority member of his committee, to ensure a strong link between technical skills and academic achievement.

“I’m very optimistic about the role the Perkins Act plays,” he explained. “The President’s budget is simply an allocation of direction by the president; his roadmap to a total number. Within that, we have discretion. Every year I’ve been in Congress, every President suggests cutting vocational employment and training. Do you know the number of years it was cut? Zero so far. I’ve told people we’re not going to do it this year.”

For those who support a strong and viable Career and Technical Education System – KACTE members, colleagues in Kentucky’s Career and Technical Education programs, and organizations, associations and individuals who understand the importance of Career and Technical Education for a strong economy and a competitive workforce – the advocacy work has just started.

KACTE Member Action:

KACTE members are urged to contact their U.S. Representative and Senators. Please ask for reauthorization of the Perkins Act and adequate appropriations for Career and Technical Education, at least at the Fiscal Year 2005 level of $1.326 billion. Thank your Senators for their votes to reauthorize the Perkins act (S. 250). The reauthorization, budget and appropriation process will continue throughout the spring and summer. Continued efforts are needed to keep this issue on congressional priority lists.

Further, as evidenced by the impact from the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s visit to Washington, reach out to other business, industry, civic, educational and government groups to educate them about the critical importance of Career and Technical Education for Kentucky’s and the nation’s economic security. Ask them to raise awareness among their members and to encourage their members to contact Congress to support Perkins Act reauthorization and adequate appropriations.

KACTE is working with the Division of Secondary Career and Technical Education and the Office of Career and Technical Education to help build awareness of Career and Technical Education’s importance for economic security. In particular, the Kentucky Department of Education will distribute a media release about the value of Career and Technical Education. The Office of Career and Technical Education is continuing distribution of a series of good news articles about Career and Technical Education teacher and student achievement. KACTE will send associations and organizations an article customized to their industry classification that relates the importance of Career and Technical Education programs. All these efforts seek to build broad support for Career and Technical Education – a program that is working in and for a strong Kentucky.

Two days remain in the 2005 Kentucky General Assembly session, March 21-22, which are designated for consideration of vetoes by Gov. Ernie Fletcher. To date, he has not issued any vetoes. He did say he and his staff are reviewing items in the Fiscal Year 2004-2006 biennial budget for possible veto, but indicated general support for the budget that passed the General Assembly.

The General Assembly also passed a “tax reform” bill that is considered revenue neutral, but does raise additional money from increased taxes, particularly on tobacco, alcohol and communication services. It lowers income tax rates and raises the threshold for tax payments, removing thousands of low-income individuals from the tax rolls. It also lowers business taxes, which the governor and legislators believe will stimulate business investment resulting in more jobs that eventually will translate into more workers paying taxes.

Combined with higher than anticipated revenue already coming to the state as a result of a stronger overall economy, the additional tax revenue allowed the General Assembly to pass a budget significantly larger than the previous biennium. The major beneficiary of the increased spending will be education programs, although observers say the amount of money spent on education still falls well short of what is necessary to meet the goals of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act and the 1996 reform of public higher education.

In Fiscal Year 2005-2006, salaries for public school and state employees will increase 3 percent, and their health insurance programs will be maintained. An additional $53 million is earmarked for public schools and $50 million is directed toward public universities and KCTCS. About $2.1 billion in projects, to be funded through bonds, are included in the budget, and some of those projects include new area technology centers and community and technical college additions.

Funding for area technology centers was maintained at previous levels, and KACTE, with support from various groups, was successful in adding about $900,000 for locally operated vocational centers in the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

Prepared by Mike Stone, Executive Director, KACTE
Reviewed by John Marks, Legislative Liaison, KACTE

The 2005 General Assembly session is about half way complete, and several bills affecting education in general and Career and Technical Education in particular have been filed. A summary list of the bills (today is the last day for bills to be filed for the 2005 session) will be posed on this website later this week.

Career and Technical Education legislative activity is not confined to state action. The Bush Administration’s Fiscal Year 2006 budget proposal eliminates Career and Technical Education as a stand-alone appropriation. It will not pursue reauthorization of the Perkins Act. Instead it will use the money previously appropriated for the Perkins Act to fund a new high school initiative. Local districts will have the option of how to spend the money, which may or may not be spent on Career and Technical Education. Further, it is unclear how postsecondary programs will receive any support under the Administration’s proposal.

KACTE urges its members to write their federal senators and representative expressing their concern and asking that the Bush Administration’s proposal be rejected. A model letter CLICK HERE is available to guide members in drafting their own letters. Please note, due to the congressional mail system, letters should be faxed. The model letter contains the Washington fax numbers of each legislator.

As the week progresses, KACTE will be posting further Issues Updates to review both state and federal legislative developments regarding Career and Technical Education.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

(Note: KACTE Executive Director Mike Stone recently attended conferences and conventions including presentations on legislative and administrative issues. The report follows.)

Governor Ernie Fletcher and the General Assembly’s Republican and Democratic leaders reviewed their priorities for the 2005 General Assembly session that begins Jan. 4 at a Policy Conference and Legislative Preview presented by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. More than 200 business leaders and lobbyists attended the one-day program on Dec. 16, 2004. The Kentucky Farm Bureau, Commerce Lexington (the Lexington Chamber of Commerce), Greater Louisville Inc. (the Louisville Chamber of Commerce), and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce were co-hosts.

The common theme for the presentations was cooperation, stressing passage of a budget and tax legislation. Most Republican speakers described the tax legislation as modernization. Most Democratic speakers described it as tax reform. A main difference among the presenters was the order of passage. Governor Fletcher and the Republican leadership felt the tax modernization should occur first so the General Assembly would have an idea of future revenues on which to base a budget.

Democratic leaders said a budget, which the General Assembly failed to pass in the previous session, is the first order of business. Kentucky government has been operating over the last six months on a spending plan issued by Gov. Fletcher without legislative approval. Spurring action toward legislative adoption of a 2004-2006 biennial budget was Franklin Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden’s ruling that only the General Assembly can establish a budget for the state. He threatened to stop most funding for state government if by June 30 no properly adopted budget is in place.

Passage of a budget in the 2005 30-day General Assembly session will require a 60 percent vote. The session was created to deal with non-fiscal state issues. The super-majority requirement discourages budget consideration. Some legislators, such as House Democratic Leader Rocky Adkins, suggest dealing with the budget in a special session, perhaps between the Jan. 7, 2005, recess and Feb. 1, 2005, reconvening. Others believe such a session may be illegal and suggest a budget-only special session take place after the March 22, 2005, adjournment.

The governor and legislators listed several items for consideration at the upcoming session besides budget and tax issues.

In his luncheon address to the Chamber audience, the governor’s theme incorporated the new state logo and theme, Unbridled Spirit, calling it the Commonwealth’s new brand. He said shifting governmental power between the parties and the 2004 election cycle created a “perfect political storm,” but it laid a foundation for changes that need to take place. He said there is an opportunity before Kentucky.

Governor Fletcher cited comparisons with Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina, whose economic statistics used to be similar to Kentucky. Not now. He said the state is not attracting young people to Kentucky nor is it retaining its best achieving youth. There is 20 percent less per-capita income in Kentucky compared to the states he named. Business and jobs are not attracted to Kentucky. Tax modernization as necessary to stimulate growth, he said.

If the time spent talking about tax modernization is a gauge, it will be the governor’s first priority in 2005. He said government cannot tax its way to prosperity; rather, if per-capita income increases, tax revenues will increase proportionally. He said the business entrepreneur needs a new tax system, citing telecommunication tax, business licensing, marginal corporate rates, and the highest individual state and local taxes as disincentives to entrepreneurs.

There are reasons for optimism. The state’s productivity is 5 percent above average, its cost of living is 20 percent below average, and it has the lowest energy costs in the nation. He said the state has, “got to have a budget, but its got to have a growing revenue stream.” He lauded his administration’s efforts to “clean up the mess” in Frankfort, noting reduction to the state’s workforce and increases in productivity and efficiency. He named areas for continued work:

Ø Education –Among educational changes he is promoting are reading and literacy initiatives; preschool assessments; and seamlessness of curriculum, aligned from elementary school through postsecondary. These efforts should consider only 15 of 100 students who enter ninth grade ever receiving a four-year degree and 3,000-4,000 of those who do graduate from college move from the state due to lack of opportunities. “We’ve got to get a place for graduates to land,” he said, which means growing the economy. Meeting the needs of companies wishing to relocate to Kentucky requires universities to understand their impact on economic development. “In the new economy, there’s got to be integration of education and economic development,” he said.

Ø Teachers’ Health Insurance – Good benefits are essential to keep and attract good teachers, along with increasing teacher pay, but he suggested establishing an accountability based pay model.

Ø Environmental Stewardship – Fletcher stressed that energy production and a clean environment do not have to be mutually exclusive. He argued for incentives for renewable resources in tax modernization.

Ø Tourism and Marketing – He wants more investment in this area, which could come from a 1 percent hotel tax that could be a part of tax modernization.

Fletcher claimed a new bipartisan spirit is in Frankfort. Although there never will be a perfect plan, he said a reasonable plan to move the state forward will focus on tax modernization and education.

Responding to a question about tax modernization, Fletcher said it was important not to raise the tax burden on individuals and to close loopholes. He supports triggers that will lower individual tax rates depending on revenue received. He said broadening the burden through sales taxes is difficult politically.

Answering another question, Fletcher said health care needs to be more affordable. There are plans being discussed to move the state to self-insurance with a third-party administrator. Eventually, he believes the health-care issue must be addressed nationally. Increasing job opportunities and affordability of health care are needed for economic growth.

Three members of the governor’s staff elaborated on key points during a follow-up panel presentation. Senior Adviser Daniel Groves, formerly the governor’s chief of staff, discussed addressing Medicaid costs. General Counsel John Roach focused on medical lawsuit abuse and tort reform. Budget Director Brad Cowgill stressed tax modernization to stimulate the economy and spur economic development. He said tax modernization will create a steady, predictable stream of revenue on which to base future budgets.

Groves said an increase in the cigarette tax will be part of the tax package, likely not lower that the 26 cents the governor proposed in February 2004. He reported no change in the governor’s position on expanded gambling. He indicated that a recent meeting between Lt. Gov. Steve Pence and a group supporting expanding gambling in the state merely was to gather information.

Speaker of the House Jody Richards told the Chamber seminar attendees the first priorities for the 2005 session are passing a budget, passing tax reform, and again looking at health insurance for teachers, state employees and retirees. He said the budget is most important. There is some revenue to work with, but the state “is not flush.” The legislature will have to deal with a $550 million Medicaid shortfall. He noted that with 60 percent of the state general fund going toward education, 20 percent toward human services, 10 percent for corrections and justice, and 3.5 percent for debt service, little is left for the rest of state government.

When the House goes back to Frankfort, House Bill 1 will be the budget, and House bill 2 will be a Constitutional amendment that requires the legislature to stay in session and meet at its own expense if a budget is not passed in the allotted time.

Richards said the House goal of tax reform is “to make it fair.” He suggested exempting those below the federal poverty level from income taxes. He hopes tax reform will improve the business climate and help rebuild the Rainy Day Fund. He would like to see a broad base and low rates. Tobacco tax increases will be part of the mix, but he doesn’t like the trigger suggestion for lowering rates if certain revenue levels occur.

He acknowledged the health-insurance plan passed in the special session was a stop-gap measure for one year. He thought some form of self-financing may be the only way to make teacher, state employee and state retiree health care sustainable.

Ø Medical Malpractice Reform – He suggested a Constitutional amendment may be needed in 2006.

Ø Expanded Gambling – He felt consideration of a Constitutional amendment on the 2006 ballot may be “something to look at.”

Ø Education – “The most important function of state government is education,” Richards said, including elementary, secondary and higher education. “The silver bullet of Kentucky is a first class educational system. “ He cited the progress of Kentucky’s educational reform over the last 10 years. He said funds need to be restored to higher education, but he suggested the first priority is operational expenses at the colleges and universities.

Ø Technology – Richards suggested that technology is so important to children’s, he would issue each student in grades 6-8 a laptop for use at home. He said Michigan is pursuing such a plan.

“The governor, Senate and House all have the same goals. It is important to us all for the governor to succeed,” he said citing the cooperation of the special session on health insurance as an example of the cooperation that will be needed. “What we’re about is tomorrow; making this a better state. To do it we must work together for the Commonwealth.”

Senate President David Williams expressed pleasure at the statements from Richards and House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Harry Moberly. He said the General Assembly should go forward with tax modernization as the first order of business to know what’s available in the outyears. Williams stressed the importance of tort reform. He wants to consider proven malpractice reforms from other states. The cost of insurance impacts every business and government. This effort will be Senate Bill 1.

He did not think the health insurance plan crafted in the special session was the best solution. He guessed that at some point the 90 percent of people not covered by the state plan will ask why their taxes are being used to pay for a policy not available to them? He said there will be a challenge to educate employees, establish co-insurance (not co-pay) and create flex plans.

Williams cited closing the achievement gap as a critical educational goal and called on the House to pass the Read to Achieve program. Those who read at grade level by the third grade frequently will be successful, he said. Other key initiatives he noted were:

Ø Transportation Oversight – A restructured Senate Transportation Committee will have budget oversight.

Ø Healthy Kentucky Initiative – This was embodied in Senate Bill 175 in the last session.

Ø Government Reorganization – He called on the House to pass the governor’s proposed administrative reorganization.

“It will take some compromises; take some effort,” Williams said, adding that government programs and policies only are successful if they promote the business sector to create wealth. He quoted President John F. Kennedy: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” He said if businesses are successful, they will create more employees and create higher salaries. If that happens, he said, a lot of social problems will take care of themselves.

Earlier in the program, Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly promoted tax modernization, cutting short his remarks to let Moberly outline the House Appropriations and Revenue plans.

Moberly noted a recent meeting with the administration and cited progress toward on tax reform. He was confident tax reform would take place in this session, and that it would look much like the governor’s plan with some changes. It will be “very fair to individuals and business. We have to leave business in a more competitive situation,” he added.

Moberly’s perception is the state needs to consider expanded gambling. He does not think the revenues needed to operate the state can be achieved through tax reform, and he noted the amount of revenue lost to the state from citizens gambling elsewhere. A questioner didn’t think Kentucky could gamble its way to fiscal prosperity. Kelly agreed, saying he didn’t want to have Kentucky base its future on people being suckers. He saw dangers in expanded gambling. Moberly countered that the people should decide through a Constitutional amendment.

Both Kelly and Moberly answered a question about tax modernization or reform being revenue neutral. Their answers were the tests of the legislation will be fairness, efficiency, adequacy and allowing Kentucky to compete and grow. Kelly said the tax legislation should not be a method to accomplish social policy.

Charlie Borders, Senate Health and Welfare Committee chair, and Matt Bassett, Health and Family Services chief of staff, formed a panel on health care and insurance policy. Tom Burch, House Health and Welfare Committee chair was listed on the agenda but did not appear. Borders and Bassett both indicated health policy would focus on reform of medical malpractice insurance. Borders noted Lt. Gov. Pence’s substance abuse initiatives. Bassett added that improved access to health care is needed and changes are necessary in the state’s Medicaid system.

On economic development, J.R. Wilhite, commissioner, Department of Existing Business Development, cited four items required for Kentucky to improve its position:

Ruth Ann Palumbo, House Economic Development Committee chair, noted the importance of enterprise zones for small business development. She suggested health care is another area of high-pay, high-tech jobs. Fundamental is a highly educated workforce, she said, and proposed looking at the school funding formula to ensure areas in the “golden triangle” of Louisville-Lexington-Northern Kentucky receive enough funds for education.

Katie Stine, Senate President Pro-Tem designate, said Kentucky has enormous potential but needs to diversify. She suggested nurturing entrepreneurship. She wondered what the workforce will look like in the future so education programs can be structured to meet needs and demands. Other areas of importance are transportation, information technology, health care services, and tourism. She said Kentucky needs to take advantage of its location. Finally, she said tax modernization is critical to providing a revenue stream to support the budget.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) will be scrutinized in the coming year with continued debate on reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, federal appropriations, and federal education policy aimed at reforming secondary education. The No Child Left Behind Act was the Bush Administration’s elementary education reform measure. The only available vehicle to impact secondary education is the reauthorization of the Perkins Act.

Susan Sclafani, Assistant Secretary, Office Vocational and Adult Education, speaking at the ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) annual convention in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, suggested CTE professionals should welcome the chance to be part of the debate.

“You are the opportunity America needs to take in order to improve its school,” she said. The three things required of education programs are rigor, relevance and relationships, and Sclafani said she developed those three R’s from watching CTE professionals in action. “Career and Technical Education affects nearly every student in America and every school,” she said.

She challenged CTE professionals to be part of the conversation about what American wants in its high schools. CTE-taught skills are needed by college-bound and non-college-bound students. New jobs require skills and knowledge current blue-collar workers do not posses. All education is acquiring analytical and theoretical knowledge and understanding how it applies. She suggested CTE can provide a model for academic institutions.

At a legislative panel at the ACTE convention, Whitney Rhodes, a House Education Committee staff member commented that the reauthorization of the Perkins Act would begin with the bill (HR.4496) that did not pass the 108^th Congress prior to adjournment. She said the new Perkins will be strong on accountability and provide a model sequence of courses.

Hans Meador, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office Vocational and Adult Education, echoed Sclafani’s statements. He said CTE has “nothing to worry about if you keep moving.” He said the text for accountability will be validity and reliability and whether industry standards meet the text. He could not predict the Fiscal Year 2006 budget process. He said the College Careers Transition Initiative, which includes four credits of English and math, three credits science, and three-and-a-half credits social studies is “an intense workload but very doable.”

Meador suggested CTE has to change its thought process about its role. CTE should not be teaching classes but preparation for the workforce. He said it is unfortunate if CTE considers that all the onus of intervention falls on it.

Futurist Roger Herman was the closing speaker at the ACTE convention, and he predicted an unprecedented labor shortage. It will empower individuals. Employers will be desperate for workers and will reach out as never before to build partnerships with those who can help them confront this crisis. Herman suggested the situation is perfect for CTE to make the employer-employee connection.

Ø Most people running companies don’t know (about CTE) – there is a need to raise that awareness of who CTE is and what it does.

He said CTE programs can address what employers want. “You folks make the difference,” he said. “More and more employers are beginning to recognize that.” The challenge is to reach out in the community to the employers and establish a partnership. CTE has what employers need in potential workers. Employers can offer CTE financing, access to knowledge, involvement in shaping programs, and assistance with cooperatives, internships and apprenticeships.

“Your role in the years ahead will be leadership,” Herman concluded. “Leadership in the community. Helping people understand. Leadership to bring it all together. Are you prepared to provide leadership? You’ve made a difference, but your work has just begun.”

As noted, the Perkins Act reauthorization failed to pass Congress before adjournment. Details on the House and Senate plans, which are expected to be the basis for new legislation when the 109^th Congress convenes in January, may be found on the ACTE website: www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/carl_perkins.cfm.

In general, the CTE community prefers the Senate bill, although both the House and Senate bill make important program improvements and reject the Bush Administration’s call to reshape and reduce the nation’s primary career and technical education legislation.

Funding for Perkins programs and Tech Prep will remain virtually unchanged in Fiscal Year 2005 as a result of final budget negotiations incorporated in an Omnibus Appropriations bill. Perkins programs were slated to receive a slight increase, but a last-minute, across-the-board reduction to meet budget ceilings eliminated the increase. For more details, including a comparison chart, please go to www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/federal-approp.cfm.

Several pieces of legislation joined the Perkins Act in not passing Congress, including the Workforce Investment Act reauthorization, welfare reauthorization, and Higher Education Act reauthorization. Congress did pass the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. For details, please see www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/IDEA.cfm.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The 2004 special session of the Kentucky General Assembly passed a plan for public school personnel and state employee 2005 health insurance that met the immediate demands of the 229,000 individuals affected. As a result, the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) voted unanimously to rescind its threatened Oct. 27 strike.

KACTE Editorial – Congratulations and thanks are due to KEA for its aggressive leadership on this issue. Through its commitment to at least maintaining benefits, KEA not only drove the governor and legislature to action but also pulled along the rest of the state’s public employees. Adequate health insurance benefits is a policy position of KACTE, and many KACTE members were active in the protests through their dual membership in KEA. KACTE President Sarah Raikes, also a KEA member, said Career and Technical Education teachers were in the forefront of many of the protests because “we’ve been fighting for our programs so long we’ve got experience.” That leadership was put to good use.

According to published reports, the health insurance plan (HR. 1), retains the health insurance carriers selected by the Fletcher Administration and their regions of coverage, but it provides basically the same networks of providers and levels of coverage available in the current program at approximately the same premiums. The cost is about $200 million more than the Administration’s proposal, which the legislators indicated will come from higher than anticipated state revenues and transfers from the Road Fund and other accounts. Governor Fletcher said this may result in cuts to other areas when the Governor’s Continuation Budget for the second quarter of the current budget year is implemented.

In addition to the health insurance benefits, HR. 1 added a 1 percent pay increase to public school and state employee salaries, which be added on top of the 2 percent increase contained in the Governor’s Continuation Budget. Since the state still does not have a General Assembly-passed budget for the 2004-2006 biennium, the issue will surface in the 2005 General Assembly session that convenes on Jan. 4. In published quotes, all parties indicated that a plan to address the issue of health insurance in the long term is needed.

Three bills prefiled for the 2005 General Assembly session have provision that would affect health insurance and school funding. As noted, the session convenes on Jan. 4 and meets through Jan. 7, then recesses until Feb. 1. The session continues uninterrupted, except for the Feb. 21 President’s Day holiday, until March 7. It reconvenes March 21 and 22 to consider any gubernatorial vetoes. Coincidentally, Student Organization Leadership Day, scheduled for Feb. 15, will be held on the 15^th day for the legislative session. (Please see Student Organizations section of this website for more information and registration details.)

BR129 (introduced by Rep. Marzian and six others) increases the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, with the proceeds designated to fund, among a list of items, health insurance for state and public school employees and public school construction and renovation for local school districts with growth enrollment.

BR176 (introduced by Sen. Westwood and Thayer) establishes a health reimbursement account for state and school board employees participating in the state health insurance program. It raises the cost of living increase for retirees to 2.3 percent, retroactive to July 1, 2004, increases the cost of living increase for all by 2.2 percent effective July 1, 2005, and increases the salary for full-time state employees and local school board employees by $600 effective Jan. 1, 2005.

BR191 (introduced by Rep. Farmer) allows school boards that do not participate in state group health insurance to receive the state appropriation for the employer contribution.

KACTE anticipates a challenging General Assembly session. Members will need to be familiar with the issues and ready to respond to advocacy calls on behalf of Career and Technical Education. The KACTE Board will meet on Nov. 10, and one of the agenda items will be planning KACTE’s focus for 2005 legislative advocacy. Comments or suggestions may be sent to KACTE Legislative Liaison John Marks (kb4uxc@yahoo.com) or KACTE Executive Director Mike Stone (kmstone@mis.net).

Congress recessed in early October to pursue November general election campaigns without completing work on either 2005 fiscal year Perkins Act appropriations or Perkins Act Reauthorization. However, current indications are the eventual results may be positive for Career and Technical Education, but nothing ever is assured until final passage and Presidential signature. Congress will reconvene after the November election, primarily to complete appropriation action.

Prior to recess, Congress adopted a continuing resolution that maintained current funding levels for Perkins Act programs. The 2005 fiscal year appropriation plans approved by both the House and the Senate Appropriation Committee not only rejected the Bush Administration’s proposed 25 percent cut but also included increases to Perkins Act funding.

(NOTE: for more detail on federal legislative issues affecting Career and Technical Education programs, please visit the Association for Career and Technical Education public policy section of its website, www.kacteonline.org/policy/index.cfm. Available are legislative updates, funding charts, policy positions, and grassroots action suggestions.)

The House provided a $20 million increase for the Perkins Act basic state grant and maintained funding for national programs and Tech Prep. It eliminated funding for the Tech Prep Demo and Section 118 Occupational and Employment Information. The Senate maintained existing funding for all programs, including the Tech Prep Demo and Section 118 Occupational and Employment Information. If past practice is followed, a compromise will result in a small increase in Perkins Act funding overall.

The House has passed HR4496, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, which incorporates several changed advocated by the Career and Technical Education community. These include establishing separate secondary and postsecondary performance measures and enhancing local accountability. But the measure eliminates Tech Prep as a separate program line item and restricts the amount of money that can be used for statewide administration and leadership. The bill fails to adopt the “career and technical” term for the programs, retaining “vocational” in the title.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved its bill, S2686, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act, but action stalled on the floor and the measure never was called for vote before recess. It likely will not be called during the lame-duck session later this year. The process will have to restarted in the 109^th Congress that convenes in January, although these bills quickly will become the foundation for action.

The Senate measure retains much of the House elements, and keeps Tech Prep as a stand-alone program. It also holds the state administrative allotment. Enhancements are a strengthened focus on career guidance and counseling and a new provision for new teacher recruitment and training. One negative is a section that would allow four-year universities to share in the Perkins basic state grant, which could dilute the amount of money that could be available to secondary and postsecondary programs.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

With schools settled into the new year, KACTE will resume its series of on-line Issue Updates. The intent is to review developments affecting Career and Technical Education on the state and federal level. When appropriate, outreach suggestions will be offered and advocacy urged. Issues Update will summarize the issues, and where available, provide links to more detailed information.

KACTE, as a professional organization, is limited by its charter and IRS status to advocate for programs and groups rather than individuals. The 2004-2005 KACTE goals, presented by President Sarah Raikes, Family and Consumer Sciences, Washington County High School, focus on improving overall Career and Technical Education and working to enhance its image across the state.

Three in-state issues are at the forefront of Career and Technical Education teacher concerns:

The most concern is directed at the health insurance plans for public employees and teachers. The Fletcher administration plan divides the state into regions and identifies a provider in each region. Different packages are available, with different benefits and out-of-pocket costs. All raise employee contributions to some degree. In a letter published in the Sept. 15, 2004 Louisville Courier-Journal (page A-9, www.courier-journal.com/opinion), Fletcher writes that the changes in employee health insurance plans are necessary to convert the system to a “wellness model” that will in the long run help contain future costs yet result in a healthier workforce.

Many employees criticized the plan, as has the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives. The Jefferson County Education Association voted to authorize a strike over the health insurance plan. Like many, it objects to higher out-of-pocket costs and premiums for what it says are lower benefits than currently available. Choice also is an issue. The teacher’s union noted that the state has benefited from unplanned revenue increases this year (estimated as high as $300 million). Fletcher said the increased revenue is why he was able to increase teacher pay slightly to help offset the higher insurance costs. The Kentucky Education Association will meet Sept. 17 and consider the Jefferson County Education Association’s recommended job action.

AS NOTED ABOVE, state revenues are higher than anticipated, which some may think would ease pressure on state budget negotiators and help lead the governor to compromise with House Democrats and pass a 2004-2005 state budget. The General Assembly failed to pass a budget in its last session. On July 1, the governor enacted a “public services continuation plan” to fund state government services through Sept. 30, 2004. If a budget is not passed by then, another plan will be issued for the next quarter, through Dec. 31. The General Assembly will convene in a regular session in January 2005.

The governor’s budget expenditures have withstood court challenges to date, and the government, including public schools and universities, continue to operate. The current plan included a 2 percent pay raise for teachers and state employees. The budget increased per-pupil funding for public schools to $3,222 and added $10 million to KERA Strand and local district grant programs. It added $20 million to postsecondary funding, $10 million divided among the institutions and $10 million for the Council on Postsecondary Education to distribute after consultation with the governor. KEES was increased by $8.8 million, and $5.5 million was provided for a KCTCS Warren County Technology Center.

There is little likelihood that the governor and Senate Republican leaders will be able to agree on a budget compromise with the House Democrats. As the November election draws nearer, each side appears to sharpen rhetoric. There have been some meetings among the principals, which have been consistently described as cordial but without agreement.

ON AUGUST 27, Governor Fletcher presented the outline of a new education initiative to an invited audience at the governor’s mansion. He called his plan a “second generation of systemic refinement” to build on and fulfill the goals of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act.

Fletcher said the presentation outlined a vision. A more detailed plan will be released in mid-December. The stated vision incorporates:

Ø Increasing teacher quality and teacher pay, with a target as the average of Kentucky’s seven neighboring states, but linking pay to performance;

Ø Emphasizing early childhood learning with expanded preschool, all-day kindergarten, and early diagnosis of learning disabilities; and

Ø Encouraging universities to be involved in economic development as research labs.

He also proposed “longitudinal” testing to track student progress. He wants to require universities to improve teacher training. There were no estimates of implementation cost, but Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia Fox was quoted saying the cost to increase teacher pay would be about $100 million.

Most observers agreed with the general directions outlined by the governor; however, they questioned the costs. Robert Sexton, executive director, Prichard Committee, was quoted in the Sept. 1, 2004, Kentucky Post, “The big overarching question is how are we going to find the money to adequately fund schools in general and the dollars to do the things he’s laid out here?”

As a final note on Kentucky developments, there has been increasing awareness of the value of Career and Technical Education as evidenced by some newspaper articles. Particularly, the Louisville Courier-Journal ran a page 1 feature on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2004, on “Vocational Education Faces Challenges.” There is support for Career and Technical Education in Kentucky, including among the state’s General Assembly. Please refer to Legislative Research Commission Report 315, A Study of Secondary Career and Technical Education, which recommends action to improve the programs and the system. The full study is available at www.lrc.ky.gov/lrcpubs/research_reports.htm.

The federal issues are two: Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations for programs authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act and Perkins Act reauthorization proposals. Both issues are moving forward in the U.S. Congress.

With the support of Representatives Anne M. Northup (who sits on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, which approved a slight increase in Perkins Act basic state grants), Harold Rogers (who sent a personal letter to the subcommittee chair urging adequate funding of Perkins Act programs), Ed Whitfield and Ben Chandler (the later two signing a “dear colleague” letter urging adequate funding), the House of Representatives rejected the Bush Administration’s proposal to cut Perkins Act funding by 25 percent.

As noted, the House plan increases the basic state grant slightly, but it eliminates Tech Prep and Section 118 occupational information as separate funding line items. The Perkins Act funding is part of the larger Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriation bill that is awaiting final action by the full House.

The Senate Appropriation Committee currently is debating its bill. Typically, the Senate version protects Tech Prep and Section 118 occupational information, but provides less funding for the basic state grant. Neither senator, Mitch McConnell nor Jim Bunning, is involved in the Appropriation Committee subcommittee deliberations on this issue.

KACTE supports the positions advocated by the Association for Career and Technical Education. It asks the House and Senate to pass appropriations that retain the House level for the basic state grant and retain the Fiscal Year 2004 funding for Tech Prep and Section 118 occupational information. For current legislative developments and to download a chart comparing the various funding proposals, visit the ACTE public policy page on its website, www.acteonline.org/policy/index.cfm.

PERKINS REAUTHORIZATION – The House bill is H.R. 4496, “Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.” Introduced in June, the bill was approved by the Education and the Workforce Committee on July 21. It is expected the full House will consider the measure in September.

According to ACTE, the bill maintains many elements of current law but includes some enhancements to local accountability systems and targeted technical assistance. It separates performance indicators for secondary and postsecondary programs. Areas of concerns are decreasing the state administrative allocation and repeal of Tech Prep. Also, ACTE is urging that the term “vocational” be dropped in favor of “career.”

The Senate bill, S. 2686, “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2004” was introduced July 19. It includes many of the same provisions as the House bill, but maintains Tech Prep and strengthens Section 118 occupational information. For more information on Perkins Act reauthorization visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/Perkins_status.cfm.

An additional link that provides Career and Technical Education news is www.acteonline.org/members/news/index.cfm. This is an ACTE members-only news room, but some elements, such as current headlines and legislative developments, are available to anyone. Frequently, highlights of successful programs or research reports on Career and Technical Education achievements are posted.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

School is out for most Career and Technical educators, but it is an important time to maintain advocacy for Career and Technical Education (CTE).

Ø The Commonwealth of Kentucky must go forward with some kind of 2004-2006 biennial budget, whether that is by governor executive order or adopted prior to July 1 in a special General Assembly session.

Ø The U.S. Congress is negotiating Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations. Although most often Perkins Act CTE funding is included in a continuing resolution, the appropriations process is supposed to be finished by Oct. 1. The 2004 presidential and congressional elections may pressure Congress to meet the deadline this year.

Ø Congress also is beginning serious discussions on reauthorization of the successor legislation to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. The reauthorization was to have take place last year, and may not happen until next year, but House Republicans recently introduced a bill and the Senate is beginning hearings. The last KACTE Issues Update (see below) recapped the Bush Administration’s reauthorization proposal.

Ø Summer typically is when Career and Technical educators pursue professional development and planning, and KACTE is facilitating the 2004 Career and Technical Education Summer Program to address professional development. It will be at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, July 19-21. See the Summer Program section of this website for program and registration information.

At the Summer Program, KACTE will conduct its Annual Meeting where Sarah Raikes, Family and Consumer Sciences educator, Washington Country High School, will be inducted as the 2004-2005 KACTE president. She will succeed Chester Taylor, principal, Lake Cumberland Area Technology Center. Seeking election at the Summer Program will be Mary Kleber, Kentucky Community and Technical College System Systems Office, president-elect; Barbara Ison, principal, Letcher County Area Technology Center, secretary; and Valerie Wolfe, Madisonville Community and Technical College, treasurer.

Raikes is finalizing the 2004-2005 goals and plans she will announce at the Summer Program, but one involves advocating for CTE in public policy debates. She has asked John Marks, director, Central Kentucky Technical College-Anderson Campus, to serve as KACTE Legislative Liaison for a second term. A Marks’ proposal, adopted by the KACTE Board at its April 23 meeting and reaffirmed at the June 11 KACTE Board meeting, seeks to develop a broad-based coalition in support of CTE. As he noted, KACTE already has attracted a broad-base of support from associations and the private sector for Student Organization Leadership Day, held annually in Frankfort during Career and Technical Education Week. Their support indicates how much they value the graduates of Kentucky’s CTE programs. The plan will build on that existing support to develop positions advocating CTE as vital for Kentucky’s economic and social future.

A recent ACTE announcement that it is building a coalition at the federal level parallels Marks’ proposal. The federal-level coalition will argue primarily for continued investment in CTE and reauthorization of an effective Perkins Act. A key aspect is the CTE definition being cited in forming the coalition:

“Career and Technical Education prepares youth and adults with the technical competencies, academic knowledge, and employability skills essential to keep our country safe, our economy strong, and our national information infrastructure sound. As the connection between America’s education and workforce systems, Career and Technical Education plays a vital role in the growth and strength of our economy. For these reasons, Perkins is as vital to American businesses as it is to our students. Perkins is a critical investment in secondary and postsecondary public educational institutions that ensures their career and technical education programs are current, rigorous, and relevant.”

There still is no state budget, and it remains unclear whether a 2004-2006 biennial budget will be in place as required on July 1, 2004.

A recent encouraging development is an economic forecast that the state will reap $300 million more in revenue during the biennial than previously estimated. Some, notably the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, see this as an opportunity to ease spending restraints and move a budget through a special session; however, most remain opposed to addressing Gov. Fletcher’s tax modernization plan as a part of the budget. Speaker of the House Jody Richards wants to take up tax reform when the General Assembly convenes in January.

Publicly, both Gov. Fletcher and the majority Republican Senate leadership indicate the budget and tax modernization remain linked. Statements when the $300 million increase in revenue projection was announced stressed that this only showed the state was in need for tax reform in order to further growth. Otherwise, the state could continue to be whipsawed by rising and falling revenues in uncertain economic times. There has been no announcement of meetings among the House, Senate and administration. Meanwhile, a group of legislators, including Democrats, has called for the House to agree to include compromise tax modernization/reform in a budget bill.

Without a budget, Gov. Fletcher indicates he will issue an emergency executive order to direct spending for essential state services. These services are to include public education and the governor’s proposed increases in the budget plan he introduced last February. Attorney General Stumbo filed suit last month to challenge the governor’s ability to issue the emergency spending order. He said it was to ensure that the courts could rule the action legal before the governor issued the order. Kentucky’s Common Cause asked to join the suit, but its statement of intent seemed more to stop the governor’s actions. The governor’s office has repeated that the emergency plan will not result in layoffs of 3,000-5,000 state employees, which has been a rumor circulating in Frankfort for more than a month.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Republican leadership introduced HR 4496, The Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act on June 3. It is the successor to The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. (See below for a recap of the Bush Administration’s reauthorization proposal, The Carl D. Perkins Secondary and Technical Education Excellence Act of 2004.)

The House bill will become the foundation document as the Education and the Workforce Committee begins its reauthorization debate and mark-up. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has scheduled a hearing on Perkins reauthorization on June 24. There are no Kentucky legislators on either House or Senate authorizing committees.

HR 4496 proposes a six-year reauthorization through 2010 that largely builds on current law, although there are some significant modifications, such as:

Ø Eliminating separate funding for Tech Prep. (The Tech Prep program is maintained and merged into the basic state grant.)

Ø Allowing programs that prepare students for baccalaureate degrees to qualify.

Ø Permitting only public or non-profit private institutions to qualify for funding.

Ø Establishing separate core performance measures for secondary and postsecondary programs.

Ø Requiring development of a model sequence of courses to guide students through postsecondary education to a career.

Ø Ensuring students pursue “rigorous and challenging” academic and technical instruction.

ACTE’s analysis supports many aspects of the House proposal and judges it superior to the administration plan. ACTE opposes the consolidation of Tech Prep, believing that this could lead to funding erosion. ACTE also is concerned with retention of “vocational” in the bill’s title since the current term most widely in use – and more descriptive of the programs – is “career and technical.” The administrative funding restriction could result in a 60 percent cut to administration. Please follow the link above to ACTE’s analysis for full details.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

This installment of KACTE’s website Issues Update will concentrate on Federal Perkins Act reauthorization developments, but it will begin with some late news on Kentucky’s improving fiscal picture and additional funding earmarked for local public school districts.

(Please note that legislative and advocacy issues will continue to be reported in the Issues section of the KACTE website throughout the year, and there will be presentations on legislative and advocacy issues at the Annual Career and Technical Education Summer Program, to be held at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, July 19-21. Please note the registration deadline is June 18. Information on sessions, workshops and institutes that will be held at the Summer Program is posted in the Summer Program section of this website, and a brochure has been distributed to Career and Technical Education Coordinators, Area Technology Center Principals, and Technical and Community College Professional Development Coordinators.)

According to a May 13 announcement from the Fletcher Administration, revenues for the Kentucky fiscal year that will end on June 30 may produce a $70 million surplus. As a result of that estimate, Gov. Fletcher announced that an additional $10 million will be available for local public school districts. Published reports indicate the State Board of Education will recommend by June 4 how the $10 million should be distributed and to what programs it should be earmarked. In addition, the Fletcher Administration is suggesting the local districts have more discretion on how state monies are spent.

The announcement spurred speculation among legislative leaders on the impact of the additional revenue on the still-unpassed state budget for the 2004-2006 biennium. Among the areas cited for possible use are teacher salaries, Medicaid expenses and the state’s “rainy day fund.” Although most legislators and budget experts expressed caution, several economists indicated they believe the increased revenues were caused by improving economic conditions that they believe will continue.

Kentucky House leadership met with Gov. Fletcher the week of May 3 to discuss budget and tax items. To date, there still is no consensus budget plan for the next biennium. The Fletcher Administration and Attorney General Greg Stumbo are positioning for a possible lawsuit should the governor be forced to enact a spending plan by executive order to ensure “essential services” are provided to the Commonwealth.

Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders and Senate Republican leaders have provided no public indication that they are meeting or are working on a budget compromise. The main issue still revolves on Gov. Fletcher’s and the Senate Republican leadership’s insistence that the budget include “tax modernization.” The House Democratic leadership wants to pass only a spending plan and address tax issues in the General Assembly session that begins in January 2005.

The name of Kentucky’s legendary U.S. representative from the eastern mountains, Carl D. Perkins, likely will remain on the federal technical education legislation proposed by the Bush Administration on May 11, 2004. The plan also specifies that federal funds appropriated to support Perkins Act programs cannot be transferred to pay for No Child Left Behind requirements. But the proposal eliminates separate funding for Tech Prep and career information. It also proposes a new method for implementing programs by mandating local partnerships consisting at least of one school district with a high school and one postsecondary institution.

The Carl D. Perkins Secondary and Technical Education Excellence Act of 2004 (dubbed Perkins Sec Tech in the proposal) is the Bush Administration’s reauthorization proposal for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. The Administration’s summary Blueprint for Preparing America’s Future can be found at http://www.ed.gov/policy/sectech/leg/cte/04blueprint.doc. A more detailed summary of the proposal can be found at http://www.ed.gov/policy/sectech/leg/cte/04summ.doc.

The vision for Career and Technical Education presented in the summary is: “The Perkins Secondary and Technical Education Excellence Act will fully complement the academic mission of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the workforce development mission of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 by helping states develop a system of career and technical education pathways. These pathways will help students develop strong and relevant academic and technical skills needed for today’s workforce, make smooth transitions into the workforce or postsecondary education and training, and ultimately strengthen America’s workforce and economic competitiveness.”

Ø Ensure that CTE programs complement the academic mission of No Child Left Behind and workforce development mission of WIA.

Ø Help youth participating in a pathway receive a challenging education that prepares for future education or work.

Ø Ensure transition from every pathway to postsecondary programs (either technical certificate or degree), apprenticeship or a job.

Ø Make high-quality pathways widely available both to youth and career-changing adults.

The amount of money states receive will be distributed the same as the current Perkins program; however, the Bush Administration has proposed $1 million for Fiscal Year 2005, which is a 25 percent cut including elimination of Tech Prep and career information. The state money outlined in the proposal will be used:

Ø At least 75 percent, and up to 85 percent for local partnerships that must involve a local school district with a high school and a postsecondary institution. Consortia of districts are permissible. Postsecondary institutions can be technical or community colleges, tribal colleges, universities or registered apprenticeships.

Ø Up to 15 percent may be used for state leadership activities and administration, but not more than 5 percent for administration.

Ø Up to 10 percent may be used for Special Focus Grants to local institutions or statewide consortia to support innovation.

Qualified CTE pathways must prepare students for demand occupations. Each pathway is an articulated sequence of courses that result in an industry-recognized certificate, associate or baccalaureate degree, or certificate of completion from a registered apprenticeship. High schools must integrate four years of English, three years of math and science, and three-and-a-half years of social studies. State performance targets must be aligned with national performance targets. High school targets will focus on student outcomes. Postsecondary outcomes will measure retention and employment.

ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) in a May 12 analysis reported the Perkins Sec Tech proposal is an improvement over the Bush Administration’s 2003 plan, but ACTE still notes concerns. In addition to potential reduced funding and elimination of Tech Prep and career information, ACTE expressed concern over the ability to create local partnerships. It asked whether the pathway proposal would affect students who move directly into work from high school? It also questioned not holding secondary programs accountable for technical skill assessments.

Two hearings before the House Education Reform Subcommittee were held April 27 and May 4. At the former, various CTE officials from across the nation testified to the importance of CTE and how the programs are working to serve students well. At the latter, State Directors of Vocational Education also supported CTE programs, indicating they may need to be “tweaked not disabled.”

Congressional support for CTE was evident in comments from Subcommittee Chair Mike Castle (R-Del.) and committee member Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), both of whom were quoted by ACTE. Castle cited the strong test scores of CTE concentrators, and Woolsey emphasized the importance of CTE in engaging students and keeping them in school. ACTE’s Senior Director of Public Policy Christin Driscoll said: “We are encouraged that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle clearly see the value of CTE in communities across the nation, and that Perkins is working well.”

At the hearing, Sandra Walls-Culotta, principal of Sussex Technical High School, Georgetown, Del., reported a waiting list of 600 eighth graders, which is double the number of openings. She indicated the school’s success is from adopting a career-cluster model, integrating auto mechanics, healthcare and industrial technology with academics. The school had a 96 percent graduation rate in 2003, and 64 percent of its students exceeded the state’s science standards.

Robin White, president and CEO of Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development in Ohio, said: “Because in 1998 Perkins Act III created other core performance measures, I want to note that within a year of graduation 98 percent of our graduates are employed, continuing into postsecondary education or both, or have been accepted into the Armed Forces.”

At the May 4 hearing, Jean Stevens, assistant commissioner in New York, urged development of technical assessments for each career cluster, which would assure measurement of technical competency across the country. She said 96 percent of New York CTE concentrators receive a high school diploma or better. After graduation, 94 percent of CTE concentrators are employed, enter the military or pursue postsecondary education.

One method Career and Technical Education professionals can pursue to support their careers and the system in which they work is to get involved in governance and assessment opportunities. Arizona CTE embarked on a program a few years ago that now has CTE professionals serving on virtually every school board and school council in the state. When funding decisions are made, CTE not only is at the table, it has a voice and a vote. In some instances, those supportive of CTE comprise the majority of the boards or councils. They also are active in local chambers of commerce and civic organizations.

KACTE recently received a notification from the Kentucky Department of Education that it is seeking individuals to submit nominations to serve as Scholastic Audit Team members. The deadline is May 28, 2004. The application is available on-line at http://www.education.ky.gov. When the page appears, in the keyword/search box at the top of the page enter: #SAA2004.

If CTE professionals believe in their programs and understand how critical effective CTE programs are for the economic viability of our state and their students, they owe it to themselves, their students, their schools and their communities to get involved. Yes, you are busy, but you also are a professional, and the old proverb still applies: “Only busy people get things done.” Average folks across the state would agree with what we do and stand for, but they don’t really understand who we are. Can we all “get it done” for CTE?

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

If the Kentucky General Assembly is not called into special session prior to July 1, 2004, to adopt a 2004-2006 budget, the spending options available to Kentucky’s public school systems was given some definition at a meeting held Tuesday, April 27, in Frankfort. Called by Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia Fox at the request of Gov. Ernie Fletcher, the meeting included about 100 of the state’s 176 school district superintendents. The Department of Education and Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit were not asked to attend. The press was barred from attending, but reports based on comments from attending superintendents were printed in various papers.

According to the printed articles, the governor will enact a budget to cover state spending after July 1 if a legislatively authorized budget is not in place. It will be based on the governor’s original spending plan submitted to the General Assembly in February. A 1.5 percent salary increase for teachers and classified staff must be paid by the districts and staff will be required to pay a portion of their health-care premiums. The governor suggested the funds come from district reserves. The governor said additional state monies would be made available to pay for 1.5 percent raises for certified staff. Funding for other education programs would remain static, but districts would have more flexibility on how funds are spent.

The meeting was called to give districts some direction about available funding since superintendents must notify staff of possible layoffs or hiring decisions by Friday, April 30. The governor also urged superintendents to ask legislators to support the proposed tax modernization plan. He said that is the best method to raise funds to strengthen educational initiatives.

A meeting between Gov. Fletcher and House Democratic leaders is set for Tuesday, May 4, to discuss whether a budget compromise can be passed before July 1. While the governor, House Democratic leaders and Senate Republican leaders continue to proclaim their desire to enact a budget, there has been no public indication of a compromise agreement that could pass both the House and Senate.

Attorney General Greg Stumbo said he likely will file a lawsuit challenging the governor’s authority to implement a budget. However, he said in news reports that education spending was one of the areas that would be consider emergency or essential spending.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is continuing its work to develop a Fiscal Year 2005 budget. KACTE is working with colleagues from across the country and with the Association for Career and Technical Education to support maintenance of funding for Perkins Act programs. The Bush Administration proposed cutting funding for programs authorized under the Perkins Act by 25 percent. Such a cut would be detrimental to Kentucky because almost all funds spent in schools for new Career and Technical Education equipment and for professional development for Career and Technical Education teachers and administrators are Perkins Act dollars.

KACTE President Chester Taylor and Executive Director Mike Stone sent the following letter to Senators Bunning and McConnell on April 29 requesting their support of a “dear colleague” letter that advocates adequate funding for Career and Technical Education programs under the Perkins Act. The text of the letter follows:

“The Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE) ask your consideration of signing a bipartisan letter being drafted by The Honorable Susan Collins in support of adequate funding for Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act programs. Anne Hickey in Senator Collins office (224-2523) is collecting the signatures by Friday, April 30.

“KACTE, on behalf of its more than 600 members in Kentucky’s Career and Technical Education system, and on behalf of more than 4,000 Career and Technical Education professionals in the state, appreciates your past support for Career and Technical Education programs – both in reauthorization of the Perkins Act and in annual appropriations for Perkins Act programs. Career and Technical Education programs in Kentucky are showing significant progress in meeting academic accountability measures and preparing students for both postsecondary education and the workplace. KACTE asks for continued support of adequate funding to meet the on-going challenges.

Ø More than 228,000 students are enrolled in at least one Career and Technical Education program from middle school-college.

Ø The overall achievement index of secondary students with a Career and Technical Education concentration increased at a higher rate than did all high school students in 2002 and 2003.

Ø The number of courses offered at Kentucky TECH area technology centers that qualify for academic credit and high school graduation requirements increased to 189.

Ø The Kentucky Workforce Investment Network System (KY WINS) fuels economic development in the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is providing training for employees of new and expanding businesses. Average wage of individuals participating in KY WINS projects is $21.75 per hour.

“Please consider continuing your past support for Career and Technical Education programs. In that regard, please consider signing the letter being drafted by Senator Collins. KACTE thanks you for your interest in this area.”

KACTE members and other supporters of Career and Technical Education are encouraged to continue contact with all federal legislators to advocate for Perkins Act funding and reauthorization. Initial hearings on reauthorization have started before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Congress needs to know the programs are working. Enhancement, not elimination, should be the goal. An effective advocacy strategy is to invite legislators to tour schools and see first-hand the excellent Career and Technical Education programs offered in the state.

SOME ADDITIONAL items of note reported in the April 28, 2004, Career Tech Update from ACTE:

Ø The nation’s governors are advocating education as an integral part in economic development.

Ø A Junior Achievement survey of high school social studies and business teachers indicates they believe career education is important in raising school achievement.

Ø A national task force has been formed to look at how to improve public schools. The bipartisan group is to look at reorganization of schools, classrooms and curricula; rearrangement of the school day and school year; and ways to make sure each child has access to postsecondary education. No timetable was given for the report.

Ø The U.S. Department of Education announced a teacher-to-teacher initiative to share best practices. For more information please see www.teacherquality.us.

Ø The education positions of President George W. Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry, the 2004 U.S. presidential candidates, can be compared by visiting www.all4ed.org.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The adjournment of the 2004 Kentucky General Assembly regular session on April 13 left a huge question mark hanging over the Commonwealth. The legislature failed to reach agreement on and pass a biennial budget for 2004-2006. That leaves the status of school funding at all levels – preschool-university – unknown.

The current budget continues through June 30, 2004. The state spending plan after that may evolve through other actions, the most common scenarios presented are:

Ø No action, which could result in shutting down all operations supported by the state budget except those deemed “emergency.” It is not known whether school funding would be considered in the emergency category.

Ø A special legislative session to resolve the budget issue; however, Gov. Fletcher announced this week that he will not call a special session.

Ø The governor implementing his own spending plan, similar to Gov. Patton’s action of two years ago when the legislature failed to pass a budget during the regular session. This action likely will result in a court challenge.

The House version of the budget is HB395 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB395.htm). The Senate version is contained in HB100 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SB100.htm), which began as a literacy intervention measure. The original provisions were stripped, and the Senate budget blueprint and the governor’s tax reform plan were added. There are several differences between the two budget plans, but the House refused to consider the Senate version as long as the tax reform measures were included. Another key difference is pay increases for state employees and public school personnel.

KACTE will continue to monitor the situation as it relates to education in general and Career and Technical Education (CTE) in particular. Issue Updates will be posted as more information becomes available.

Although there is no budget, several bills affecting CTE did pass the General Assembly this session. The following is a recap of some of the items with links to the bill summaries on the Legislative Research Commission website.

HB178 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB178.htm) was signed by the governor on April 9. It provides that all students who drop out of school be counted in the dropout rate, except those who are enrolled in or completing a GED or alternative diploma process by Oct. 1 of the following year.

HJR214 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HJ214.htm) was signed by the governor on April 2. It transfers Lexington Community College to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

HB376 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB376.htm) was delivered to the governor for signature on April 13. It establishes a homeless pilot project. Included is a requirement that a homeless person’s discharge plan address education, technical and vocational skills.

HB434 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB434.htm) was signed by the governor on April 9. It makes technical corrections and addresses solvency issues with the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System. It was supported by KTRS.

HB460 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB460.htm) was delivered to the governor for signature on April 13. It waives tuition at public universities, junior colleges or vocational schools for children under age 23 of deceased or disabled veterans.

HB461 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB461.htm) was signed by the governor on April 7. It establishes new criteria for electricians to receive licenses. KACTE and others attempted to get KCTCS electrical programs added as a criterion. The House agreed, but the Senate did not. The Senate version was passed and signed.

SB28 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record.04rs/SB28.htm) was signed by the governor on April 17. It makes clarification to the provision establishing the minimum school term of 185 days, which must include no less than 175 days of six-hour student instruction. Four days are set aside for teacher professional development, and two days are set aside for teacher planning activities without students present.

SJR80 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SJ80.htm) was signed by the governor for signature on April 7. It directs that a plan for civic literacy be developed for the 2005 General Assembly session. A conference on the issue will be held at Northern Kentucky University this summer.

SB111 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SB111.htm) was delivered to the governor for signature on April 13. It authorizes changes to school councils if a school fails to meet goals in two consecutive years.

SB115 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SB115.htm) was signed by the governor on April 9. It relates to civil actions in regard to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

SJR156 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SJ156) was delivered to the governor for signature on April 13. It directs a study of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, with the report to be delivered by Sept. 15, 2004.

One bill that failed to gain final passage from the House was SB151 (www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/SB151.htm), which ratified the governor’s reorganization plan for the Education Cabinet.

Two earlier resolutions that passed the House and Senate were HR133 and SR74, both of which recognized Career and Technical Education Student Organizations on Feb. 10, which was Student Organization Leadership Day in Frankfort. The annual event, which brought more than 800 CTSO leaders and advisers to the Capitol, was held during Career and Technical Education Week.

There is no change in the status of federal appropriations or reauthorization of the Perkins Act. However, statements by President Bush last week at a speech in Arkansas reflect the need of CTE teachers and administrators to promote the effectiveness of the programs.

Bush pledged $1 billion to support “vocational training,” but he said the Perkins Act “was written in 1917.” He said students need more than what is taught at the “vocational training level.” Whoever wrote the speech has not seen a CTE program in recent years nor accepted the recent accountability data that shows program effectiveness.

Programs at the 2004 Career and Technical Education Summer Program at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville July 19-21 will focus on innovations and improvements in CTE programs. Presentations also will review the current status of Perkins Act reauthorization and funding and how CTE professionals can promote its image in their areas as well as how they can impact the legislative process. (Registration information can be found in the Summer Program section of this website.)

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The 2004 Kentucky General Assembly Session has little time remaining. Sessions are scheduled for Friday, March 26 and Monday, March 29 for passage of bills currently in process. The closing sessions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, April 12 and 13. The last two days typically are used for consideration of bills vetoed by the governor, but it also can consider bills currently in process or reported by conference committees. Most standing committees completed their meetings for this session.

Although there is little scheduled time left in the 2004 session, few bills have passed the legislature and the House and Senate have not reconciled the two most important issues: the 2004-2006 biennial budget or Governor Fletcher’s proposal for tax restructuring.

As of the morning of March 25, the Republican Senate majority had not released its version of the budget bill. The governor’s proposal, which called for 1.5 percent and 3 percent raises for teachers in the first and second years of the biennium, respectively, (with the initial 1.5 percent in the first year of the biennium to be paid by the local school district) was rewritten in the House. The House version provided 3 percent and 4.5 percent raises for teachers, as well as restoring funding for Family Resource and Youth Service Centers and other programs. Both proposals will require teachers to contribute to their health insurance premiums. Analysts expect the Senate version to fall somewhere between the governor’s and the House versions, setting up a negotiated conference to create a final bill acceptable to both houses and the governor.

The Senate Republican majority pursued a parliamentary maneuver to get action on the governor’s tax restructuring plan. The measure is judged as revenue neutral. Some taxes, like tobacco and alcohol, are increased, while the state income tax is decreased. It does open some taxing avenues, that with economic growth, could increase state revenues in the future. The House has voiced little interest in considering the proposal.

ONE BILL that did pass the General Assembly on March 22 and is awaiting enrollment for the governor’s signature is HJR214, which transferred Lexington Community College from the control of the University of Kentucky to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Ø HB151, the reorganization of the Education Cabinet that officially dissolves the former Cabinet for Workforce Development is awaiting final House passage. However, House amendments make it significantly different from the Senate bill, which will require a negotiated compromise. The Senate passed the governor’s reorganization plan, which was put in place by executive order. The House Education Committee approved a version that stressed the decision-making autonomy of the Kentucky Board of Education, the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Educational Professional Standards Board. Before final passage, the House must consider newly filed floor amendments that would incorporate provisions on re-employment of retired public employees, including teachers.

Ø HB178, which establishes new calculations of the dropout rate, awaits final Senate passage. Senate amendments, if adopted, will require concurrence or negotiations with the House.

Ø HB461, which sets the qualifications for becoming a licensed electrician, passed the Senate and was returned to the House for concurrence with the Senate amendments. The Senate deleted portions of HB461 that allowed graduates of KCTCS electricity programs to qualify to take the licensing exam. KACTE supports the House-passed version.

KACTE members wishing to voice their support or opposition to any item can call the toll-free legislative line, 1-800-372-7181.

IF THE EDUCATION CABINET reorganization fails to pass the General Assembly, the governor’s executive order will remain. One of the key actions affecting Career and Technical Education is placing the Department for Technical Education in a Workforce Investment Department under the Education Cabinet. Rumors are that the current Department for Technical Education will be renamed an Office for Technical Education. Other former Workforce Cabinet departments in the new agency will be Vocational Rehabilitation, Employment Services, Training and Reemployment, and the Blind.

On March 16, Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia Fox named Laura Owens as commissioner of the Workforce Investment Department. Owens, a consultant, is a current member of the Glasgow City Council. Previously, she served in curriculum and instruction roles with the Barren County School District. Her husband, Donnie Owens, is principal of Eastern Elementary School in Glasgow.

ACCORDING to a March 24 update from ACTE, federal budget negotiations and legislative action affecting Career and Technical Education are beginning to move in Washington. The developments are more favorable to Career and Technical Education than the Bush Administration proposals; however, continued contact with Congress is necessary to ensure Perkins Act programs are maintained. For more information, please go to www.acteonline.org/members/news/legislative_news.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

KACTE President-elect Sarah Raikes, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, Washington County High School, led a delegation of 12 Kentuckians who attended the annual ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C., March 14-16. KACTE members visited all eight Kentucky congressional offices during the trip, requesting that legislators maintain federal funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs authorized by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. They also asked that Congress help improve CTE programs through reauthorization of the Perkins Act, not create an entirely new program funded through block grants as proposed by the Bush Administration.

This edition of KACTE’s Issues Update will report on federal policy. There have been no major new developments regarding educational issues before the Kentucky General Assembly. Next week’s Issues Update will review General Assembly actions.

ACTE and THE NATIONAL Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium held a briefing at the National Press Club on Wednesday, March 17, where a panel emphasized the importance of CTE for the nation’s economic security. A resolution signed by 5,000 employers nationwide testified to the need for strong CTE programs. A report on the briefing can be found at www.acteonline.org/news_room/media/news_releases/news031704.cfm. The resolution, including a list of all the signing employers, can be found at www.careertech.org.

At the briefing, Dr. John Foster, Pennsylvania State Director of Career and Technical Education, said, “I don’t believe that the average citizen generally understands the commitment that American business and industry has to career and technical education.” Dr. Susan Sclafani, Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education, said an effective CTE, “is the foundation for students to select and pursue career opportunities for the future.”

These quotes point out two key actions that KACTE is urging its members and others who work in or support CTE to take:

Ø Contact legislators, local officials, community leaders, media representatives and others to raise the visibility and image of CTE as a critical component of America’s economic competitiveness.

Ø Promote CTE’s effectiveness by publicizing anecdotes and data that show how CTE is changing lives and paving an individual’s road to future workforce success.

Tools to help with this action request – a Fact Sheet, an Advocacy Card and an essay – can be found on this webpage.

ACTE Teacher-of-the-Year Clifford Vrieze, an agriculture educator from Minnesota, stressed in his opening session comments that CTE is a program that works. Everyone in the systems must work together to raise program visibility and public understanding of program success. He said he does not shy from the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. He said it embodies principles that CTE has been following for years. He said CTE, “is the reason that most students have not been left behind in the past. . . We make it all come together. We know how to collaborate. The country runs on knowledge applied to a usable end. We leave no child behind.”

THE CHALLENGES at the federal level are considerable, various speakers said. North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy said the Bush Administration’s proposal for revamping CTE through replacement of the Perkins Act is a sweeping proposal for change. He said it will give competitive grants to those programs aligned with No Child Left Behind. He said the block grant is amalgamating programs then cutting funding. He urged everyone to develop a commitment to education, which is needed to prepare students for future jobs. He said CTE educators must make the case that they change the lives of their students.

The Bush Administration also has proposed a Fiscal Year 2005 budget that provides a $1 billion competitive block grant for Perkins Act funding, and it eliminates all programs that operate under Perkins, such as Tech Prep, School-to-Work, and Occupation and Employment Information. The Bush Administration budget proposal amounts to a 25 percent cut in CTE funding compared to current levels. According to ACTE, that would result in a cut of almost $5 million for Kentucky.

On the visits to Kentucky’s congressional delegation offices, KACTE met personally with newly elected Rep. Ben Chandler and with legislative assistants for the other seven members of the state’s congressional delegation. Three, Chandler and aides to Reps. Ken Lucas and Harold Rogers, pledged support for CTE funding and for maintaining the current Perkins Act programs. For additional background information and ACTE’s position papers on these and other key legislative issues, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy.

One experienced legislative aide told the KACTE delegation that given Congress’ preoccupation with other issues – including this fall’s presidential elections, the overall budget and appropriations process, and the war in Iraq – that Perkins reauthorization may slide to next year. He said if anything does pass, it likely will be non-controversial.

Faxes can be an effective way to advise Congress of your support. It provides an immediate and hard copy of your views. Phone calls and e-mails also are effective. Traditional mail is NOT effective, as all mail must be screened for potential terrorism and may not reach the legislator until after issues are decided. Here are the fax numbers for Kentucky’s delegation. Please take a few minutes to compose a letter to support maintaining Perkins Act funding and Perkins Act reauthorization that will build on – and not end – the Perkins Act.

The Honorable Jim Bunning, 202/228-4482
The Honorable Mitch McConnell, 202/224-2499
The Honorable Ed Whitfield, 202/225-3547
The Honorable Ron Lewis, 202/226-2019
The Honorable Anne M. Northup, 202/225-5776
The Honorable Ken Lucas, 202/225-0003
The Honorable Harold Rogers, 202/225-0940
The Honorable Ben Chandler, 202/225-2122

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

House Bill 461 passed the House 96-0 on March 4 and was sent to the Senate, where it was assigned to the Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee chaired by Sen. Gary Tapp. KACTE thanks all members and other supporters who contacted their representatives last week to urge passage of House Floor Amendment #2 proposed by Rep. Jack Coleman, which added post-secondary electrical programs (at KCTCS) as one of two alternative criteria to qualify for an electricians license.

Senate Bill 148 passed the Senate and was sent to the House, where it was assigned to the House Licensing and Occupations Committee chaired by Rep. Denver Butler. It is similar to the original HB 461.

Before SB 148 came to the house floor for a vote, discussions between Sen. Tapp, Rep. Cherry and Rep. Coleman resulted in an agreement to form a committee for the purpose of resolving the negative impact that last year’s electrical licensing legislation may have had on the Electrical Technology Programs operated by KCTCS, KY-Tech, and locally operated career and technology centers. Rep. Coleman is committed to seeing this process through. Thanks to everyone for your support. Because of this agreement, Rep. Coleman has agreed not to attach the floor amendment. Thanks to everyone’s support this issue will be addressed and we have every reason to believe that an equitable agreement will be reached. Please thank your legislators for their support.

THE 2004 LEGISLATIVE SESSION is increasing its intensity. Last week, the House rewrote Gov. Fletcher’s budget proposal, which caused sharp criticism from the governor. He claimed it appropriated money that did not exist and increased state debt. House leaders defended their action, primarily citing education and social service needs that would be funded at a higher level than the governor’s budget. The biggest difference was in funding of public education teacher and state employee salaries. The House approved a 3.5 percent salary increase in the fiscal year beginning July 1, and 4.5 percent the following year, compared to 1.5 percent and 3 percent in the governor’s budget proposal. The House also restored $20 million in funding for Extended School Service and Family Resource and Youth Service Centers. But it delayed technical center building projects for KCTCS, another move that was criticized by Gov. Fletcher. The House bill also moved to restrict some administrative authority of the Education Cabinet secretary over the Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education. Senate leaders, while mostly quiet, indicated they would hope to improve on both budget proposals.

Coincidentally, on March 10 the House Education Committee heard SB 151, which approves the governor’s executive order to abolish the Workforce Cabinet and reorganize the Education Cabinet. The bill was approved by the Committee and sent to the full House, but not before an exchange between Education Committee member Harry Moberly, who also chairs the Appropriation and Revenue Committee, and Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia Fox. Moberly asked Fox how she perceives her administrative role relative to the Department of Education? Fox said she saw her position as having “responsibility without control.” She saw herself as the leader of an organization, to make sure it was working, not to make decision on content. Moberly was not satisfied and questioned the governor’s commitment to education. There followed a testy exchange between SB 151’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly, and Moberly. In the end, all parties pledged to continue discussions.

The House Education Committee also endorsed SB 100, also introduced by Sen. Kelly, to implement an early school reading improvement program. In opening remarks, Secretary Fox said the need for the reading initiative was indicated by the increase in postsecondary freshmen requiring reading remediation. In 1998, 11 percent required reading remediation. In 2003, the figure rose to 17 percent. Kelly noted that 80 percent of the prison population is functionally illiterate.

On March 11, the Senate Education Committee approved and sent to the full Senate SJR 156, introduced by Senate President David Williams. The bill authorizes the Office of Education Accountability to study the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System. Williams said the Department of Education and the schools were doing what the legislature required them to do. This study will try to determine whether, given the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and other developments, CATS is what is needed now or whether changes should be made. He said when KERA was passed Kentucky was on the cutting edge of education accountability. Now other states have adopted accountability programs, and perhaps Kentucky can learn something from them. The report is due by September 2004.

MARCH 14-16 A KACTE DELGATION will attend the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington, DC. Members will visit every Kentucky congressional office urging reauthorization of the Perkins Act and increased funding for Perkins programs. A full report will be posted in the next Issues Update.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

Considering the direction of the 2004 Kentucky General Assembly session, something remarkable happened at the House and Senate Education Committee meetings on Feb. 25 and 26. With the session more than half over, each committee heard its first bill that had been passed by the other chamber. With the state’s first Republican governor in 32 years implementing his policies and putting in place an organization that supports his goals, and a Democratic House couching its actions in the knowledge that its majority is at risk in the November elections, legislation is not moving at the pace of past General Assembly sessions. A lot of waiting and a lot of posturing is taking place over how the budget will be balanced (Whose ox will get gored the most?) and what will comprise the governors “tax modernization” proposal.

Some actions are on-going that are of particular note to Career and Technical educators.

On March 3, Rep. Jack Coleman hopes to gain passage of a floor amendment to HB451 that would restore acceptance of KCTCS’ electrical degree programs as a qualification to obtain an electrician’s license. In 2003, HB115 did not include that provision as one of the qualifications to obtain an electrician’s license. On behalf of the program, and in support of Rep. Coleman’s efforts, KACTE initiated an e-mail awareness effort urging calls to legislators in support of the amendment. A report on what happened will appear in a future Issues Update.

Based on the activities of Feb. 10, members of both houses of the General Assembly and the governor are aware of Career and Technical Education programs, Career and Technical Student Organizations, and KACTE. February 10 was Student Organization Leadership Day, and more than 800 student organization members and advisers came to Frankfort for a citizenship program, tours of the capitol, and meetings with their legislators. Floor resolutions recognizing the students and the importance of Career and Technical Education took up most of the first 30 minutes of that day’s legislative session. Governor Fletcher proclaimed Feb. 8-14 as Career and Technical Education Week. The week’s events raised the visibility of Career and Technical Education in Frankfort.

More information on Student Organization Leadership Day can be found in the Student Organizations section of this website.

Raising the visibility of Career and Technical Education throughout the state is the responsibility of each of us, especially of Career and Technical educators. During Career and Technical Education Week, KACTE debuted three tools that can be used to inform the public and raise the visibility of the programs. Please follow the links at the top of this page to view an essay on Preparing for 21^st Century Professions, and Advocacy Card, and a Fact Sheet. Hard copies of these tools are available from KACTE (call 502/223-1823, or e-mail kmstone@mis.net), or copies may be made by downloading and printing the items.

KACTE will be using these items when officers and members attending the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington on March 14-16 meet with members of the state’s congressional delegation. The issues are preservation of Perkins Act programs and funding. The Bush administration’s budget proposal envisions a narrowly targeted, block-grant career and technical education program funded at one-third less than the current level. With the demonstrated success of Career and Technical Education programs in recent years, and the critical need for a skilled workforce that is prepared by Career and Technical Education programs (see essay, Advocacy Card and Fact Sheet for reference), KACTE joins with its colleague organizations in urging Congress to reauthorize the existing Perkins Act and, at the least, maintain funding.

Many challenges face Career and Technical Education programs. KACTE and individuals are working to gain support and enhance the image. If you believe in your career, if you believe in your school, if you believe in your students, now is the critical time to act. There are friends and supporters in the right places, but they need to hear from you. If we are to change definitions and the accompanying debate, if we are to gain increased recognition for the value of Career and Technical Education programs, it starts with your action at the local level. Only together will we be most successful in achieving our goals.

At the moment, it really all is about money, or more accurately, the lack of money. With the state’s fiscal resources still well below the amount needed to maintain all programs at current levels, Gov. Ernie Fletcher imposed a 2.5 percent cut on programs other than basic SEEK funds to schools. The cuts to elementary and secondary education will affect things such as supplies, facilities, extracurricular activities and professional development. Of particular note is the reduction that will be imposed on Family Resource and Youth Service Centers.

In addition to the original 2.5 percent cut, higher education will be cut an additional $41 million. The university and college presidents met to decide how they will impose the reductions. For students, it will mean increases in tuitions and fees. It also will result in reductions to materials and ancillary services.

On the federal level, the long-awaited omnibus spending bill was held up while members of both parties tried to make political points. The measure passed the Senate on Jan. 21, and should be signed by President Bush. The good news for Career and Technical Education is that Perkins Act funding for the 2004-2005 school year will receive a very slight increase over the current school year. Meanwhile, President Bush outlined a $250 job training program in his State of the Union address that includes funding programs through two-year colleges if they work with local business. It also includes a $1,000 increase in the Pell Grant.

The fiscal situations at both the state and federal level may stall any substantive education proposals, including reauthorization of the Perkins Act. KACTE is meeting with legislators and monitoring legislative proposals to support, at the least, maintenance of Career and Technical Education programs. The association, under the direction of Legislative Liaison John Marks, is developing white papers and handouts for presentation to state and federal legislators. More information will be available in next week’s Issues Update.

Also causing some confusion is the movement of the Cabinet for Workforce Development into a reorganized Education Cabinet. Governor Fletcher’s transition team recommended the reorganization to streamline the bureaucracy and reduce the number of cabinet secretaries from 14 to eight.

KACTE also will be distributing a media advisory and other information during Career and Technical Education Week, Feb. 8-14. The theme is: Career Tech – The Path for Success. A special activity during the week is Student Organization Leadership Day on Tuesday, Feb. 10. It is open to the first 1,000 state, regional and local officers from Career and Technical Student Organizations who register. Contact KACTE Executive Director Mike Stone, kmstone@mis.net, 502/223-1823, for information on how to conduct these activities.

LATE ADDITION: Governor-Elect Ernie Fletcher on Nov. 20 named Virginia Fox, retired executive director of Kentucky Educational Television as Secretary of the Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet. She also is a former classroom teacher. Fox heads the transition team that is reviewing and making recommendations regarding the Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet, although she said on her appointment that she is not taking an active role on the transition team given her impending Secretary status. Other members of the transition team for the Cabinet, as reported by the Associated Press on Nov. 19, are John Chowning, Vice President, Campbellsville University; Laura Owens, Glasgow; Troy Body; David Keller, executive director, Kentucky School Boards Assn.; Jeanne Ferguson; Charles Gray; Steve Clements; Jon Akers, director, Kentucky Center for School Safety, Georgetown; and John Stanton, Boone County Deputy Administrator, Edgewood.

The transition team for the Workforce Development Cabinet, which includes the Department for Technical Education, is headed by Robbie Rudolph, owner, Rudolph Tires, Murray. Other members reported by the Associated Press are Marie Wiles, realtor and Marshall County Republican Chair, Benton; Darrel Brock, general manager, Total Interior Systems, Henderson; Faye Sutton; and Basil Turbyfill, Boyle County Republican Party, Danville.

A Report on the 10^th Annual Conference of the Kentucky Long Term Policy
Research Center: At the Crossroads – Prospects for Kentucky’s
Educational future: Preschool to Postsecondary

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The title was intriguing – At the Crossroads, Prospects for Kentucky’s Educational Future: Preschool to Postsecondary. The 10^th Annual Conference of the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center held in Louisville on Nov. 18, 2003, seemed like the place to go to glimpse into the future after the recent gubernatorial election. Consider all the uncertainties facing education in Kentucky:

Ø budget shortfalls that threaten any possibility of increased funding for education;

Ø dynamics of accountability and reform, including the melding of No Child Left Behind measures with Kentucky’s testing system; and

Ø reauthorization of the federal Higher Education Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, as well as federal budget shortfalls.

The glimpse wasn’t satisfying. The crossroads sure wasn’t paved with new ideas. Presenters stressed the success of Kentucky’s educational reforms over the past 10-plus years, how much more needs to be accomplished, the importance of education for Kentucky’s economic and societal future, the need for everyone to work together to attain success, that everyone proclaim their dedication to cooperation to attain success, and the fiscal reality of state revenue shortfalls that will make it difficult to find the money needed to increase education funding.

There were more than 400 persons registered for the Conference. It can be hoped that they all do work cooperatively to identify the improvements needed and act to fully fund the state’s educational programs, including teacher salaries and personal benefits. The room was filled with administrative, legislative, business and educational leaders – movers and shakers who could do great things if united for a single purpose.

The question is will they – or can they? Presented were words the state’s educators have heard before. The proof will be the results. A legitimate question is what KACTE members, in fact what any educator can do to move the process? One action teachers and school administrators can take is to assume the responsibility of working in their communities to emphasize the need and to help the entire community emphasize those needs to the movers and shakers. The message is simple. Education is the first priority. Education is the key to a prosperous future for Kentucky’s citizens and a strong and vibrant economy. On this simple message, all at the Conference seemed to agree.

(NOTE: The major presentations of this conference will be available on as a videostream on the Kentucky Educational Television website the week of Nov. 24.)

Kentucky’s out-going, two-term governor spent most of his opening address providing his interpretation of the history of Kentucky politics, which he said is characterized by deadlock. He said Kentucky never resolved the divisions that underlay the Civil War, thus never becoming a unified state. Consequently, its ability to progress over the last 100-plus years has been damaged by political deadlock.

“I cannot believe this state can gain by more years of political deadlock,” he predicted. He said the state has to choose. It can win the race to the bottom and become the lowest tax state, which could be good short-term politics. However, he said if you examine the list of prosperous states, none are low-tax states. He called seeking to become the lowest-tax state, “disastrous long-term leadership.”

The in-coming lieutenant governor, speaking at the Conference luncheon, said that the Fletcher administration is focused on providing leadership. Noting that transition teams now are examining all cabinets and areas of Kentucky’s government, he said, “We want to bring all voices to the table, get all the facts, before decisions. Education is at the very top of the priorities.”

In particular, he noted the campaign plank to address early reading development and reading recovery. Pence, who has five children at various levels of the state’s educational system, is a former middle school math teacher who also has taught at the collegiate level. He provided personal anecdotes about his former students and the importance of reading.

But, he said an important consideration will be how to find the money to achieve the Fletcher administration’s goals. One way will be to exert fiscal discipline by prioritizing programs and then eliminating “those wasteful programs where we do not get a dollar return on investment.” Next will be prioritizing needs, which will identify the areas that, when addressed, will provide the most return on investment.

He said that this process will not happen overnight. It may not even happen in the first year or two of the Fletcher administration. He noted the national economy is on the rebound. He suggested the state tax system may need overhaul. He stressed that the Fletcher administration will provide leadership, and he said, “there is a true opportunity at this time to do this.”

One of the concerns discussed, and the subject of the concurrent session Rerouting the Road to Nowhere, was changing Kentucky’s culture so that all citizens value education. On another panel discussion, Senate President David Williams explained the need to change the state’s culture, which he said was based on an agrarian and mining economy.

“We need the recognition of every Kentuckian that we’re entering a new era (in which) just working hard is not enough,” Williams explained. “It is not acceptable to me that we have achievement gaps. Until every child has the opportunity, and we change the culture across the board, we won’t succeed. We must cross political lines to do it.”

Some segments of Kentucky’s population do not value education, as Dr. Lucian Yates, III, Kentucky State University, pointed out in his moderator’s introduction of the concurrent session. He presented a chart that showed more than 18 million Kentuckians are 25-29 years old; 86.4 percent were high school graduates, and 29.3 percent were college graduates. Breaking down the overall numbers revealed that subgroups do not pursue education goals. For instance, almost one-third of Hispanics, which is the fastest growing demographic group in the state, do not have a high school diploma. Only 8 percent of the Hispanics in the 25-29 age group had a college degree.

He also presented a chart that showed the personal economic importance of education. Without a high school diploma, average earnings for an individual are $18,000 per year. With a high school diploma, that figure increases to $23,000. A college degree nearly doubles the earnings to $52,000, and an advanced degree takes the average earnings to $72,000.

The emphasis on reading is one way to change the culture, as Dr. Cheryl King, Council on Postsecondary Education, said in a separate panel discussion. Almost 1 million working-age Kentuckians read at the two lowest levels of literacy measurement. With comprehension necessary for success in KERA-driven assessments, children without reading skills are at a disadvantage.

Three panelists at the concurrent session suggested ways to spur culture change. Marcia Carpenter, a counselor in Daviess County, said nine of 10 high school freshmen will say they want to go to college, but only five of 10 who graduate high school will go to college. She said the focus should be on the ninth grade year. Those students need good teachers who are put in the right places. She cited High Schools That Work as a successful program model.

Kate Williams, from Eastern Kentucky University, explained there are three barriers – family, community and institutional. Many families fear that education will deprive the family of the individual being educated. She quoted the phrase, “Don’t get above your raisin’.” Community barriers center on accessibility. Educational opportunity can be limited by location. Institutional barriers include the lack of understanding of the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. There is a lack of support services for them, and a lack of faculty role models. These situations mean students from minority populations or from different cultures are confronted with something similar to an immigrant experience. More of these students drop out for non-academic reasons. This argues for a holistic approach.

Anna Leasure, Madisonville Community College, provided 10 tips for rerouting the road to higher education. Several were applicable to or existing in Career and Technical Education. Among them were developing a learning environment, collaborating and developing partnerships, and seeking creative learning models that engage students. She distributed a proposed curriculum calendar that included career exploration field trips, job search and conflict resolution, and technology summer camps.

(EDITORIAL NOTE: This is an important subject for Career and Technical Educators. As individuals who can reach out to students with cultural differences by offering contextual learning opportunities, you may be the individuals who can excite these students about learning, encouraging them to seek higher education – either at the university or technical/community college levels – that truly can be life changing.)

Bill Goodman, Kentucky Educational Television, moderated a panel of legislative and educational leaders that will be televised statewide on Dec. 7 on KET. The panelists emphasized the progress Kentucky has made through KERA and House Bill 1 that reorganized postsecondary education. Similarly, they all emphasized that there is much left to do. They acknowledged the constraints of funding, yet vowed to be resolute in maintaining progress.

Perhaps the most provocative statement came from Dr. Marlene Helm, Secretary, Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet. She initially noted that KERA is a process, not a destination. It is vital to stay the course, she stressed. Later, she suggested that education is the civil rights struggle of the 21^st Century. Addressing the education issue also addresses the issues of health care, social justice, the environment, and more. She believes that educational questions should be viewed as a crisis.

The political leaders on the panel, House Speaker Jody Richards, Senate President David Williams, House Education Committee Chair Frank Rasche, and Senate Education Committee Chair Lindy Casebier, all pledged support for education, particularly efforts to close the achievement gaps. Noting the budget difficulties facing Kentucky, Richards said, “We can squeeze out some more money for (education), and we must do it.”

Williams said the present circumstance provided an opportunity to reflect on the state of education, assess what is working and identify needs. He explained that “when times are flush” that the legislature can be a little more liberal in spending. But now there is no support for increased taxes, and money is tight. The debate and constituent feedback will give the legislature a gauge of whether the public is willing to sacrifice more in the way of tax dollars for education. He said the discontent with government is people do not perceive that money is being spent wisely. That is why the emphasis on accountability is so important.

Dr. Thomas Layzell, President, Council on Postsecondary Education, outlined three transitions that he saw taking place in the state. One, as evidenced by the recent election, is political. The question is what’s next; will they stay the course? Two is financial. There is severe stress and pressure to cut back, but lack of funding is no excuse for not addressing educational priorities. Three is operational. It is clear that both K-12 and postsecondary education will have to do things differently, he indicated. He offered a mantra: “Think beyond your experience; plan beyond your tenure.”

Commissioner of Education Gene Wilhoit assured the audience that in Kentucky there is the collective will to commit to maintaining educational. He concluded that he has faith in adults to make mature decisions that will sustain efforts and achieve goals.

Dr. David Longanecker, Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and Virginia Edwards, editor, Education Week and Teacher Magazine, headlined a session on the National Perspective on the Current State of Education. They provided more assessment of current status than predictions of the future.

Longanecker said there were four universal issues regarding higher education: access, affordability, accountability and financial viability. He added that the biggest current difference between the states and the federal government is the tone of the discourse. The states are concerned, but the federal government appears to be mad.

Nationally, some states are in such severe stress that they may not be able to sustain current levels of higher education. A very few states are in a position to grow. Most states fall in the middle. They have challenges, and how they address those challenges will determine whether they can sustain or grow. He placed Kentucky in that middle area.

He suggested that the question of access will be “trumped” by the issue of accountability, and the federal government will move to implant process accountability measures on higher education similar to the No Child Left Behind model. He also saw affordability being defined by a collision between a political model (subsidized programs) and a business model (higher tuitions and fees). The issue of financial viability is moving higher education closer to the business model.

The federal Higher Education Act is up for reauthorization by Congress, and he saw four themes that will be played out in the new law. Access will be tied to success and include sanctions. Effective accountability will use the No Child Left Behind model. Simplicity will be suggested through deregulation. Programs will have to be prioritized within existing funding resources. In the end, the result of the federal legislation will be, “if you have issues you want addressed, best look to yourselves.”

Edwards suggested that the legislative debates are complicated by the problem of too many players in the debate having a vested interest in the institutions – both government and education – to be objective. They have difficulty addressing the overarching issues with vision. She detailed two key issues: the budget crunch and No Child Left Behind.

She explained that education reform and funding go hand-in-hand. The current fiscal crisis likely will last into 2005. To fund schools at an adequate level will take more money than now is available. She did report that Kentucky gets an “A” in accountability. She added that No Child Left Behind is raising the bar.

Her magazine commissioned a survey of 1,100 voters, and it indicated that schools are at the heart of communities and an engine of economic growth. Public education remains the first priority with the public, which does not support cuts to early childhood education, training for teachers and teacher pay, and efforts to reduce class size. The majority is willing to see taxes increase to support education.

Prepared by Mike Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Legislative Liaison

The response from Attorney General Ben Chandler, Democratic candidate for Kentucky governor, to four questions on Career and Technical Education posed by KACTE (Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education) was received on Oct. 26 and posted on the website Oct. 28. Please follow this link to read it: www.kacteonline.org/Doc%20Files/Chandler%20response.doc.

Representative Ernie Fletcher’s response as Republican candidate for Kentucky governor was received on Sept. 30 and posted Oct. 2. Please follow this link to read it: www.kacteonline.org/Doc%20Files/Fletcher%20response.doc.

Both responses are posted unedited as they were submitted by the candidates. They are provided as an educational service. Members are urged to become informed voters and exercise their franchise on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

As noted in the last Issues Update October 15, 2003, the Kentucky Department of Education will request the 2004 Kentucky General Assembly to increase elementary and secondary public education funding by $820 million over the next two years.

This week the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education decided to request the 2004 Kentucky General Assembly to increase funding for public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System by $109 million over the next two years. In addition, the CPE also will ask the legislature to provide $60 million for the “Bucks for Brains” program at the universities. Most of that money would be earmarked for the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. The CPE website is www.cpe.state.ky.us.

The federal budget deliberations are in conference committee. Funding for Perkins Act programs, including basic grants and Tech Prep, essentially is level funded for the next year. ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) Executive Director Jan Bray said at the ACTE Region 2 Conference in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 25, 2003, that Congress rejected the Bush Administration’s proposed cuts to Career and Technical Education. She added that in the current federal budget climate, achieving level funding “is a victory for Career and Technical Education.”

She also said Congress has rejected the Bush Administration’s first proposal for revamping the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, which is slated for reauthorization this session of Congress. The proposed Secondary and Technical Education Act would create a $1 billion block grant for Career and Technical Education, but states would have options to redirect the funding to other programs. Bray said there are Career and Technical Education supporters in Congress. ACTE is working with other groups to propose reauthorization key points. Legislative updates and policy positions can be found on the ACTE website, www.acteonline.org.

One aspect of the Bush Administration’s initial proposal was that Perkins funding would flow through the postsecondary system, which could retain all dollars. The Bush Administration philosophy, which Bray said is driven by White House policy analysts and the Office of Management and Budget, not the Department of Education, is that Career and Technical Education is a postsecondary function. High schools should concentrate on teaching academics. KACTE and ACTE believe there are important roles at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Both levels deserve fair shares of funding in the reauthorization language.

Bray added that right now reauthorization of the Perkins Act falls fifth in the list of education-related actions before this Congressional session. Ahead of it, in order, are reauthorization of welfare reform, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Workforce Investment Act, and the Higher Education Act. However, the possibility always exists that if the other actions stall, in an effort to move something, legislators could jump the Perkins Act to the top of the list if they perceive it to be an easier bill to address.

She stressed that the elements of the Career and Technical Education system need to come together and speak with one voice to Congress on reauthorization. She said Congress doesn’t recognize the individual disciplines that make up Career and Technical Education. Congress sees it as one system. She described Career and Technical Education as “locally operated, state driven and federally directed, and none of them match.” To convince Congress of needed reform and common direction, it will need to coalesce on one voice.

One avenue to convince legislators of the importance of Career and Technical Education is to present its linkage to economic development. Without Career and Technical Education producing qualified workers for the 65 percent of all jobs that do not require a baccalaureate degree – those jobs that keep America working, that build things, fix things, heal people, grow food, provide business services and market goods and services – the nation’s economy will falter. States will not be able to compete for business expansions, start-ups and relocations.

Dr. Bob Couch, director, Office of Career and Technology Education, South Carolina Department of Education, delivered the keynote address at the ACTE Region 2 Conference in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 24, 2003, and he detailed the state’s efforts to position Career and Technical Education as an integral part of economic development. The state replaced the School-to-Work Act with the Education and Economic Development Act. Its key points:

Ø Seamlessly connect P-12 education, postsecondary education and the workplace,

He said, “We have the opportunity for our students to be respected and recognized as any other student. We must look to the future with a vision that connects to what the future really is. That’s the only way to find a path (for our students).” His presentation, and others, can be found at the following website: www.myscschools.com/office/cate/presentations.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
Reviewed by John Marks, KACTE Liaison Committee Chair

Kentucky’s constitutional officer elections will be Nov. 4, 2003, with interest clearly focused on the gubernatorial contest. In an effort to qualify the candidates’ positions in regard to Career and Technical Education, KACTE submitted a list of four questions, requesting that responses be received by Sept. 30, 2003. Representative Ernie Fletcher, the Republican candidate, responded timely. KACTE will publish the response of Attorney General Ben Chandler when it is received. Both candidates were promised that the responses would be posted, unedited, shortly after receipt. Please follow the link above to read the responses.

A debate between the two candidates will be held on Oct. 22. It is being organized by Partners for Kentucky’s Future, a group of educational organizations that is arguing for sustained and increased funding for elementary, secondary and postsecondary public education in the state. It is likely that much of the Oct. 22 debate will focus on educational issues.

Both candidates have voiced support for increased educational funding. The problem facing the candidates, and Kentucky’s 2004 General Assembly, is lack of money. According to Oct. 11 news reports, the current budget will finish $262.4 million short of projections. Attorney General Chandler has advocated for expanding legal gambling by permitting electronic slot machines at Kentucky’s horse racing tracks, plus something in Owensboro, with proceeds largely earmarked for education. Representative Fletcher has said he hopes to make funds available for education by cutting waste.

KACTE urges Career and Technical educators to become informed of the candidates’ positions and vote their convictions on Nov. 4.

EDUCATION ADVOCATES are arguing for more funding. The Kentucky Board of Education will seek an additional $820 million in the next biennial budget (Louisville Courier-Journal, Friday, Oct. 10, page A-1). Most of the money will be needed to pay for increased health-care costs, retirement and salary increases, as well as supporting full-day kindergarten. The Council for Better Education, a coalition of 164 school districts, filed suit in late September to force the Kentucky General Assembly to increase education funding by $892 million (Louisville Courier-Journal, Sept. 18, 2003, page A-1). The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education has not posted on its website a funding request for public higher education.

Partners for Kentucky’s Future (www.partnersforkyfuture.org) is a coalition of about 40 educational organizations, including all the state’s public universities, representatives of the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Prichard Committee, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. According to a news release, it is starting a grassroots campaign, “to build public and legislative support for adequate funding for education at all levels.” The theme is: Keep the Promise, Kentucky! Education Cuts Never Heal.

The Partners for Kentucky’s Future cited significant decreases in funding in recent years:

Ø Appropriations for elementary and secondary education went from 48.2 percent of the state General Fund in 1994 to 41.2 percent today.

Ø Appropriations for postsecondary education declined from 18 percent of the state General Fund in 1989 to 15.3 percent today.

A white paper detailing the coalition’s position can be downloaded from the site link shown above.

AT ITS OCT. 9 MEETING, the Kentucky Board of Education adopted a set of guiding principles regarding assessment and accountability: to ensure the continued integrity of CATS; to protect the breadth and depth of the state’s curriculum; to alleviate confusion about No Child Left Behind requirements among educators, students, parents and other stakeholders; to ensure that testing occurs as late in the year as possible; and to collect more information on the impact of reducing forms, teacher scoring and preliminary reporting.