Current Issues

When the Kentucky General Assembly returned March 26 for its final two days, which were designated to consider legislation the governor may have vetoed, it ended quickly. Often in the past, regardless of whether there were vetoes to consider, the House and Senate addressed unresolved bills. Not this year. The House cited its rules, which restrict it to only veto matters, and adjourned without taking action. Without the House in session, the Senate adjourned, too.

Left on the table were a number of bills, many of which dealt with economic development proposals. Several publications and legislative observers believe the General Assembly will be called into special session this summer to consider some of the items left unfinished, as well as to address a predicted budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009.

As reported in the March 20 Issues Update (which is posted below), several bills were passed and sent to Gov. Steve Beshear for signature. Four in particular were:

• SB78, signed March 17, to rename the Education Cabinet as the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet;

• SB70, signed March 20, regarding a new Apprenticeship and Training Council;

• HB480, signed March 24, to authorize funding of Best in Class student loan repayments; and

• SB1, signed March 25, to eliminate the CATS testing and assessment program and begin efforts to create a new assessment and accountability system based on new standards.

Details of these and all bills may be found on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website, www.lrc.ky.us/legislation.htm.

The respective chairs of the Kentucky House of Representatives and Kentucky Senate Education Committees, Rep. Carl Rollins and Sen. Ken Winters, verbally agreed to participate in a legislative presentation at the 2009 CTE Summer Program at the Galt House Hotel and Suites, Louisville, July 5-8. CTE in Kentucky -- Now and in the Future will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 6, in the Archibald-Cochran Room.

KACTE President-elect Dale Winkler, Montgomery County Area Technology Center principal, will moderate the session. A representative from ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) will present a national perspective on CTE. Representative Rollins and Sen. Winters will address the legislative perspective of CTE in Kentucky. Time for attendee questions and interaction will be available.

Registration and housing reservations may be completed by going to the Summer Program section of the KACTE website. A listing of presentation titles by program discipline is available on the website. On April 1, approximately two-thirds of the room block at the Galt House Hotel and Suites was reserved.

KACTE efforts over the past two weeks are supporting federal Perkins Act budget and appropriation efforts. At KACTE’s request, Reps. Guthrie, Whitfield and Yarmuth signed “Dear Colleague” letters to the House Appropriation Committee, Subcommittee on Health-Human Services-Education calling for increased funding for CTE programs through the Perkins Act. As members of the Appropriation Committee, Reps. Chandler and Rogers typically do not sign these letters, which essentially are letters to themselves. KACTE supports the ACTE request of $1.4 billion for the Perkins Act in Fiscal Year 2010.

Prior to the Easter Recess, both the House and Senate passed their respective versions of a FY2010 Budget Resolution. The Budget Resolution is not law, but it guides the Appropriation Committees actions. Although both Budget Resolutions followed the requests proposed by the Obama Administration, there were differences to be negotiated after the recess. Both the House and the Senate had an overall increase for education programs, but the specifics of programs funding will be decided by the Appropriation Committees.

ACTE is requesting members contact their members of Congress in support of HR1775, the Grants for Renewable Energy Education for the Nation (GREEN) Act. Presented by Rep. Jerry McNerney, with assistance from ACTE, the GREEN Act authorizes $100 million in competitive grants to develop CTE programs of study and facilities in areas of renewable energy. One grant is for secondary-postsecondary-community partnerships for curriculum development. A second grant is to develop energy-efficient CTE facilities promoting the use of renewable energy practices.

Some of the bill language was included in a draft comprehensive energy bill being developed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Kentucky Rep. Ed Whitfield is a member of the Committee. ACTE suggests all members of Congress be advised of the importance of CTE in training workers in areas related to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

At the 2008 ACTE Convention, Willard Daggett,president, International Center for Leadership in Education, and ACTE President Bryan Albrecht announced a partnership in creating and promoting the Institute for 21st Century Leadership. Membership in the Institute will provide schools and districts with research, data and best practices supporting integration of CTE and core academics. The goal is to assist students in leaving high school and college both life and work ready. For more information, please visit www.cteinstitute.net.

On March 9, KACTE officials visited the offices of each member of Kentucky’s congressional delegation, including a meeting with newly elected Representative Brett Guthrie (District 2). What KACTE (Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education) tried to covey in the meetings is CTE (Career and Technical Education, both in Kentucky and around the nation, must be a key component of the educational system, especially in terms of economic recovery, economic development and dropout prevention.

CTE in Kentucky and around the nation is posting improved assessment and accountability results. Integrating rigorous academic instruction into hands-on CTE coursework helps students grasp the relevance of why they must learn foundational concepts. In textbooks, these concepts often appear abstract; CTE instruction makes them real. National studies reveal that a student who takes one CTE course for every two traditional academic courses increases the probability of graduation. In Kentucky, 11 courses currently incorporate academic rigor with CTE instruction to qualify as a core-content equivalent toward graduation requirements.

When business seeks to expand or relocate, the first question asked is about the availability of skilled workers. CTE educates and trains those workers. When Kentucky and the nation emerge from the current economic difficulties, it will be vital for the workforce to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities. Now is the time to invest in the future workforce and ensure students graduate from high school ready to go to college or to the job. To recap the requests made in last week’a congressional meetings:

• KACTE requests appropriations for Perkins Act programs in Fiscal Year 2010 at $1.4 billlion, which will restore funding roughly to the level of Fiscal Year 2003.

• In the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, KACTE asks for recognition of the important role CTE plays in the workforce development system, particularly among youth programs.

• As debate continues on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), KACTE suggests CTE’s role can be strengthened, particularly in dropout prevention, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) initiatives, secondary-postsecondary alignment, and overall American competitiveness.

• KACTE asks for continuing funding considerations of postsecondary grants that link CTE to workforce preparation.

• On behalf of teachers who have devoted their lives to education and public service, KACTE asks for repeal of the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) and GPO (Government Pension Offset) within the Social Security program. These provisions hinder the ability to recruit and retain quality CTE teachers.

NOTE: KACTE followed up on these requests with thank-you letters and e-mails to the legislators and their staff. KACTE members are encouraged to use these requests when communicating with federal legislators. For more news and information on the federal legislative process, please visit the ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) website, www.acteonline.org. For more detail on KACTE’s participation in the ACTE National Policy Seminar, please go to the News and Views Section of this website, which includes a report of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s speech at the ACTE National Policy Seminar.

CTE possibly can access money from three areas of the recently passed federal stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- ARRA). According to information distributed in a March 16 ACTE Legislative Update, initial availability of funds should take place by the end of March, but the release of all funds will take place throughout the year.

The three areas in which CTE may possibly access funds are through Workforce Investment Act programs, under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, and by the Department of Education. The principles to be used in fund distribution are:

• Invest one-time ARRA funds thoughtfully to minimize the “funding cliff.”

Following Senate passage on March 10, President Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriation Bill on March 11. It provides the same level of funding for Perkins Act programs, $1.271 billion, as Fiscal Year 2008.

On March 12, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before the House Budget Committee on the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget outline. The proposal projects $46.7 billion for education programs, a $500 million increase, but that does not include any educational funding contained in the stimulus bill. Duncan said the administration sees education as an economic development issue necessary to prepare youth for the jobs of the future. It sets a goal to increase the percentage of citizens who hold a college degree from the current 40 percent to 60 percent by 2020. The proposal would shift spending for Pell grants from discretionary to mandatory. To a follow-up question about school choice, the Secretary said he wanted to see CTE options expanded.

Duncan’s remarks built on an education speech delivered earlier in the week by President Obama. He stressed more effort is required to address dropouts and to improve transitions to college and careers. He outlined five pillars for his education reform plans:

• Providing every Ameircan with a quality higher education -- whether college or technical training.

CATS, the much criticized Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, on which the state’s educational assessment and accountability program is based, was ended by the unanimous House and Senate passage of SB1 on March 13. Governor Steve Beshear announced this week he will sign the bill, which requires the development of a new assessment system that incorporates both state developed and national tests. A key feature will require individual student feedback. (A complete copy of the legislation may be found at http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/SB1.htm.) Most of the current system will be retained for the current academic year. Local districts will have some options for testing in arts and humanities, practical living and career studies, and writing programs.

Under the provisions of the new bill, the Department of Education must plan and implement a comprehensive process to revise academic content standards and complete the process in reading, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies by Dec. 15, 2010. There must be a biennial review of state and local programs for arts and humanities, writing programs, and practical living and career studies.

Criterion-referenced tests, augmented with norm-referenced items in math and reading, will be used in grades 3-8 to measure the depth and breadth of Kentucky’s corte content and to provide national profiles. For social studies and science, a criterion-referenced test augmented with a customized or commercially available norm-referenced test will be administered one time in elementary and middle grades and high school. An on-demand assessment of student writing will be administered one time in elementary grades, two times in middle grades, and two times in high school. A writing editing and mechanics test will be administered one time in elementary, middle and high school grades, respectively. The state Board of Education may determine how end-of-course exams may be substituted for criterion-referenced tests at the high school level.

The bill directs retention of the ACT, college readiness and high school readiness exams. It requires individual reports to parents on their children’s achievement compared to school, state and national results. The state core content testing will be limited to the last 14 days of the local district’s school calendar, and there can be no more than five days of testing. All academic core content standards must align between the high school and postsecondary entry requirements.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL items related to CTE include no action taken on SB3, which would have allowed a student to declare his or her intention to graduate in three years; and if certain standards were achieved, to receive guaranteed entry to a public postsecondary institution.

HB126, which allows an associates degree or diploma program in electrical technology to replace one year of required work experience in obtaining a master electrician or electrician license, passed both houses unanimously and was signed into law by the governor on March 11. KACTE supported this legislation.

SB78, which renames the Education Cabinet as the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, passed both houses unanimously and awaits the governor’s signature.

SB70, which increases the membership of and revises the terms of the Apprenticeship and Training Council, passed both houses unanimously and awaits the governor’s signature.

After several amendments, both the House and Senate unanimously passed HB480, which encourages the governor and the state’s congressional delegation to pursue funding for loan forgiveness to teachers, nurses and attorneys previously accepted into the Best in Class Program. Students were recruited into teaching with the promise their loans would be forgiven; however, this year funding for the program was not available and the students were assessed loan repayments for which they had not planned nor budgeted.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, Executive Director
Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE)

With the short-term budget issues apparently addressed by the Kentucky General Assembly’s passage of HB143 and HB144, it is considering more programmatic legislation in several areas, including education. The two budget bills will mean the basic state funding of public elementary and high schools will not be cut additionally this year, but there will be a 2 percent cut to postsecondary education, non-instructional school funding, and Kentucky Department of Education administration. Most of the other Kentucky state government departments will be cut 4 percent over the remainder of the 2009 fiscal year that ends June 30. Budget analysts predict additional cuts will be needed in Fiscal Year 2010.

All Kentucky legislation referenced in this Issues Update can be reviewed by visiting the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website, www.lrc.ky.gov.

Many questions and some concern among Career and Technical Education (CTE) professionals focused on SB3, which would allow a public school student to declare before or early in his or her freshman year the intent to graduate in three years. The student would be required to pass all core content courses, including four English credits, and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. If achieved, the student would be guaranteed entry into a Kentucky public university or community or technical college, with the state SEEK money normally sent to the high school for the senior year made available to offset college tuition. CTE educators raised concern because the early graduation would not permit elective courses, effectively eliminating the student from considering CTE classes.

SB3 passed the Senate on Feb. 10, 24-12. It was assigned to the House Education Committee and has not moved. House Education Committee Chair Carl Rollins indicated in a conversation with KACTE the House has concerns with the three-year concept. He said it was more likely the House would start a discussion of the senior year in high school; how can it be a more effective transition year for postsecondary education or a job?

Rollins did indicate there will be changes to the state accountability testing system. The Senate passed its recommendations in SB1 36-0 on Feb. 10. The Senate version eliminates CATS accountability testing, reduces the emphasis on writing portfolios, removes practical living and vocational studies testing, and calls for use of purchased, norm-referenced tests.

The House recommendations are contained in HB508. Rollins said negotiations between the House and Senate on the final version of the bill are close to completion. CATS will be replaced by a Kentucky Accountability System. The new system will be based on new standards to be developed, followed by new assessment tools consisting of a combined test of criterion referenced questions and norm-references questions. Rollins said the House hoped the new process would be more efficient and require less time. Teachers should not need to devote time to coaching for the test. There still will be open-response questions, but it should not take as long to grade. The number of days devoted to testing will be reduced.

Practical living and vocational studies will not have a specific test, but will remain an accountability measure. Districts will conduct a program review each year, and the Department of Education must review the results at least every-other year.

In many respects, the House proposal mirrors recommendations in a Kentucky Department of Education/Kentucky Board of Education position paper on assessment and accountability released in February.

At this time, SB43, the career pathways bill, has not been called for a hearing before the Education Committee, a necessary step for passage. Given there are only 10 days left in the 2009 30-day General Assembly session, there likely will be no action this year.

HB126, which would give those achieving an associates degree in electricity a year’s credit toward apprenticeship in obtaining an electrician’s license, moved closer to passage when it cleared the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee by unanimous vote on March 3. It previously passed the House 98-0 on Feb. 10.

Three bills, HB480, HB467 and HB457 cleared the House Education Committee on March 3 and may have interest for CTE members. HB480 would give priority to loan forgiveness for students accepted in the Best in Class program prior to June 30, 2008. HB467 defines digital citizenship and directs guidelines be included in school behavior codes. HB457 establishes a 21st Century Education Enterprise at Morehead State University. 21st Century skills blends problem solving, financial and business literacy, global awareness and innovation in academically enhanced CTE courses.

A discussion stressing the importance of funding CTE programs occurred during a hearing on HB189 before its approval by the House Education Committee. The bill would raise the legal dropout age to 18. According to statistics presented by Rep. Brent Yonts, the bill’s sponsor, there were more than 5,000 dropouts last year, which cost schools $19 million in SEEK funding. He said a study of dropouts indicated one-third were in prison, one-third were unwed parents, and one-third were marginally successful. A significant number of those in prison are dropouts.

Several legislators noted that if students are mandated to stay in school for two additional years, there must be improvements in instruction to gain and hold their interest. Several references were made to the importance of funding career and technical education as the programs best able to engage these students.

With the nation facing continuing economic uncertainty, most of the news from Washington centers on budget issues. For more detail on federal legislative issues, please visit the ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) website and go to either the news or public policy sections, www.acteonline.org.

The House of Representatives passed a Fiscal Year 2009 omnibus appropriation bill on Feb. 25, which would finalize FY09 appropriations about six months after the start of the fiscal year. The bill, which holds Perkins Act programs at the same funding level as FY08, must be passed by the Senate by March 6 or another continuing resolution will be needed to avoid a federal government shutdown. A continuing resolution merely keeps the previous year’s funding level in place.

For CTE, whether the Senate passes the omnibus appropriation bill or a continuing resolution, the Perkins Act appropriations remain the same: $1.161 billion for the Perkins basic state grant, $103 million for Tech Prep, and $7.86 million for national programs.

Information on the possible impact on and opportunities for CTE in the stimulus bill (ARRA -- the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) is sketchy. Both the Departments of Education and Labor have indicated their intent to set program guidelines and release money as soon as possible. For the latest information, please visit the specially created ARRA webpage on the ACTE website, www.acteonline.org.

GENERAL DETAILS RELEASED by the Obama Administration of its Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal suggest education programs, including CTE and the Perkins Act, will have a higher priority. In a March 2 Legislative Update, ACTE suggested the administration’s priorities will “include a significant focus on education, energy and health care and links to CTE.” In a Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama stressed the importance of investment in education, emphasizing access to comprehensive education. He specifically mentioned community college, vocational training, and apprenticeship in the speech.

If history is a guide, as a senator from Illinois, President Obama supported increased Perkins Act funding. As superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan helped develop an Education to Careers Program, and he supported expanding a number of CTE programs in the city school system. Significantly, Duncan has accepted an invitation to deliver keynote remarks at the ACTE annual National Policy Seminar on March 11 at the Marriott Hotel in Crystal City, Va.

NOTE: KACTE President-elect Dale Winkler will lead a delegation of 11 KACTE members who will attend the ACTE-NPS March 9-11. KACTE officials will visit the office of each Kentucky senator and representative to provide information on the value of CTE in Kentucky and request continuing legislative and budgetary support for the programs.

KACTE also will deliver to the Kentucky Congressional delegation ACTE’s priorities for the 111th Congress.

• Fund Perkins Act programs at $1.4 billion to ensure all students have resources and support to prepare for a career in the new economy.

• Reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act with increased opportunities for training, in-school and out-of-school youth programs, and linkages between educational institutions and the workforce development system.

• Better align No Child Left Behind and the Pekins Act to recognize and incorporate the value of CTE in addressing dropout prevention and recovery, secondary-postsecondary alignment, STEM, and American competitiveness. This effort should include integration of academic and technical education, support for comprehensive guidance and career development strategies, a focus on secondary school completion, available support for highly effective educators, improved Adequate Yearly Progress and accountability provisions, and incentives for innovation, replication and improvement.

• Repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) in the Social Security program, both of which currently negatively affect retired teachers.

To emphasize the importance of CTE and support the $1.4 billion budget request for Perkins Act programs, ACTE noted “CTE programs help prepare students for almost all 20 of the fastest growing occupations identified in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (2008-2009 edition), and in all 14 job sectors identified by the Department of Labor’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.” Since 2002, CTE program enrollments across the country have grown by more than 15.6 million youth and adults. ACTE cited studies that CTE lowers the dropout rate, increases academic achievement, and meets individuals and community economic needs.

Sometimes it is impossible to follow the news or attend legislative meetings and not stop to scratch my head in amazement. I wish the head scratching and amazement always were about positive achievements or policy directions. Often, they are. If you follow the news in ACTE’s daily electronic Career Tech Update newsletter, you know that almost every issue has an article or column about a very positive aspect or contribution from CTE programs. From coast-to-coast, it seems evident that:

3. CTE is being recognized as an educational program that works across multiple program areas and for multiple outcomes, which is essential to viability in an era of fiscal uncertainty.

My grandfather once told me you can judge your success by your critics. How’s this for success: 17 percent of the high school class of 2008 were accepted at Ivy League colleges. The average SAT score in 2008 was 702 math, 666 verbal, compared with a statewide average of 514, 492. Average class size is 18, and the school day is 90 minutes longer than typical across the state. The school has applications from 1,500 eighth graders for 250 freshman openings.

This describes New Jersey’s Bergen Academies, which were featured in a March 3 New York Times article available through ACTE’s Career Tech Update. Bergen Academies is a CTE high school offering seven career-based academies in science and technology, engineering, medicine, business, telecommunications and computer science, culinary and hotel administration, and the arts. The grouping of CTE instruction is similar to the proposal recently adopted by Jefferson County Public Schools.

IN NEW JERSEY, its system of CTE high schools is controlled by the county in which they are located. The schools produce graduates who can succeed at higher level pursuits, but also fit the needs for the county’s economy and workforce. Bergen County sends $24.8 million in county taxes to support Bergen Academies. The home districts of students who are accepted to Bergen Academies also send the accompanying state aid to the school.

Apparently, this was all okay when Bergen Academies just taught shop and cooking. Now that it is a highly successful educational institution, the traditional academic high schools are complaining Bergen Academies poaches the best and brightest students and costs the schools their state aid. I guess it doesn’t matter that the students choose Bergen Academies and only about one-fifth of applicants are accepted? I guess it doesn’t matter that graduates are exactly the kind of educated, successful achievers that are supposed to emerge from high school? I guess success and accountability do matter!

As students and parents realize CTE’s blend of rigorous academics and experiential hands-on learning better prepare individuals to achieve success in the 21st Century -- both in postsecondary education and the workplace -- there will be more complaints and challenges from traditional education advocates. Education should not be about winners and losers, or one-size-fits-all; it should be about helping each student attain his or her ability and achieve their success. Intellectually, that’s what everyone proclaims in a democratic, Jeffersonian model; but in practice, especially when money is involved, it seems the system is protected in spite of the student.

CTE professionals everywhere should prepare of this challenge. They should be seeking leadership positions so they can advocate for CTE and proclaim the success of the programs. This challenge means the programs are working, and isn’t that what we’ve been working for? It can be a good thing, if you can respond to the challenge.

THE BIGGEST HEAD SCRATCHER this morning was the hand wringing over the possible Kentucky House passage of HB189, Rep. Brent Yonts’ proposal to raise the legal dropout age to 18. It is widely publicized and readily acknowledged that dropping out of school before attaining a diploma is detrimental to one’s future. Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington noted in hearing comments how many dropouts impact the criminal justice system and how many of those in Kentucky’s prisons are dropouts. The earnings potential -- and thus the ability to contribute to society, or at least not be a burden on society -- increases with each level of successful educational attainment. It starts with the high school diploma. We have heard seemingly endless commentary about the future of Kentucky resting on an educated workforce.

With so much potential good to accrue -- both personally and societally -- by keeping kids in school where they can work toward graduation, what can be the problem? Well, some don’t want the disinterested student in class to cause disruption. Isn’t the answer to that better teaching and learning that will engage the student, helping that student know and touch the answer to ‘why am I learning this?’ Some think increasing the legal dropout age without first strengthening the teaching and learning available is putting the cart before the horse. I wonder if perhaps it isn’t time to push the cart in order to get some meaningful results. Kentucky’s progress to improve its educational system has stagnated in recent years.

And here’s the biggest head scratcher of all -- we can’t afford it. A Legislative Research Commission report was cited in the March 4 Louisville Courier-Journal indicating the cost of educating those who dropped out during the 2006-2007 school year would have been $15 million. Well, we know the cost for not educating them -- higher criminal justice costs, larger prison populations, citizens on the margins of economic viability. Both immediately and long term, the cost of not educating those who dropout dwarfs that $15 million. It is curious that those who proclaim the Commonwealth must invest in its youth so it can take advantage of opportunities when the nation emerges from the current fiscal crisis, balk at a proposal that recognizes the realities of the 21st Century and now is the law in 37 other states.

Prepared by Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director
502-223-1823; kmstone@mis.net

Legislative developments in the Kentucky General Assembly and the U.S. Congress will impact Kentucky’s educational system. Some will have a specific impact on Career and Technical Education (CTE). This Issues Update will recap the current status of selected legislation. The Kentucky General Assembly is on recess the week of Feb. 16, although many standing committee meetings are continuing. The recess week provides an opportunity for those interested in any legislative issue to contact their representative or senator.

Six bills in particular will or may impact CTE. The two with the most immediate impact, HB143 and HB144, passed the General Assembly the week of Feb. 9 and were signed into law by Gov. Steve Beshear on Friday, Feb. 13. Both address the predicted Fiscal Year 2009 budget shortfall of $456 million through a combination of $150 million in spending cuts, tax increases to tobacco and alcohol, and money from the state’s “rainy-day” fund. According to the governor and legislative leaders, the action will prevent reductions to basic school funding (SEEK), health care, and public safety. Higher education funding will be cut 2 percent, as will some Department of Education programs. However, the cuts must be implemented within the last four months of the fiscal year, which means a 2 percent annual reduction will result in a larger immediate cut to account for the shortened year. Other state programs will be cut an annualized 4 percent within the last four months of the Fiscal Year.

HB144, which passed the House 66-34, raised the cigarette tax by 30-cents per pack, doubled the tax on other tobacco products, and imposed the state sales tax on retail liquor purchases, was the most controversial of the bills. Development, debate and passage of the bill consumed most of the General Assembly’s activity during the first half of the 30-day session, which will continue through late March. The bill passed the House 66-34, and the Senate 24-12-1. Because it was a revenue bill during the 30-day session, it required 60 votes to pass the House and 23 votes to pass the Senate.

HB143, which passed the House 77-23 and the Senate 35-1, authorizes budget cuts to be made by the executive branch under the direction of Gov. Beshear. It also provides for guidelines on use of any federal monies Kentucky will receive from the stimulus bill that passed Congress on Friday, Feb. 13. Legislators hope some of the federal stimulus money will help offset potential budget cuts to Kentucky state agencies.

In statements at the bill signing ceremony on Friday, Feb. 13, Gov. Beshear, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, and Senate President David Williams all warned that HB143 and HB144 only were measures to address the shortfall during the current fiscal year. The shortfall facing state government in Fiscal Year 2010 is expected to be larger than the $456 million address with this legislation.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TESTING may be the most significant action before the General Assembly for the remainder of the session. SB1, introduced by Senate Education Committee Chair Ken Winters and co-sponsored by Senator Williams, Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly, and Senators Vernie McGaha, Kathy Stine, Damon Thayer, and Jack Westwood, would change the state’s accountability and testing system by replacing CATS with a norm-referenced national test and imposed other modifications. It passed the Senate 36-0 on Feb. 10. In discussion before the Senate Education Committee, several committee members, both Republicans and Democrats, said as the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) approaches its 20th anniversary it is time to examine the need for changes to the accountability and testing system to further educational progress in the state. Those who spoke referenced voter and parental feedback that the current system needs changing.

The future of SB1 in the House is uncertain. The House has been less open to changing the accountability and testing system in the past, although recent public statements indicate House members will consider such action. Gov. Beshear also called for a re-examination of KERA and the accountability and testing system, although he argued for a more deliberate approach based on analysis and study.

On Feb. 9, the Kentucky Board of Education released a position paper on assessment and accountability. The paper identified five key principles to guide the state as it “moves to the next generation of assessment and accountability.”

1. Development of standards must happen before selection or creation of the assessment.

2. The annual state assessment system must provide diagnostic, longitudinal growth data, and overall proficiency levels at the individual student level.

3. The annual state assessment must measure both the knowledge and higher-level thinking required by the standards.

4. The annual state assessment should be built to support interim and classroom assessments.

ESTABLISHING A PROCESS for students to graduate from high school in three years and use SEEK funds to pay for the first year of college is the intent of SB3, perhaps the most controversial of the current legislation. The bill, introduced by Senator Winters and co-sponsored by Senators Williams and Kelly, passed the Senate on Feb. 10 24-12. Like SB1, its fate in the House is uncertain. Because it permits high school graduation in three years and mandates completion of core academic subjects, it effectively limits the number of elective courses a student may pursue. CTE educators are concerned this will severely limit a student from pursuing CTE courses of study.

Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, SB3 would allow a student before entering the 9th grade, or as soon as intent is known, to declare on a form designed by the Department of Education and signed by the parent, his or her desire to complete the early graduation program. To accomplish this, a student must pass English 1-4; Algebra 1-2; geometry; one course selected from economics, government, world civilization, or world geography; one course selected from history and appreciation of visual and performing arts (may include studio art, band, chorus, or other performing arts); two years of the same foreign language; health; physical education; biology; and chemistry. If the student achieves a 3.0 grade point average, an ACT score above the benchmarks in math and English, and at least two AP courses, IB courses, or combination, the student is guaranteed entry to a Kentucky public two-year or four-year college. The SEEK appropriation for that student’s fourth year of high school can be directed to the college for payment of tuition.

There was discussion during the Senate Education Committee hearing on SB3 that it would help minimize dropouts, encourage more students to enroll in college, and be welcomed by high-achieving students. Analysis of the impact on education in general and CTE in particular is continuing.

HB43, THE CAREER PATHWAYS ACT, was introduced by Senator Westwood. It is similar to the bill (SB32) introduced in the 2008 Kentucky General Assembly session. Last year’s bill, which did pass the Senate but was not considered by the House, was endorsed by KACTE, other CTE associations, and many supporters of CTE programs. The bill formally changes the name of programs from vocational education to CTE. It defines a “chronically low performing school” and requires such schools to implement comprehensive school reform plans stressing individual graduation plans and small learning communities. It directs the Department of Education to develop career readiness standards in English, reading and math. It authorizes CTE accessibility funds, career guidance coaches, career academies, and a CTE facilities fund, and it directs local districts include CTE capital needs in their facility plans. It calls for evidence-based models for at-risk students and establishing five regional training programs for teachers to learn the models. Those items requiring funding will be implemented as money becomes available.

HB126, INTRODUCED by House Education Committee Chair Carl Rollins and co-sponsored by Representative Sal Santoro, passed the House 98-0 on Feb. 10. It establishes a credit for completing an associate’s degree or diploma program in electricity for one year of required work experience to obtain a master electrician or electrician license. KACTE believes this legislation enhances the value of a CTE program for students.

The consuming issue before the 111th Congress has been development, debate and passage of an economic stimulus package, The American Recovery and Investment Act. The $787.2 billion measure passed Congress the week of Feb. 9 and is expected to be signed into law by President Barak Obama on Tuesday, Feb. 17. According to information released Feb. 13 by ACTE, several items in the bill can have a direct impact on CTE programs. Its analysis in a Feb. 13 Legislative Update includes”

• “$3.95 billion for job training programs including formula grants for adult, dislocated worker, and youth services through the Workforce Investment Act; $50 billion for YouthBuild; and $750 million for new competitive grants for worker training in high growth and emerging industry sectors (with priority consideration to “green” jobs).

• “At least $40 billion in state fiscal relief to local school districts and public colleges and universities distributed through existing state and federal formula grants. Once these funds are awarded to local school districts, they may be used for any activities authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Act, IDEA, Title I of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the Adult and Family Literacy Act, or for school modernization, renovation, and repair of public school facilities. These funds are intended to address state budget shortfalls.

• “Additional resources for Title I of NCLB ($10 billion), School Improvement grants in NCLB ($3 billion), and IDEA ($12.2 billion). These funds may not go directly to CTE programs, but will help fill gaps in state and federal budgets that have siphoned local resources from CTE programs.

• “$15.8 billion for the Student Financial Assistance account in the Higher Education Act, including $15.6 billion for Pell Grants (a $500 increase in the maximum award per eligible recipient) and $200 million for federal work-study programs.”

KACTE will continue to monitor legislative developments at the state and federal levels and report to its membership as necessary.

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

This year’s KACTE official visit to Washington in conjunction with the ACTE National Policy Seminar was one of the more positive trips of recent years. In spite of the administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for Perkins Act programs in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget, we were reassured in virtually every office that CTE funding would be appropriated. In a personal meeting with Rep. John Yarmuth, he related the now-reported strategy Appropriation Committee Chair David Obey will follow – the House will continue its appropriation process; an

d if the President does not agree to work with Congress, it will pass a continuing resolution or other funding mechanism to sustain program funding until the new President is sworn into office.

PICTURED (right) are, from left, Michael McMillen, Rep. John Yarmuth, Leslie Watkins and Mary Poole

The visits had a very direct theme – maintain CTE funding by rejecting the administration’s proposal, and if possible, increase Perkins Act funding to the $1.7 billion ACTE recommendation. Secondarily, ACTE sought additional members of the Congressional CTE Caucus. Already, Kentucky Reps. Yarmuth, Davis, Rogers and Chandler are members of the Caucus. In a personal meeting, Rep. Whitfield agreed to join the Caucus. The visits served to update the legislator and staff about the positive developments regarding CTE in Kentucky. Leave behinds

both about Kentucky CTE and from ACTE supported the message. KACTE members were able to provide local examples of program quality and how they make a real difference in the lives of students.

PICTURED (left) are, from left, Mary Poole, Rep. Ed Whitfield, Leslie Watkins.

A thank you is extended to those from Kentucky who participated in the 2008 ACTE National Policy Seminar.

Ø Jay Jackman, Executive Director, National Association of Agriculture Educators

Ø Sarah Raikes, Washington County High School and KACTE’s ACTE Region 2 Representative*

Congress is in recess until March 31. During congressional recess, most legislators return to their states and districts, and constituents often can call their local offices to request a meeting or visit with legislators at public appearances. This contact can reinforce the achievements of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and provide an opportunity to thank the legislator for his past support of Perkins Act reauthorization and appropriation.

Prior to the recess, both the House and Senate passed their respective Fiscal Year 2009 (Oct. 1, 2009-Sept. 30, 2010) budget resolutions, which are not binding but do guide Appropriation Committee subcommittees when they set spending authority. According to information provided by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the House budget allows $7.1 billion above the president’s request for education and training programs, and the Senate allows $8.8 billion above the president’s request. The difference will be resolved in a conference committee. The higher the spending level allowed, the more money appropriation committees will be able to provide for programs.

As noted above, ACTE and KACTE are requesting $1.7 billion for Perkins Act programs in Fiscal Year 2009.

Also prior to recess, Congress extended the current Higher Education Act through April 30 in order to provide time to complete conference negotiations between HR. 4137 and S. 1642, the respective HEA reauthorization versions. ACTE supports the reauthorization proposals to help students access and complete postsecondary education to secure jobs in emerging career fields, particularly year-round Pell Grants and Academic Competitiveness Grants. ACTE is concerned about possibly complicated new data collection and reporting requirements. ACTE asks conferees to support the House provisions of College Partnership Grants, Grants to Create Business-Workforce Partnerships, Student Success Grants, and Bridges from Jobs to Careers Grants. Kentucky District 3 Rep. John Yarmuth authored the Student Success Grant proposal.

No official action has taken place on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, better known as No Child Left Behind. Discussions are taking place at the committee level. At the ACTE National Policy Seminar, Jill Morningstar, majority education policy adviser, House Education and labor Committee, said a goal will be for students to be college AND career ready, rather than college OR career ready. She said there are hopes a bill will be completed this year, but budget issues are making it difficult to get legislators to focus on No Child Left Behind reauthorization. She elaborated on three objectives:

Ø Integrate academic and technical education to better engage and prepare students for their futures.

Ø Support comprehensive guidance and career development strategies to assist students in determining clear pathways to postsecondary and workforce goals.

Ø Increase the focus on secondary school completion through comprehensive dropout prevention and reentry strategies.

Ø Ensure that highly effective educators are supported and available across the curriculum in all schools.

Ø Improve adequate yearly progress and accountability provisions to more accurately reflect student learning progress.

The Kentucky House of Representatives passed its version of a state budget (HB406) on March 13. By incorporating a 25 cent per pack increase in the tax on cigarettes, increasing some additional revenue sources, restructuring the state debt, and projecting savings (particularly from the retirement of state employees), the budget, which passed largely on a party-line vote, restores many of the cuts proposed by Gov. Steve Beshear. The proposal was not warmly received by the Senate, which objects to tax increases. The Senate likely will work the week of March 24 passing its version of a budget. The two houses then will negotiate a compromise before the scheduled adjournment in mid-April.

The main beneficiaries of the House budget are educational programs, although the lack of growth still will limit any consideration of program expansion. The effects of inflation could, in fact, result in an effective cut in programs and services. But most of those potentially affected by previously proposed budget cuts applauded the House’s general direction if not the specifics. Some key elements of the House budget impacting education are:

Ø An increase in SEEK funding to permit a 1 percent teacher salary increase in Fiscal Year 08-09 and a 3 percent increase in 09-10.

Ø An increase in the SEEK formula in 08-09 to $3,884 per student average daily attendance, and to $4,037 in 09-10

Ø Restored funding to 07-08 levels for Flex Focus funds of extended school services, professional development, safe schools and textbooks.

Ø In both 08-09 and 09-10, parental involvement programs, individual learning plan development and the Teacher Professional Growth Fund are included.

Ø Bonding for the Knowledge Management Portal, Student Information System and On-line Testing were included.

Ø The FFA Leadership Training Center will be eligible for $2 million in bonds for renovation.

Ø Overall KCTCS funding was set at $683 million in 08-09, an increase over the $632 proposed by the administration. KCTCS funding increases to $708.5 million in 09-10.

A legislative alert from KCTCS President Michael McCall notes the House restoration still makes permanent the 3 percent cut imposed by the administration for the current year. At the start of 08-09, KCTCS will have available almost $7 million less than the current year. McCall also advised $10 million in maintenance and operating funds for 15 new buildings was not provided, nor was $10 million in “Bucks for Brains” endowment matching funds. He urged the Senate to fully restore funding and add the funds for maintenance and operations and Bucks for Brains.

The funding levels reported in the March 4 Issues Update for secondary career and technical education programs remain the same.

Ø $11,585,700 each fiscal year for locally operated vocational schools, about a $400,000 increase over the current level.

Ø $63 million is 08-09 and $62.5 million in 09-10 in the Education Cabinet budget for the Kentucky TECH system (still a cut from the current $65 million funding level). Included in the Kentucky TECH funding is $23.2 million in SEEK funds, the same as the previous year, of which 20 percent is directed to local school boards for maintenance of the Area Technology Center buildings, with the rest earmarked to serve secondary students including those in the Kentucky Community and Technical College system.

Ø Senate Bill 1, which would change the accountability testing process by incorporating national standardized tests, passed the Senate 22-15. It was received in the House and referred to the Appropriation and Revenue Committee, whose chair, Rep. Harry Moberly, voiced criticism of the proposal.

Ø Senate Bill 2, which would encourage education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), passed the Senate 36-0 on Jan. 23. It passed the House Education Committee on March 4 and was posted for passage by the House on March 11, but to date has not been called for a vote.

Ø Senate Bill 32, which would enhance application of career pathways and CTE programs, passed the Senate 37-1 on March 4. It was received in the House and referred to the Appropriation and Revenue Committee. There has been no further action to date.

Specifics on bills before the Kentucky General Assembly can be found at www.lrc.ky.gov.

For information on contacting Kentucky legislators, please refer to Issues Update, March 4, 2008.

Kentucky Issues
2008-2010 Biennial Budget Proposal
Legislation Affecting CTE

Kentucky Issues
The 2008 Kentucky General Assembly session is more than half completed, and no substantive legislation has been forwarded to Gov. Steve Beshear for signature. Few items even have passed either the House or Senate and been forwarded to the other body for consideration. As in most even-year sessions, the dominant issue is money. According to Gov. Beshear, the state lacks $800 million to maintain current program spending. The administration’s biennial budget proposal suggests cuts of 4 percent to elementary and secondary education funding (but includes level spending for the SEEK formula) and 12 percent for postsecondary education.

The financial dilemma extends beyond the budget. There is a projected $26 billion shortfall in public employee and teacher retirement systems. Debate is ongoing whether to raise taxes, most notably the cigarette excise tax, or fees to make up budget and retirement system shortfalls. Consideration is being given to issuing bonds to cover at least part of the retirement system shortfall, as well as restructuring retirement benefits and contributions for future retirees and limiting cost-of-living adjustments for current retirees. The governor proposed to permit limited casino gambling in Kentucky to raise revenue, but the Senate does not appear likely to accept this proposal.

House Appropriation and Revenue Committee Chair Harry Moberly met with House Democratic leadership the weekend of March 1-2 to consider changes to the administration’s budget proposal. According to press reports (Rep. Moberly’s alternative budget proposals were not released by March 4), revenue increases will be offered to help maintain existing program funding and provide a raise for teachers. Twenty-two working days are left in the session, with adjournment set for April 15.

Some programmatic legislation that could affect education, and particularly Career and Technical Education (CTE), is moving forward without funding mandates. For detail on any bill before the Kentucky General Assembly, please follow this link, http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/08RS/record.htm, to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission website. Bills may be searched by number or Index-Headings (for example, Education, Vocational, http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/08RS/3320.htm.)

2008-2010 Biennial Budget Proposal
The administration’s budget proposal, HB406, includes $4.52 billion for the Department of Education in 2008-09 and $4.54 billion in 2009-10. Within this overall proposal, per pupil SEEK funding distributed by the state to local school districts remains unchanged from 2007-08. Education observers note inflation will in reality result in less money effectively available per student. They warn the state’s progress in improving educational achievement could be harmed. Among the line items within the Department of Education budget:

Ø There is no provision for teacher raises, although state employees may receive a 2 percent increase.

Ø The Kentucky Teachers Retirement System will receive $187 million in 08-09 and $212 in 09-10, compared to $193 million in 07-08.

Ø Locally Operated Vocational Centers will receive a slight increase to $11,585,700 in each year of the biennium, compared to $11,175,400 in 07-08.

Ø Vocational transportation was reduced to $2.4 million each year of the biennium, compared to $2.5 million in 07-08.

In the Education Cabinet budget, the Kentucky TECH system was cut to $63 million in 08-09 and $62.5 million in 09-10, compared to $65 million in 07-08. (NOTE: The Kentucky TECH system also receives $23.2 million in SEEK funds, the same as the previous year, of which 20 percent is directed to local school boards for maintenance of the Area Technology Center buildings, with the rest earmarked to serve secondary students including those in the Kentucky Community and Technical College system.)

Within the Postsecondary Education budget, KCTCS funding was reduced to $632 million each year of the biennium, compared to $672 million in 07-08. The administration budget does authorize several KCTCS capital projects, largely to be paid through bonds. Included are Owensboro Advanced Technology Center, Jefferson Carrollton Campus, Madisonville Energy and Advanced Technology Center, Henderson Fine Arts Center and Child Development Center, Ashland Child Care Facility, design of Maysville Rowan County Campus, and Maysville Licking Valley Center Phase 2.

Issues Update will track and report on budget proposals from both the House and Senate as the process continues.

Legislation Affecting CTE
In addition to the budget bill, HB406, KACTE is monitoring the progress of four other bills: SB1, SB2, SB32 and HB140.

SB1 would eliminate the CATS testing process and replace it with standardized national tests. The bill has received two hearings before the Senate Education Committee, but it has not been passed by the Committee. Proponents claim the existing CATS testing is flawed, is too expensive, and measures schools not students. They believe there now exist national tests that will be less costly and will better measure student achievement compared to students across the country. Included is the phase-in of all high school juniors taking the ACT. Opponents, which include most of the state’s educational associations, believe the national tests are not targeted to Kentucky’s learning goals and thus would make the state out of alignment with No Child Left Behind regulations. They question there really will be any savings and object to the elimination of open-response questions and use of the writing portfolio as reference only.

SB2, the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) bill, passed the Senate 36-0 and was reported favorably by the House Education Committee, although with a House substitute. The bill focuses on the STEM initiative, codifying a STEM Task Force to guide educational development in this area. The Task Force is charged with developing a strategic plan to improve the effectiveness of STEM teaching and increase the number of STEM graduates. The state will pay for advanced placement and international baccalaureate exams under the proposal and provide for teacher professional development in this area. Funding incentives would become available as money is appropriated or otherwise is raised through grants and donations.

SB32, the career pathway bill, which includes support for advanced manufacturing, passed the Senate 37-1. The bill formally changes the name of programs from vocational education to CTE. It defines a “chronically low performing school” and requires such schools to implement comprehensive school reform plans stressing individual graduation plans and small learning communities. It directs the Department of Education to develop career readiness standards in English, reading and math. It authorizes CTE accessibility funds, career guidance coaches, career academies, a CTE facilities fund and directs local districts include CTE capital needs in their facility plans, and evidence-based models for at-risk students and establishing five regional training programs for teachers to learn the models. Those items requiring funding will be implemented as moneys become available.

HB140 would change the requirement for certification of nursing schools to 90 percent of the pass rate for the National Council Licensure Examination. KACTE’s Liaison Committee examined the bill and does not support the legislation. The state action has no effect on the national exam, which is how nurses become licensed in Kentucky. Changing the standard only will increase the ability of schools to be in good standing, but does not necessarily translate that a school’s students will be better prepared to take the national exam. The effect could create a perception among potential students a school is better able to prepare students for the national exam, which may not be the case.

Federal Issues
Much like Kentucky, the U.S. Congress is facing money issues surrounding the federal administration’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposal. Congress, too, is addressing two major legislative issues apart from the budget – reauthorization of No Child Left Behind Act and the Higher Education Act. For the latest information and more detail on all federal issues, please follow this link to the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) public policy page: http://www.acteonline.org/policy/index.cfm.

Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal
The proposed fiscal year 2009 federal budget the administration submitted to Congress the last week of January seeks the elimination of funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act programs, which was $1.271 billion in the current fiscal year 2008. Kentucky received $19.7 million this year to support equipment purchases, professional development and other program improvements. Congress has rejected proposals to eliminate or cut the Perkins Act programs in recent years, which is an action recognizing the need and improvement of CTE programs and responds to calls from business leaders and educators in support of CTE.

CONGRESS HAS AFFIRMED its support for Career and Technical Education each of the last four years when it rejected the administration’s proposal to eliminate or reduce funding for Perkins Act programs. Kentucky’s congressional delegation – both senators and representatives – consistently voted to reauthorize the Perkins Act and to provide adequate funding. In addition, Representatives John Yarmuth, Geoff Davis, Harold Rogers and Ben Chandler joined a newly formed Congressional CTE Caucus, which advocates the necessity to continue effective CTE programs across the United States.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and KACTE asks individuals and businesses to contact their legislators and request full support for the Perkins Act appropriations. ACTE argues that to have a greater impact in improving the nation’s workforce readiness, $1.7 billion is needed in fiscal year 2009. ACTE writes: “The Perkins program plays a critical role in providing the skills and knowledge essential for a competitive workforce. Quality CTE programs are linked to rigorous academic instruction and are improving student engagement through ‘real world’ application to prepare students for successful careers.”

Below is some specific information for taking action to advocate on behalf of CTE programs.

Legislative Items
Congress is moving forward toward reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The House passed its version HR4137 on Feb. 7 by a 354-58 vote. It is headed to a conference committee with the Senate version, S1642, which passed last summer. According to ACTE, important CTE issues before the conferees are use of Pell Grants year-round, and opening the Academic Competitiveness Grant Program to students attending college at least half time and to those in certificate programs.

Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act also is before Congress this year. To date, most of the discussion has taken place at the committee staff level, although ACTE has testified at committee hearings. ACTE’s testimony and position statement on NCLB reauthorization can be found on its website.

Advocacy Action
KACTE asks those who grasp the necessity for an effectively prepared, competitive workforce in Kentucky to contact their federal senators and representative and their members of the Kentucky General Assembly and voice support for Career and Technical Education and the Perkins Act. Following are links to some sample letters to be used as guides in contacting legislators. Please remember these guidelines:

Ø Make the communication personal. Form letters do not carry as much weight. Use local statistics and anecdotes of program effectiveness to make the strongest impact.

Ø E-mails and mailed communication are effective in reaching Kentucky’s General Assembly. Also, phone messages do have an effect, and a toll-free line (1-800-372-7181) is provided for voice messages.

Ø Voice messages or faxed letters are effective in reaching federal legislators. General e-mails seldom reach the legislator, but voice messages and faxes are delivered to the staff member who handles educational issues.

To write or e-mail members of the Kentucky General Assembly, please follow these links:

While the Commonwealth waits to see who will be elected governor, some significant legislative developments have taken place both in Kentucky and at the federal level. Please note KACTE obtained comments from both gubernatorial candidates on their positions on Career and Technical Education in Kentucky. Please see http://www.kacteonline.org/Doc_Files/Fletcher%20response.pdf for Gov. Fletcher’s response to KACTE’s questions and http://www.kacteonline.org/Doc_Files/Beshear%20response.pdf for Mr. Beshear’s response to KACTE’s questions.

State Issues
The Kentucky Board of Education adopted its top 10 budget priorities and approved a 2008 legislative agenda at its meeting on Oct. 3-4, 2007. In addition, the state Board of Education is moving closer to selecting a permanent commissioner. News reports the week of Oct. 29, 2007, listed four candidates and indicated the selection may be made in November.

It is noteworthy that none of the Kentucky Board of Education budget priorities of legislative agenda items specifically mentions support for or enhancement of Career and Technical Education (CTE). Advocates for CTE in Kentucky need to prepare to take their message to the newly elected governor and the General Assembly when it convenes in January. The General Assembly will adopt a 2008-2010 biennial budget during this session. KACTE’s legislative priorities for CTE can be found in its position paper, Leading the Transformation, which is available at this link: http://www.kacteonline.org/Doc_Files/Leading,%201-11-07.pdf.

The state Board’s top 10 budget priorities are: 3 percent SEEK increase, full-day kindergarten, scholastic audits and assistance for low-performing schools, gifted and talented programs, alternative education programs, parent involvement initiative, preschool at 200 percent of poverty, SEEK district facilities funding, SEEK transportation add-on, and refocusing secondary education for student success.

Included in its legislative agenda are recommendations related to principal selection, local taxing authority, use of restricted funds, dropout prevention, surplus technology property, compensation for retired teachers conducting scholastic audits, and raising the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18.

THE UNIVERSITY of LOUISVILLE is the new home of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, winning a $20.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to be the new site. The Center previously was located at the University of Minnesota. James Stone, Ph.D., has relocated from the faculty at Minnesota to Louisville and will remain the Center’s director.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), with which KACTE is a state association affiliate, is a partner in the Center and will serve as the primary distributor of Center-developed materials. The Center, while at Minnesota, was responsible for developing the Math in CTE program now being implemented in Kentucky and across the nation. The Center is working on additional academic integration programs, and its location in Kentucky may help local CTE programs access cutting-edge research.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System continues to set enrollment records. The fall 2007 system enrollment is 92,428, which is a 6.9 percent increase over the previous year. Kentucky state government has launched a new website to combine education, employment and economic development information in one user-friendly location, www.e3.ky.gov. Interactive services for employers and job seekers are available, as well as summaries of educational opportunities.

Federal Issues
The Senate passed S. 1710, its version of the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriation bill by a 75-19 vote. Senator Mitch McConnell voted for the bill, but Sen. Jim Bunning voted no. KACTE communicated with both senators’ offices and with their staff on Oct. 9 urging a yes vote and asking for consideration for a $25 million increase for CTE funding through the Perkins Act. The bill provides level funding for the Perkins Act. An amendment to increase Perkins Act funding by $25 million, which matches the House-passed amount, was not considered; however, bill sponsor Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) indicated he hoped the Perkins Act funding could be increased in the conference committee with the House.

No date has been set for the conference committee, but the current Continuing Resolution funding education programs since the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year will expire on Nov. 16. The appropriation will need to be finalized by then or another Continuing Resolution must be considered. The administration has indicated it will oppose the emerging Labor-HHS-Education appropriation bill as too costly and for containing “other objectionable provisions.” More and updated information on federal appropriations is available at the ACTE website: http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.

The House and Senate are moving toward introduction of their versions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization. This version will have more focus on secondary education than the first NCLB. ACTE Executive Director Jan Bray testified before Congress at NCLB reauthorization hearings, and ACTE has developed NCLB recommendations. To review these items, please visit http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/NCLB.cfm.

Congress passed the College Cost Reduction Act (HR. 2669) on Sept. 7. Included in the bill is an increase in the Pell Grant level to $5,400 by 2012. In 2008, the Pell Grant maximum will be $4,800, a $410 increase over the current level. Also included in the legislation are TEACH Grants to encourage future teachers to concentrate on high-need subject areas such as science, technology, engineering and math at high-need or low-performing schools. A provision also permits student loan forgiveness for early childhood educators, school librarians and public safety employees.

KENTUCKY IS WELL REPRESENTED on the new Congressional CTE Caucus. Representatives John Yarmuth (D-3^rd District), Geoff Davis (R-4), Hal Rogers (R-5), and Ben Chandler (D-6) have joined the bipartisan coalition seeking to enhance Career and Technical Education in the United States. KACTE still is asking Representatives Ed Whitfield (R-1) and Ron Lewis (R-2) to join the caucus. KACTE members can thank Reps. Yarmuth, Davis, Rogers and Chandler for their commitment to CTE and for joining the Caucus. KACTE members can thank Reps. Whitfield and Lewis for their past support of CTE (voting for Perkins Act reauthorization and appropriations) while urging they join the Caucus.

KACTE asked the 2007 Kentucky Gubernatorial candidates – incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher and challenger Mr. Steve Beshear – to answer five questions regarding their views and support of Career and Technical Education. The survey is similar to a 2003 KACTE survey of gubernatorial candidates. KACTE promised to print the responses unedited except for format on the KACTE website. The letter of request to both candidates read in part:

“As a non-profit, 501(c)(6) organization, KACTE cannot endorse candidates, but it can provide its members and the more than 5,000 employees in the Commonwealth’s system of Career and Technical Education with information to help them make their choice in the upcoming election. KACTE hopes this will be an informational service both for the candidates to promote their positions and for the members/readers who can become better informed voters. . .

“The Career and Technical Education (CTE) mission is to prepare students for meaningful high-skill, high-wage and high-demand careers and advanced training or education; to support high school transformation and redesign efforts; to respond to the needs of Kentucky’s business and industry sector by developing secondary and postsecondary curriculums and worker training programs; and to assist in the state’s economic development efforts. Career and Technical Education in Kentucky implemented academic integration and demanded higher achievement before these enhancements were mandated in the latest reauthorization of the Federal Carl Perkins Act. Since 2000, Kentucky’s CTE concentrators (students taking three or more courses in one area) have increased their CATS scores at a faster rate than the general high school population, narrowing the achievement gap. Kentucky pioneered industry-developed skill standards, and more students are taking and passing skill standard assessments each year. According to U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Adult and Vocational Education Troy Justesen, 97 percent of all high school students take at least one CTE course. CTE prepares students for higher education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are vital to Kentucky’s economic security. Approximately two-thirds of all jobs are filled by individuals educated or re-trained through CTE programs. These are the foundational jobs of the economy. Many are well-paying, high-tech jobs that contribute to economic growth. CTE graduates grow your food, repair your car, build your house, fix your air conditioning, prepare your restaurant order, care for your child, process your bank transaction, check your blood pressure, clean your teeth, and service your computer. Kentucky’s Career and Technical Education system consists of programs at middle schools, high schools, area technology centers, technical and community colleges, and universities. It is administered by the Education Cabinet’s Department for Workforce Investment, Office of Career and Technical Education; Kentucky Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education; and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. KACTE is the professional association for CTE educators. Its members work in all areas and at all levels of the CTE system.”

KACTE thanks the candidates and their respective policy staff for responding timely to this request. Following are the 2007 gubernatorial candidate responses provided to KACTE.

Federal Issues; State Anticipation
By Michael R. Stone, KACTE Executive Director

As the 2007-2008 school year begins, the typical anticipatory hope for a successful year also applies to advocacy action. At the federal level, Congress has not completed work on educational appropriations, and it is in the midst of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization process. In Kentucky, the question is how the 2008 General Assembly biennial budget session will be shaped by the gubernatorial election in November.

This anticipation may be heightened for some by a wave of actions increasing the visibility and image of Career and Technical Education (CTE) highlighted by data supporting the importance and relevance of CTE. For instance, in testimony on NCLB reauthorization delivered to the House Education and the Workforce Committee on Sept. 10, 2007, Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Executive Director Jan Bray noted, “highly integrated rigorous academic and CTE programs have significantly higher student achievement in reading, mathematics and science than do students at schools with less integrated programs.” And she cited the 2004 National Assessment of Vocational Education Final Report in which the 12^th grade test scores of CTE concentrators increased by 8 scale points in reading and 11 in math compared to 4 reading scale points and no improvement in math among students who tool little or no CTE coursework.

Culled from ACTE’s newly enhanced Career Tech Update, reports from around the country point toward growing public recognition of CTE’s importance to the nation’s economy and to a well-rounded educational system that provides meaningful opportunity for all students. The reports emphasize how CTE programs make education relevant, spur students to higher achievement, and help reduce dropout rates.

Ø The Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colo., reported on a roundtable discussion among Colorado’s business leaders. Among the suggestions was a renewed emphasis on CTE preparing a competitive workforce. It quoted U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings as saying, “CTE is a great place for business to get involved.”

Ø The Journal Record, Oklahoma City, Okla., reported a survey of registered voters in which 63 percent indicated the state’s CTE system’s job performance was excellent or good. Only 9 percent judged it fair or poor. Eight-five percent agreed or strongly agreed state funds appropriated for CTE programs was a good investment.

Ø The News-Record, Gillette, Wyo., reported on a $130,000 advertising campaign on behalf of CTE at a local community college, paraphrasing a school official as saying, “technical education often costs less money, takes the shortest time, provides the most job opportunities, and allows students to stay in the state to work.”

Ø The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Fla., reported on career academies as a new high school experience where “academic lessons make sense in a real-world context.” It quoted a local school official: “We must deliver instruction differently to stay in a global economy. The kids are different – they’re in a different world.” The article added, “A good academy will offer the same educational foundation as traditional diploma paths, delivered in a different fashion.”

Ø USA Today praised the process of establishing career pathways and individual graduation plans.

NOTE: Career Tech Update is a daily (except weekend) partnership between ACTE and U.S. News and World Report. It provides capsule summaries of educational news gleaned from all media sources and links to the full articles. Relevant and timely information from ACTE is included. Available as a benefit at no additional cost only to KACTE/ACTE members, it is e-mailed directly to the member’s computer. Career Tech Update is a comprehensive resource for cutting-edge education news and information and is a value-added service for KACTE/ACTE members. For information on KACTE/ACTE membership, please visit the Membership Section of this website.

The support for CTE programs in Congress was boosted by formation of a Congressional CTE Caucus. Three Kentucky representatives, John Yarmuth (D-3^rd District), Hal Rogers (R-5^th), and Ben Chandler (D-6^th), signed on as members. KACTE is reaching out to the remaining Kentucky congressmen to join the CTE Caucus. All Kentucky federal legislators voted to reauthorize the Carl Perkins Act, and all have voted for Perkins Act appropriations.

The Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriation bill (H.R. 3043) has not passed both houses of Congress. It contains all educational funding, including the Perkins Act appropriation. The House bill proposes to increase Perkins Act basic state grants by $25 million. The Senate holds Perkins Act funding level with last year. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, but frequently continuing resolutions are needed to provide funding because Congress cannot finalize appropriation bills on time. For more information on the budget and appropriation process, please visit http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.

Congress did pass and send to President Bush the Higher Education Access Act of 2007 (H.R. 2669), which will, among other changes to student loan procedures, increase the maximum Pell Grant to $5,400 by 2011. It passed the House 292-97, with Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-1^st), Yarmuth, Rogers and Chandler voting yes. Reps. Ron Lewis (R-2^nd) and Geoff Davis (R-4^th) voted no. It passed the Senate 79-12 with both Sens. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning voting no. Those opposing the bill said it will harm the savings and loan industry and end up adding to federal expenditures. The New York Times reported Education Secretary Margaret Spellings recommended President Bush sign the bill.

The Senate has passed its version of the Higher Education Amendments of 2007 (S. 1642) by a 95-0 vote. The House has not passed its version, and there is no apparent movement of the legislation on the House side. For more information, please visit http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/HEA.cfm.

Work is progressing in both houses of Congress on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, now known better as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Whereas the first NCLB primarily addressed elementary education, the reauthorized version will include secondary education recommendations. ACTE Executive Director Jan Bray focused on the secondary impact and CTE’s importance in her Sept. 10, 2007, testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor. She said more than 95 percent of high school students take at least one CTE course, and about one-third are CTE concentrators taking three or more courses in one area. She also cited the number of high school reform strategies that incorporate CTE as a way to “increase motivation and student engagement.”

In commenting on a proposed Graduation Promise Fund, she praised the attention toward secondary education but added, “I sometimes worry that we are focusing only on academic rigor without giving equal consideration to the context and delivery of this knowledge or the workforce skills that students will need in the 21^st Century.” She urged alignment of secondary, postsecondary and workforce standards to promote a competitive workforce, and implementation of academic and skills integration. She suggested graduation be defined by subject and skills competency rather than “seat time.”

Bray’s comments were based on ACTE’s adopted recommendations for NCLB and its recommendations for Reinventing the American High School for the 21^st Century. Both documents can be found on the ACTE website, www.acteonline.org.

Interest built in postsecondary education over the possibility of the General Assembly approving building projects when it met in special session this summer. Governor Ernie Fletcher included in the original session call the projects he previously vetoed, but the House adjourned without acting on the items. After negotiations, a second session was called, but the action was limited to approval of energy-related legislation. The governor and House and Senate leaders all voiced support for the projects. The postsecondary systems now must anticipate action when the 2008 General Assembly develops a biennial budget in the session that will begin in January.

The Kentucky Department of Education and the Council for Postsecondary Education anticipate the process that may bring permanent leadership to the agencies. Kevin Noland is interim Commissioner of Education, a position he’s held since former commission Gene Wilhoit moved to a new job in Washington, DC. He retained the interim post when Barbara Erwin, who had been named commissioner by the Kentucky Board of Education, withdrew her name. The Board is starting a new search process. Brad Cowgill, the state’s former Budget Director, is the interim president of the Council for Postsecondary Education succeeding Thomas Layzell, who left to return to Illinois. It is anticipated a permanent president may be named in the spring.

The gubernatorial election in November raises the anticipation of who will be leading the state when the General Assembly convenes in January. The governor’s budget proposal will form the basis for the General Assembly’s budget and appropriation process, and the direction and recommendations could vary significantly depending on whether Gov. Fletcher is re-elected or former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear is elected. A visit to the candidates’ websites reveals several issue statements from Beshear that include educational references, including CTE, but none from Gov. Fletcher.

KACTE will ask both candidates to provide statements on CTE for presentation on this website. KACTE will provide information on both candidates’ positions so its members can familiarize themselves with the issues, but KACTE will not make an endorsement due to its incorporation as a non-profit educational association and its 501(c)(6) tax status.

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