CTE Funding Increase

The FY22 omnibus  contains a number of new investments of note for CTE Funding Increase. These include $45 million in additional funding for the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act’s (Perkins V) basic state grant program. This new level of investment brings total Perkins V state grant funding to $1.38 billion (a 3.4% increase compared to FY21 levels). In addition, the omnibus provides $60 million in additional funding (a 5 percent increase) for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants contained in Title IV-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The bill also increases the maximum award amount for Pell Grants by $400, bringing this new total to $6,895 per grant. Overall, the legislation provides an additional $2.3 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (ED)– a 3.2 percent increase over 2021 federal fiscal year (FY21) levels.

The omnibus also provides roughly $500 million in additional funding for the DOL, representing an increase of 3.6 percent for the agency. Significantly, the legislation provides $50 million in additional funding to expand registered apprenticeship programs (a 27 percent increase), bringing total funding for this purpose to $235 million for FY22. Overall, the legislation increases funding for programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) by $249 million, bringing the total for these activities to $5.66 billion (a roughly 4.6 percent increase compared to FY21). Finally, $50 million of the overall funding being provided to WIOA is dedicated specifically to expanding career training and education programs offered at community colleges, including consortia of other eligible postsecondary institutions.

Within the omnibus, the Department of Education was funded at $76.4 billion overall – an 4% increase over FY 2021. This includes many important investments across K-12, postsecondary and adult education that are important to the CTE community, such as:

Secondary Education

• 6% increase for Title I grants to local education agencies
• $27 million increase to Title II of ESEA for effective instruction
• $448.4 million increase for special education
• $7.5 million increase for education for homeless children & youth
• $60 million increase for Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants

Postsecondary & Adult Education

• $15.5 million increase for Adult Education
• $20 million increase for federal work-study
• $400 increase to the maximum Pell grant

Further, FY 2022 was the first spending bill in a decade to include earmarks. Earmarks are used by Members of Congress to guarantee funding for specific projects or grantees that would benefit their state or district. This bill earmarks $2.3 million for vocational rehabilitation projects, $140 million for K-12 projects, and $249 million for higher education projects. We will be reporting back with a full analysis of the earmarked projects pertaining to CTE in the near future. 

The Department of Labor (DOL) was funded at $13.2 billion, a 5% increase over FY 2021. Included in the $653 million increase for DOL are numerous investments in programs that are critical to ensuring connections between education and the workforce. For example, registered apprenticeships were given an additional $50 million – a 27% increase over FY 2021! Strengthening Community College Grants received a $5 million, or over 10%, increase, and WIOA state grants received a $34 million increase.  

Department of Labor

• $45 million for Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants which are intended for public and state institutions of higher education and community colleges – individually or as a group– to improve their ability to address equity gaps and meet the skills development needs of employers and workers. The department will award grants of up to $1.6 million for single institutions and up to $5 million for consortiums.
• $113 million for the department’s Apprenticeship Building America program, including up to $50 million dedicated specifically for equity partnerships and pre-apprenticeship activities intended to boost enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, labor organizations, public and state institutions of higher education, and county governments with planned awards ranging from $1 to $8 million.
• $55 million for the department’s Pathway Home 3 grant program, which is intended to reduce barriers to employment by providing training and employment services to incarcerated individuals before their release from state correctional facilities, or county or local jails. The agency expects to award up to 15 projects ranging from $1 to $4 million each to teach returning citizens foundational skills such as job readiness and job search strategies, and to provide apprenticeships and occupational training leading to industry-recognized credentials.

https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news/from-washington/