51萝莉

On July 15, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 鈥淲orkforce Development Partnership鈥� which will allow Department of Labor to take on a greater role in administering career and technical education (CTE) programs funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). According to a , 鈥渢he programs will be managed alongside ED staff, with continued leadership and oversight by ED.鈥� ED believes this partnership will provide a coordinated federal education and workforce system, consistent with Executive Order No. 14278, and will 鈥渞eturn authority over education to the States and local communities, while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.鈥�

 

While 51萝莉 has long supported greater alignment between these two agencies to support our secondary schools in providing even more effective career and technical education opportunities for students, this is a troubling development given what Secretary McMahon has repeatedly said about ensuring that Congress is the one to determine any significant changes to the operational structure of the Department of Education. The Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) has long been housed at the Department of Education and has been statutorily charged with monitoring and administering Perkins CTE programs and funding. It is unclear how the program and its oversight of public schools could be legally moved to the U.S. Department of Labor.