CTE Policy Watch

By: Jamie

Finally, we can see a change on its way to Washington! I must say, I am happy that this election is over. Regardless of who was elected President last night, I am very happy that the Bush Administration will not have a chance to introduce another budget proposal that zeroes out Perkins! Going into yesterday’s election both candidates have seemed somewhat supportive of CTE, although there is more work to be done on that front. Senator McCain’s platform addressed CTE as a key component in the economy, and Senator Obama has continually showed his support by signing “Dear Colleague” letters which asked the Appropriations Committee to increase Perkins funds. I knew that no matter who won the election, we would have a better chance of having an ally in the White House.

I think Senator Obama will bring a lot of energy and a positive change to Washington. This election was truly historic. Not only will Senator Obama be the first African American elected President, but he changed the landscape of how political campaigns are run. The Obama campaign raised a record high amount and used most of the resources to open regional offices across the country and successfully run large voter registration campaigns throughout the country, especially in swing states (i.e. Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Florida, etc…). Recently I met with the lead staff member who heads the Republican Senatorial Campaigns, he said, “whether or not Senator Obama wins, he has forever changed the way campaigns are run.”

Am I happy Obama won? Yes. Would I have been happy if McCain won? Yes. Why? Because CTE deserves better than the Bush Administration… and with numerous attempts to zero out Perkins, anyone would have been better!

On a sad note, two of our biggest supporters saw their time in Congress come to an end last night. As we’ve known for most of the year, Representative John Peterson (R-PA) will retire at the end of the year, and his seat was filled last night by Republican Glenn Thompson. More unexpectedly, Rep. Phil English, co-chair of the Congressional CTE Caucus, was defeated in his race for re-election. Both of these Members have been real leaders for CTE and we will miss them!

By: Sabrina

Hi all! I am one of those crazy people that got up early this morning to vote. In Virginia, they open the polls at 6 a.m., and I got there around 5:50 a.m. I had about 150 to 200 people in front of me, and I was able to get through and vote within an hour! My polling place had a great system, and the line moved smoothly.

As I waited in line, I talked to people and asked if the line was longer than in years past, and they said yes. A few of them are voting for the first time, and they wanted to vote early. In the 2004 Presidential Election, I waited 2.5 hours in South Carolina to vote, and I got there at 7 a.m. I love seeing people getting out and exercising their right to vote!

Another incentive for you to vote today is Starbucks is giving people a free tall coffee or in some places a free upgrade (e.g. in Florida a grande to a venti). Be sure to ask for it when you go! After I voted this morning, I called my brother in Florida. He was waiting in line to vote (polls open at 7 a.m.), and he said that he had 30 people in front of him. I then went to Starbucks and got some coffee! Yumm… Although the lines may be long today, please go out and vote, and then share your experiences with us!

By: Alisha

There are only two full days left until the election – and every media outlet reminds me of that constantly. I had heard reports on the news about huge turnouts in all the states with early voting, including mine (Florida) but really hadn’t thought too much about it. That was until I tried to vote today – twice.

My husband and I loaded up our daughter and headed to the nearby public library to vote this afternoon. As we approached the building, there were cars parked all along the side of the road – not a good sign. We stopped some people walking back to their cars with “I Voted” stickers and asked how long they waited. The answer was a whopping 2.5 hours, and they reported that the line was still just as long. We reluctantly headed home, vowing to try again later. While we each were willing to wait that long to vote if it became necessary, our one-year-old certainly wasn’t!

We drove back by tonight and found the same line, so are now resigned to voting on Tuesday with most of the rest of the country. And you know what, even if I have to stand in line longer than 2.5 hours, I’ll be there – because I truly believe that voting is my civic duty and a privilege, and because I know firsthand that every vote counts.

See, I was also a Florida voter during the 2000 Presidential elections (remember those hanging chads?), and as a college student living away from home, cast one of the absentee ballots that got so much attention during that contested race. My vote actually got counted a number of times in that election! Regardless of what you thought, or think now, about the outcome of the 2000 election, it was one of the greatest civic lessons of all time.

I worked a seasonal job in the Florida House of Representatives during college, so was in a prime location to witness the ordeal. The images from that time will be permanently seared in my mind. There were rows and rows of media satellite trucks surrounding the Capitol building, bouquet after bouquet of flowers being delivered to Katherine Harris’ office in sympathy for her situation, and CNN seemingly broadcasting live around-the-clock from our Capitol steps. It was quite a surreal experience.

Until that time, I had been interested in politics and the political process, but had never really believed that my one vote could make a difference. I certainly changed my mind after that election. So, I urge you to head out and vote on Tuesday (if you haven’t already – perhaps your attempts at early voting were more successful than mine). Take time to research the candidates and issues, and make your voice heard! We’ll be posting more about our voting experiences on Tuesday, and please come to the blog and share yours as well.

I am sure some (hopefully most) of you watched the debate last night. Who do you think won the debate?

I think I know who won…Joe the Plumber.

Joe sure got talked about an awful lot last night. And what did we learn about Joe? Joe is a self-employed plumber whose business could make over a quarter of a million dollars a year! Holy Moly!

As I was watching this debate last night, every time Joe would get mentioned I’d say, “can we talk about the fact that Joe is just a normal guy who happens to have a skill in plumbing and is doing ridiculously well for himself???” Why aren’t we talking about how this is a lucrative field? Why aren’t we talking about how Joe is a young guy who got the skills he needed in high school and most likely postsecondary training and is now the topic of such an important debate and obviously doing rather well for himself.

This is what we need in times of economic hardships, we need to talk about ways that workers can get trained (or retrained) in fields that will allow them to have a lucrative career and the ability to retire with financial security. This is the future of our nation and this is the future of CTE.

~Jamie

According to the Washington Post and ABC News poll released this week, the biggest issue facing voters in this election is the economy (53 percent). Comparatively, as I read through the issues, I was surprised that only 1 percent of voters believe education is a top issue. Voters and policymakers aren’t making the connection that improving education will in turn help the economy.

We are facing a workforce shortage throughout the country because we don’t have enough qualified workers with skills and knowledge necessary to compete. The fiscal crisis is affecting states’ budgets, and they are eliminating programs and jobs in order to make ends meet. However, education can be an essential tool to turn the economy around.

Specifically, many people don’t realize the need for career and technical education (CTE) is going to rise over the next 10 years. According to the Department of Labor, 20 of the 30 fastest growing jobs will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary vocational certificate. CTE impacts local communities financially. For example, an Oklahoma State University research paper concludes that Oklahoma state and local governments would receive approximately $13,500 in additional tax revenue per CTE completer at the secondary and postsecondary level over the students’ complete work life.

With three weeks until the election, ACTE members need to come together and educate their communities and policymakers about the impact CTE has on the economy. It’s a way to get our voice heard! You can host an open house for the media, policymakers and business community or write an opinion-editorial for your local paper. Always make sure to discuss how funding for education is critical to your community, especially CTE programs.

Another way is to canvass for local or national candidates. This past weekend I went canvassing around my neighborhood to encourage people to vote on November 4. The people I met are worried about the economy, and I mentioned how important education is to improve the current situation. In order to raise the prominence of education on voters’ minds, we need to inform them about the impact education has on the economy and emphasize the role of CTE.

- Sabrina

During a telephone conversation with my parents last night, my mom asked if I was going to watch the vice-presidential debate. In the background, my dad added, “The USF-Pittsburgh football game is on.” (My parents aren’t very political.) Normally, Thursday night college football is one of my favorites, but I assured them that I would indeed be watching the debate, which I expected to find thoroughly entertaining – after all, it is part of my job, and this election is critical to the future of CTE!

I found it interesting that with all the talk of the economy early in the debate, education was essentially absent. I guess that isn’t much of a surprise, because it has been that way on the campaign trail as well. The candidates did finally manage to squeeze in a couple of references to the importance of education as the evening went on though.

When asked what promises the campaigns would not be able to keep in light of the financial bailout plan currently being considered by Congress, Sen. Biden emphasized education as one of three things that an Obama/Biden administration would not shortchange. “We cannot slow up on education, because that’s the engine that is going to give us the economic growth and competitiveness that we need,” he said.

Later, during an exchange that had gotten so far off track from the original question I couldn’t even remember what it was (which was true of a lot of the debate), Governor Palin also said that America needs to put a lot more focus on education. She said, “Our schools have got to be really ramped up in terms of the funding that they are deserving. Teachers needed to be paid more….Education credit in American has been in some sense in some of our states just accepted to be a little bit lax and we have got to increase the standards. No Child Left Behind was implemented. It’s not doing the job though. We need flexibility in No Child Left Behind. We need to put more of an emphasis on the profession of teaching. We need to make sure that education in either one of our agendas, I think, absolute top of the line.”

At ACTE we completely agree with the idea that education should be at the top of both campaign’s agendas. Unfortunately, I was a bit skeptical about Palin’s comments on funding, because just last week in the first presidential debate, Sen. John McCain called for a freeze on all federal spending, except for “defense, veteran affairs and entitlement programs.” Sen. Obama took a different approach and listed education in his top three spending priorities to be protected in spite of tighter fiscal times ahead. The next debate will be between the presidential candidates on October 7. It will be in a town hall format, so be sure to tune in to find out more about their positions on education and workforce development.

Alisha