ED and DOL Interagency Agreement re: Perkins

On July 15, the U.S. Department of Education announced the “Workforce Development Partnership” 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 FAQ document, “the programs will be managed alongside ED staff, with continued leadership and oversight by ED.” ED believes this partnership will provide a coordinated federal education and workforce system, consistent with Executive Order No. 14278, and will “return 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.”

While AESA 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.