For the second straight year, President George Bush has proposed the elimination of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education program.

President Bush’s $2.7 trillion fiscal year 2007 federal budget proposal zeros out the $1.3 billion Perkins program, the federal government’s main career and technical education program. President Bush proposes replacing Perkins with a high school reform initiative, a flexible grant program for at-risk high school students. The proposal includes no dedicated funding for career and technical funding at the secondary or postsecondary level.

Elimination of the Perkins program would be a major blow to career and technical education in Wisconsin. In the current fiscal year, Wisconsin received just under $25 million in Perkins funding, $12.6 million of which went to the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Wisconsin’s technical college districts use Perkins funding to provide a broad range of academic support services to students. For example, many technical college districts use Perkins funding to develop or continue programs aimed at increasing the success of academically and economically disadvantaged students, single parents and disabled students.

Under the Bush administration’s FY 2007 budget proposal, technical colleges would likely be forced to eliminate many of their student success and student achievement programs. As a result, many of the special needs students that rely on Perkins-funded programs may fail to receive the services that encourage persistence, completion and success.

President Bush’s fiscal year 2006 budget also proposed eliminating Perkins funding. Congress, recognizing the importance of Perkins-funded programs, restored the President’ proposed program elimination in FY 2006.

However huge federal budget deficits continue to persist – the FY 2006 deficit is estimated at $365 billion. The Perkins program, like many of the nearly 100 other programs President Bush has slated for elimination, therefore may not be safe from the budget axe in FY 2007.

Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to contact their federal representatives and voice their support for the Carl Perkins program.