Copyright© 2007 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 20                   For Publication Date: January 5, 2007             No. 1

Governor Proposes $52 Million for Career-Technical Education 

Building on his commitment to preserve and expand career-technical education, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he will include a $52 million augmentation for career-technical education programs in the areas of curriculum, teacher recruitment and training, and maximizing bond funds for new facilities.  

In his first press release outlining what will be included in his 2007-08 State Budget, which will be released next week, the Governor stated: 

We must reverse the trend of under-funding career technical education. California is leading the way in giving students a first-class ticket to high-paying jobs in the global marketplace . . . these programs help prevent drop-outs by keeping students interested in school. I know first-hand how beneficial these programs can be in helping students succeed. When I was in Austria, I learned how to work in retail and how to be a salesman, skills I’ve used for the rest of my life. 

The press release outlined the specific purposes of the funding to include: 

·                     $20 million in ongoing funding for new partnerships between high schools and community colleges in the areas of coursework coordination, broadening curriculum to include technical programs in emerging and traditional career paths, and expanding courses.

·                    $32 million from Proposition 98 funds for new career-technical education programs.  This would include building public-private partnerships between industry and career-technical education programs to expand apprenticeships, internships, and training. Additional uses are for increasing professional development for teachers and counselors, new course design, and increasing the number of career-technical courses consistent with University of California and California State University requirements.  

The Governor also announced that he will host a career-technical education summit in March 2007 to give school agencies assistance in applying for funding from the $500 million earmarked for career-technical facilities approved by voters in November. The summit will also be used as a forum to review existing career-technical education programs, develop an outline on industry’s needs over the next decade, identify the appropriate curriculum to meet those needs, and evaluate how schools can best prepare students for the workforce. 

Part of the package will include proposed legislation to streamline and simplify career-education teacher credentialing processes. 

                 —Nancy LaCasse