Technical Education Budget Cuts

 The past few years have been a challenge for technical education programs due to educational budget cuts, but more challenges are heading our way.

When money is tight, schools start looking at the programs that cost more to operate.  It’s no secret that a technical program, such as collision repair is going to cost more to operate than an academic classroom, but cutting technical programs is a huge mistake.  These are the programs that teach the skills to individuals that many small businesses depend on to be successful. 

ABRN wrote an article that discusses something that we have been talking about at our college.  That is the cut in Carl Perkins funding.  This is funding that technical programs have relied on for training and equipment.  Therefore, schools are going to have to look for new ways to fund their technical programs.  It may result in passing more of the cost to the students or looking for private donations. 

I don’t think anyone has the answers at this point, but we must be creative and start thinking for additional ways to assure the success of our programs. 

To fight for the Carl Perkins act, please visit the ACTE website linked on the right side of this website.  You can also read an article written by ABRN to learn more.

If you have any advice, input, ideas, or comments, please leave a comment below.