WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1988. VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION WITNESSES BONNIE GUITON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION HOWARD F. HJELM, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT, OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION KARL O. HAIGLER, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF ADULT EDUCATION, OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION SALLY H. CHRISTENSEN, DIRECTOR, BUDGET SERVICE, OFFICE OF PLANNING, BUDGET, AND EVALUATION THOMAS M. CORWIN, DIRECTOR, ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY, AND VOCATIONAL ANALYSIS DIVISION, BUDGET SERVICE, OFFICE OF PLANNING, BUDGET, AND EVALUATION OPENING REMARKS Mr. DWYER. Good morning. I am sitting in for our chairman, Congressman Natcher, who is at another meeting. We are pleased to have before us this morning, Ms. Bonnie Guiton from the Department of Education. Proceed at your own pace. Ms. GUITON. Thank you, Congressman Dwyer. I believe you have a prepared statement from us and I would like to submit that for the record. I would like to briefly summarize our request. It is $881,100,000 for vocational education, the same as the 1988 appropriation, and $150,000,000 for adult education, which is an increase of $16,000,000 over the 1988 level. We have proposed in our budget request the consolidation of funds for the categorical programs into the basic grants. The reasons for this are two-fold: to increase the flexibility of the States in using Federal funds to meet their specific needs in vocational and adult education, and to encourage greater accountability on the part of the States and of the programs themselves. We believe that the rapidly changing demographics and shifting employment needs at the regional and State levels beg for greater flexibility to meet those needs. In vocational education, the categorical programs under discussion are first, consumer and homemaking education, which is an integral part of the secondary school program as is industrial arts. Consumer and homemaking education enjoys the highest overmatch of any vocational education program. Right now the overmatch is 20 to 1, as opposed to 12 to 1 in all the other areas. Consumer and homemaking education is an integral part of the school curriculum, and we believe it will continue to receive this high level of attention and funding. The second categorical program that we propose for consolidation is Community-based organizations, which are already eligible for basic vocational education funds, as well as JTPA funds. We believe that through interagency coordination and cooperation this program will continue to be efficient and effective, and may become more so if more flexibility is given to the States. The Bilingual vocational training program is also proposed for consolidation. Under the Perkins Act, 22 percent of all funds under the basic grant are targeted to the disadvantaged, this includes the limited English proficient. We think those programs can continue to enjoy the success they have had to date, but with more flexibility for the States to serve the limited English proficient. In adult education, the categorical programs proposed for consolidation Literacy Training for the Homeless and Workplace Literacy. State and local funds are already the dominant force in these programs. We believe that the expanded Federal support for the State grant program will provide maximum flexibility to the States and serve as a catalyst for increased efforts on the State and local levels. We believe that this is a very solid budget proposal and makes good sense. We will be willing to answer any questions you may have. [The prepared statement and biography of Bonnie Guiton follow] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Statement by Bonnie Guiton Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education on Vocational and Adult Education Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the fiscal year 1989 budget request for vocational and adult education. These programs, when combined with State, local, and private efforts to prepare a skilled and literate work force, can contribute to our country's economic growth and industrial competitiveness. I am pleased to submit to you today a billion dollar budget request for vocational and adult education. Our fiscal year 1989 request for these programs totals $1.038 billion, including the Smith-Hughes permanent appropriation, which is approximately $16 million over the 1988 appropriation. But it is not only the amount of our request that merits your attention. Our request is designed to move funds into spending categories that afford the States greater control and flexibility in the use of both vocational and adult education funds and to encourage greater accountability in vocational education programs. Vocational Education We have requested $881.1 million for vocational education, the same as our 1988 appropriation. As you can see on chart one, we are proposing to give the States broader authority in the use of Federal vocational education funding by consolidating funds from the categorical programs of consumer and homemaking education, community-based organizations, and bilingual vocational training into the basic grants. This proposal would increase the flexibility of States in using Federal funds to meet their specific vocational education needs. States may, at their option, use the increase in basic grants to cover the costs of improving and expanding services, and serving special populations, in any of the three program areas we have proposed for consolidation. This proposal is consistent with the appropriate Federal role encouraging program improvement and access for special populations -- in vocational education. Chart two shows in detail how basic grants would be allocated to special populations, according to the requirements of the Perkins Act. - Our other emphasis in vocational education is to foster program improvement through greater accountability in the use of funds. We will soon submit legislation to amend the Perkins Act to strengthen its accountability provisions, increasing State responsibility for setting, assessing, and enforcing standards of performance. In addition to ongoing State grant programs, we are proposing nearly level funding, at $25 million, for national programs in research, cooperative demonstration projects in dropout prevention and high technology, and occupational data systems. Finally, we are proposing level funding for the State vocational education councils. Adult Education For adult education we are requesting $150 million, which would be the highest appropriation ever in this program. This is an increase of $16 million over the 1988 level. As seen on chart one, in adult education we would also redirect our funding away from the more limited, categorical programs of literacy training for the homeless and workplace literacy, into the more flexible grants to States. Our proposal would provide a total of $148 million for adult education grants to States, a $32.6 million increase over the 1988 level. We estimate that the fiscal year 1989 request will provide support for literacy programs, basic skills education, English as a second language programs, and secondary school programs for approximately three million adults. Growth in State, local, and private support, which now accounts for three-fourths of all adult education spending, as well as volunteer support in cooperation with the President's Adult Literacy Initiative, continue to increase the annual numbers of persons served. Finally, we are requesting $2 million, a slight increase, for research, development, and evaluation under Section 309 of the Adult Education Act. This amount will provide for continuation of our national assessment of adult literacy as well as some needed evaluation of adult education programs and methods. At this time, Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I will gladly respond to any questions you may have about vocational and adult education. |