grams, teacher recruitment and development, and applied research efforts serve to improve the effectiveness of vocational education. VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH The requested $17,750,000 for research will be used to strengthen vocational education capabilities with emphasis on the needs of young people from economically depressed communities who have academic, socioeconomic, or other handicaps which prevent them from qualifying for or succeeding as full-time workers. WORK-STUDY PROGRAM During 1966, with $25 million available for the work-study program, approximately 85,100 needy students will be provided employment to assist them in continuing their studies and completing their academic and vocational training, thus preventing large numbers of school dropouts. The $10 million requested for 1967 will support employment for approximately 35,000 students. This decrease from 1966 is attributed to the phasing out of the program as the Neighborhood Youth Corps gradually assumes responsibility. RESIDENTIAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS We are requesting $32 million for grants to support initial planning, including architectural and engineering services and program development, for residential vocational schools authorized in the Vocational Education Act of 1963. This request will provide opportunities for effective pilot demonstration centers, including evaluation of the seven residential schools to be located in areas having large number of youths with special needs. VOCATIONAL STUDENT LOAN INSURANCE Finally, our estimate of $1,800,000 for the National Vocational Student Loan Insurance Act will provide advances to States and private nonprofit agencies to establish or strengthen reserve funds to protect the interests of lending institutions against defaults on vocational student loans; and will support interest payments for about 55,000 students. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. REDUCTION BY BUDGET BUREAU Senator HILL. Doctor, I note that you requested approximately $318 million, I believe in your program for this coming fiscal year. The Bureau of the Budget reduced your request by some $67 million. Mr. LUDINGTON. That is correct. Senator HILL. What would be the effects of that $67 million reduction? Mr. LUDINGTON. I think it will have a decided effect on the number of youth and adults who can be accommodated in vocational and technical education. Senator HILL. How would that $67 million break down in terms of your different programs? Mr. LUDINGTON. Most of the funds would be from the 1963 Vocational Education Act, which, as you know, departed from the old occupational categories in the Smith-Hughes and George-Barden Acts and simply provides programs for various types of people to be served. It would affect each of these categories of people to the extent that State boards for vocational education had to modify their plans and programs in terms of reduced allocation. Senator HILL. How many people do you think would be affected? Mr. LUDINGTON. We have estimated that the increased enrollments under the various educational acts would be decidedly reduced. We have a counterproblem to deal with under the recently enacted GI bill where we feel there will be added incentives for GI's to enroll in Vocational and technical programs. In other words, we find ourselves in somewhat of a bind. Mr. LUDINGTON. I will say the result will be some disappointed people in some of our school districts to meet the programs which would meet the employment opportunities that are developing in some localities. NUMBER OF PERSONS AFFECTED BY REDUCTIONS MADE BY BUDGET BUREAU Senator HILL. Could you give us a figure of how many would be involved? Mr. LUDINGTON. We could give you a figure for the record, but it would have been counterbalanced with the GI bill. We have been in contact with the Veterans' Administration discussing the on-going programs. Senator HILL. Would you supply these figures for the record? (The information follows:) The reductions made by the Bureau of the Budget in the amount of the request for expansion and improvement of vocational education will result in approximately 568,000 fewer students being trained under the grants to States program and approximately 85,000 fewer students being assisted under the work study program, or a total of 653,000 students affected by these reductions. The Veterans' Administration has advised us they expect approximately 206,000 veterans to be enrolled in vocational or technical courses during fiscal year 1967 under the new GI bill. No estimates have been made as to how many of these veterans would have entered vocational and technical traiuing if the new GI bill had not been enacted. LACK OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Senator ALLOTT. Your vocational education program, Mr. Ludington, is slightly below the 1966 level. I suppose that part of this, as you sort of indicated in your statement here, is because some of it has been shifted over to the Office of Economic Opportunity, so called? Mr. LUDINGTON. I don't think our program has been shifted to the Office of Economic Opportunity. There has been another program developed under that auspice as has been the case also with the Manpower Development and Training Act, and I would assume the administration's decision was based in terms of some appraisal of both the Office of Education and vocational education program, the Job Corps, and the Manpower Development and Training Act. Senator ALLOTT. There are some of us, Mr. Ludington, and I will not ask you to comment on this, but I want to make it clear for the record, who feel that the so-called poverty program could have been handled far better at much less expense and with much greater results and with a broader reach, as far as the individuals concerned, if it had been set up under the Office of Vocational Education. I feel this way definitely myself, and I feel that the job you have been doing and all of our States in the field of vocational education is excellent. As I understand your answer to Senator Hill's question, you will probably have to foreshorten some training that might otherwise occur because of the cut that has been given you. Mr. LUDINGTON. We indicated on page 11 of our justification some implication of the effects of this funding. I qualified my statement to Senator Hill for the simple reason that since the preparation of these estimates, we feel that the GI bill will have an impact which was not taken into account at the time those figures were developed. Senator ALLOTT. Undoubtedly a lot of the boys who come back will be using these funds for vocational education. Mr. LUDINGTON. This has been our experience. Senator ALLOTT. You found this to be true after World War II, and the Korean war, did you not? Mr. LUDINGTON. Yes, sir. Senator ALLOTT. Does this cut mean there will have to be a shortage of the programs in the various States? Mr. LUDINGTON. Do you mean in terms of length? Senator ALLOTT. In terms of amounts, the number of people served. Mr. LUDINGTON. I would say the number of people served would be decidedly affected. I would say the rate at which new and expanded programs could be developed would be affected. We are in a period now, Senator, where many States and local communities are stretching every effort to provide additional and more modern facilities for vocational and technical education. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM SUPPORT Mr. KELLY. May I clarify your question, Senator? When you asked about the cutback, are you referring to the reduction below his request? With respect to the vocational education program support, there is not a reduction below the 1966 level. On page 10 of the justification you will find the Vocational Act was supported at $159,750 in 1966 and a similar request is being made in 1967 with respect to the George Barden Act, $49,991,000 and a similar request is being made in 1967. On page 11, you will see that in 1966 there were 5,789,720 enrolled students and in 1967 it is anticipated there will be 5,900.000. I might say we had an understanding whereby the work-study program undertaken in 1966 for higher education, which had been provided for by the Office of Economic Opportunity, was transferred in 1967 exclusively to the Office of Education, and beginning in 1967 we will start a transition of shifting below the higher education level work-study program over to the Office of Economic Opportunity. It is true, as Senator Hill brought out, that the 1967 estimate is less than authorized and less than the amount requested and identified; therefore, that it would provide for less numbers of students and less numbers of programs than would have been possible had the full estimate been approved. Mr. LUDINGTON. Thank you for that elaboration. I was responding in terms of the Senator's initial question. EXTENSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Senator HILL. I think it would help if you supplied us with a table for inclusion in the record showing by programs the appropriations for 1966; and for fiscal year 1967 the authorization, the Department request to the Budget Bureau, and the budget estimate presented to the Congress. Mr. LUDINGTON. We shall be glad to furnish such a table. (The table follows:) Represents balance of $16,000,000 total authorization for fiscal years 1965 through 1967; $8,000,000 appropriated in 1965. : Proposed supplemental. $ $1,875,000 for fiscal years 1966 through 1968. $5,550,000 request to Bureau of Budget under "Higher educational activities." 1 Proposed supplemental of $50,000 inclu led under "Vocational student loan insurance fund." * $1,000,000 request to Bureau of Budget under "Higher educational activities." * $200,000 requested for 1967 under "Student loan insurance fund." COMPARISON OF 1966 APPROPRIATIONS AND 1967 REQUESTS Senator ALLOTT. I will address myself to Mr. Kelly with this question. Mr. Ludington's statement starts out: We are requesting $250,971,000 for expansion and improvement of vocational education in 1967, a net decrease of $2,700,000 in 1966. Mr. KELLY. That is true. In the grants to the States for the programs, it is exactly the same and in terms of the research and special projects authorization it is exactly the same. With respect to the Appalachian program there is an increase of $8 million, and in respect to the work-study program there is a decrease of $15 million. With respect to the residential school construction program planning fund in the amount of $32 million are being requested that constitute an increase. With connection with vocational student loans, there is an increase from $1 million to $1,800,000 or a net increase of $800,000. So these three increases are offset by one decrease and this is exclusively in the work-study program. There is no programed decrease involved in this budget estimate. Senator ALLOTT. When it says it is a net decrease of $2,700,000, I think I can read English. Mr. KELLY. It is made up of a decrease whereby the Office of Economic Opportunity's Youth Corps will provide this kind of supplementary activity to the student and this is offset by increases amounting to $12,300,000. SHIFTING OF FUNCTIONS Senator ALLOTT. The Secretary, on page 10 of his statement, said the total appropriation_request for vocational education is slightly below the 1966 amount because a portion of the vocational education work-study program will be shifted to the Office of Economic Opportunity. I just wanted, by these questions, to point up that I think that the vocational educational program in our country is one of the greatest things. I regret very much seeing any portion of this shifted over to the Office of Economic Opportunity. I think our vocational education should be expanded and that it should fulfill to the maximum extent with all of the funds Congress appropriates the function that it is supposed to be doing and is doing, I think, very well. I don't think it is wise to shift these over into new functions and new areas with new personnel who have no experience with what they are doing in most instances or in a lot of instances and who have to formulate then new programs with all the attendant confusion, fussing, political backstabbing, and all of the things that have gone in it. I only wish that we could-and certainly I will do everything I can— see that every dollar that is needed in vocational education is provided. I just want to make my own position clear here. WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Mr. Howe. If I make an observation, I think it is important to point out that we have a very close working relationship with the Office of Economic Opportunity. In certain programs we provide the expertise of the vocational and adult bureau of the U.S. Office to be of assistance, that we administer at least one rather large program for the Office of Economic Opportunity. It is the basic adult literacy program, certainly directly related to vocational educational concerns. There is operating certainly a useful alliance here which brings whatever the Vocational Bureau can offer to some of the programs that OEO is interested in. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FIELD Senator ALLOTT. I would like to get off the question of vocational education, if I could, and come back to you, Doctor, and ask you a question on something I have been interested in for a long time, as the chairman knows. If you cannot answer this or do not have someone here who can answer it would you supply me an answer for the record? |