William L. Clay: “Each year the Perkins Act helps over 10 million vocational students receive high-quality education, to receive jobs and…”

“Each year the Perkins Act helps over 10 million vocational students receive high-quality education, to receive jobs and skill training and to receive support services. That is our country's flagship vocational education program. We have worked with our Republican colleagues for several months to resolve differences concerning reauthorization of this act and have reached a fair compromise in the way States distribute vocational education funds to the local educational agencies. The bipartisan agreement reached on the formula that will be offered later... preserves formula allocations for existing vocational education programs for the first 3 years, and it provides for the gradual implementation of a formula based 60 percent on poverty and 40 percent on population. Although some of us would have preferred maintaining the existing Perkins Act formula for all 5 years of reauthorization, this, however, is a fair, good faith compromise that will ensure the continuation of all local programs.”