Last week, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) sent a letter urging the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to extend career and technical education (CTE) programming to students beginning in sixth grade.
By beginning CTE coursework sooner, students will be able to build a stronger foundation for pursuing the skilled trades after finishing high school – which will help alleviate shortages of tradespeople across Washington state.
In its Perkins V Plan, Washington state aligned federal Perkins funding with CTE programs in seventh grade and above – while Congress designed the Perkins program to support this education for students as young as fifth grade.
“Every child deserves the chance to be the smartest kid in their school at some point in their day. It’s why we’ve got to protect trades classes in schools and invest in more of these opportunities for rural students. Expanding the forms of intelligence we value and recognize in students is a critical tool for increasing self- esteem and mental health outcomes,” wrote Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez in the letter. “After hearing from CTE teachers across my district, I believe it would benefit students to open CTE programming, including state Perkins dollars, to 6th graders. These are formative years as students survey their interests and the diverse career opportunities available to them. By exposing students to these skills and career pathways early, we can better prepare them for high school, post-secondary opportunities, and good-paying jobs.”
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez operated an auto repair and machine shop before coming to Congress, and she has prioritized bipartisan legislation to build the trades workforce of the future. She introduced legislation to expand uses of 529 plans to include tools for technical careers, help small businesses hire trade school graduates and support them in starting their own businesses, and build awareness of career and technical education opportunities. Last year, the Congresswoman brought Kalama High School CTE teacher Cory Torppa as her guest to the State of the Union.
Full text of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s letter can be found here.