With little fanfare, President Bush has signed into law a bill reauthorizing the federal career and technical education program. He earlier had voiced reservations about the measure.
The White House said that Mr. Bush signed the bill, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, on Aug. 12.
The measure will increase some academic requirements and mandate more planning of student course schedules for participants in the federal program. The Perkins Act, which will be extended through 2012 under the legislation, is funded at about $1.3 billion a year. (“Perkins Bill Is Approved by Congress,” Aug. 9, 2006.)
In 2004, Mr. Bush said that he wanted to “reform” the program but not cut its funding. However, in his budget proposals for fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2007, which starts Oct. 1, the president has proposed zeroing out that money, after questioning the program’s academic rigor. Congress has rejected the cuts. After lawmakers approved the reauthorization measure in late July, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings voiced support for it, calling it an improvement over current law.
