By Lexi Barret, JFF
Voters went to the polls last week in record numbers to cast
ballots for dozens of members of Congress, governors, state legislators, Chief
State School Officers, State Boards of Education, as well as several regional
measures impacting education and the workforce issues.
While ballots are still being tallied in some states and
regions, current results
show that many winners will be holding office for the first time, with 20 incoming governors who will be new to their position and roughly 83 newly
elected Members of Congress. New representatives with fresh perspectives will
hopefully help catalyze solutions for meeting our nation’s most pressing
education and workforce challenges.
Today’s U.S. economy is experiencing positive gains, continued
job growth, and low unemployment, yet challenges remain to fill the nation’s roughly
seven million job openings,
many of which require some form of postsecondary education beyond high school. And
even with October’s 3.7 percent
unemployment rate, considerably more than 6 million Americans remain out of
work. And according to the US Census Bureau, middle-class wages have grown just
six percent since 1979, while low-wage workers have experienced a five percent
decrease in wages over the same time period.
Addressing these challenges will not be easy and will
require bipartisan collaboration.
Traditionally education and workforce development policy have been
bipartisan issues because the health of our nation’s communities depend on the
quality of students’ education. Business leaders have also been demanding a
more educated workforce to fill the needs of today’s open jobs. This has contributed
to Congress coming together in a bipartisan manner to enact the Strengthening
Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, the Every
Student Succeeds Act, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act – all
occurring during a time of intense partisan divisions. Next year as Democrats gain control of the
House of Representatives and Republicans maintain control of the Senate and
Executive Branch it will be essential, even with a divided government, that
policymakers continue to address critical education and workforce development
issues that confront the nation, on a bipartisan basis.
Counter to prevailing opinion, JFF is optimistic that Congress
will come together to pass laws focused on preparing America’s current and
future workforce with the skills needed in today’s and in the future economy. This
includes reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 2008. We can expect a
Democratic-controlled House to focus its higher education priorities on college
affordability, updating to the student loan program, improving wraparound
services for students, and holding institutions accountable for student
outcomes, as seen last summer through the introduction of the Aim
Higher Act. House Republican priorities over the past year have
included innovation in higher education through federal aid consolidation and
loosening restrictions on alternative providers, as seen in their Prosper
Act.
A new Congress may also update critical social service
programs including the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Programs.
At the state level, we can expect elected officials to continue
their focus on issues that were addressed during the campaigns, including: workforce
readiness and postsecondary
education. States will be looking to improve and expand career and
technical education, apprenticeships, and work-based
learning to meet state and regional workforce needs. And state leadership will be looking to
tackle challenges of college affordability, access, and success through college
promise programs and dual enrollment.
JFF’s 35 years of experience working at the intersection of
policy and practice in over 44 states places us in a strong position to connect
policymakers with practitioner informed solutions and practices. JFF looks
forward to working with new and returning members of the House and Senate, as
well state Governors and state legislators to assist in developing and
implementing strong programs and policy that provide economic advancement for
all.
