2002 Teacher Mentor Award Recipients

2002 marked the first year of the NAAE Teacher Mentor Award Program. CEV Multimedia, Lubbock, Texas, has made a 3-year commitment to sponsor this award program. The program is designed to recognize those experienced teachers who have made extra efforts to be mentors to beginning agriculture teachers. No greater service could be offered to the agricultural education profession!

The 2002 award recipients were (pictured left to right): Dale Crawford (OR), Region I; Van M. Chew (OK), Region II; Larry Griffin (MN), Region III; Floyd Beneker (MI), Region IV; Lee J.
James (MS), Region V; and Sally W. Shomo (VA), Region VI. At the far right, is Dr. Gordon Davis, President of CEV Multimedia.

Perkins Update

We are facing some major challenges regarding federal support for career and technical education (CTE). Here’s a summary of what’s been going on with Perkins legislation issues:

FY 2004 Executive Budget – The executive budget, or the President’s budget, contains the federal budget recommendations from the President to the Congress. In the FY 2004 executive budget, the administration recommended eliminating federal funding under the Perkins legislation and rerouting that money to fund initiatives related to the “No Child Left Behind” Act. Clearly, this is extremely detrimental to career and technical education programs all across the nation.

Perkins Reauthorization – The White House is pushing a new bill to replace Perkins that would emphasize academic education at the secondary level and provide for CTE mainly at the postsecondary level. NAAE will work to preserve and strengthen existing programs under the Perkins act.

FY 2003 Perkins Appropriations – Federal fiscal year 2003 funding for career and technical education will be fairly secure. Points of major concern are directed currently at FY 2004 funding and the reauthorization of Perkins. Legislative issues move at such a quick pace that communication to NAAE members on these issue in News & Views is not timely. To keep up with all legislative issues, please be sure you are subscribed to the U.S. Agricultural Education Listserv. Details on subscribing to the listserv are on the front page of the NAAE website at http://www.naae.org.