With the 2025 continuing resolution (CR) set to expire on Jan. 30, funding for several federal agencies including the U.S Department of Education remains uncertain. That ambiguity has raised questions about how federal appropriations will impact education programs, specifically careers and technical education (CTE) programs at this school. 

On Nov. 11, H.R.5371—the federal appropriations bill—was passed by the Senate allowing the government to return to normal function after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in history. The shutdown began when Congress failed to agree on budget and funding allocations before the start of the fiscal year, prompting them to rely on temporary funding measures. To resume governmental functions, Congress passed the CR to provide temporary relief to agencies as they resume work on appropriations and budgeting. If Congress does not reach a settlement regarding allotment of the national budget, the stalemate will yield another government-wide shut down. For students and teachers at this school that means uncertainty for Department of Education funded programs like CTE courses. 

Junior Elaine Li is a student in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) pathway at this school. The EMT pathway consists of a class that helps students get certifications, working toward a career in the field of emergency medicine. 

“We spend a lot of time out of school at the fire station riding along in the ambulance and in the Emergency Room. These give us some real experiences to the emergency medicine system and really allows students to be able to learn and help out around the community,” Li said. “In most cases, students are also able to get hands-on experience too while riding along in the ambulance, whether that’s taking patient vital signs or performing secondary assessments.”

CTE courses provide valuable learning opportunities and aid in career readiness for many students including senior Laksh Agarwal who has been in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pathway for medicine since freshman year, and is now in his fourth and final year of the program: Biomedical Innovations. 

Agarwal said, “The program is pretty personalized and hands-on which makes it different from a regular biology class. It helps get the knowledge you need to pursue other opportunities, to go out and shadow (a professional) or get internships within the field, so it’s super valuable if you kind of have an idea of what you want to do.” 

The possibility of funding cuts for CTE programs has left both teachers and students uncertain about how course offerings and student resources could be impacted. 

According to Perkins Collaborative Resource Network, federal money supports a wide range of CTE costs including equipment, teacher training, student testing fees and partnerships with industry organizations.

Nicholas Ward, PLTW Biomedical Science teacher, said a bottleneck in CTE funding could lead to limitations when it comes to the resources that CTE courses provide. 

Ward said, “If funding was reduced, we would probably not be able to purchase lab kits which would be detrimental to the hands-on learning characteristic of the curriculum. You would also see a reduction in the number of classes offered.” 

Ward explained further that CTE courses typically require more resources than general courses as they are more hands-on. 

“The (PLTW medicine) curriculum is highly specified for a medical field, going into things like autopsies, epidemiology, and medical facilities,” he said. “We also have access to lab kits that are usually not found in a regular biology classroom.” 

Li added that without federal dollars, the higher costs associated with CTE courses could create barriers for students who rely on the hands-on elements to explore potential careers.

She said, “If funding for the programs were reduced we would actually have to pay extra for the certification. Without any other funding, students would have to pay over $100 to take the national NREMT exam. This might be hard to cover for some students and can prevent a lot of students from even taking the class. ”  

Agarwal echoed the sentiments expressed by Ward and Li. 

“I think the main appeal of PLTW is that you get to work with real equipment and do labs that feel like college or industry,” Agarwal said. “If that gets reduced, it’s harder for students to get those experiences early on.”