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Artikel AB86,
Artikel Budget,
Artikel CCAE, yang kami tulis ini dapat anda pahami. baiklah, selamat membaca.
1. Thursday, January 29th at 4 pm CCAE webinar on the State Budget and Adult Ed.
"We will be hosting our third webinar this Thursday, January 29th at 4 p.m. in order to provide an update on the Governor's FY 15-16 Budget for adult education. Our Legislative and Governmental Budget Advocate Dawn Koepke will be discussing the latest insights on the state budget discussions and next steps for action to protect K-12 Adult Schools.
We look forward to speaking with you about the Governor's Budget proposal, our perspectives and key issues, and discussing our next steps to protect K12 adult schools. Register today!" Click here for a link to register and participate.
2. Friday, January 30th at 12 noon AB86 webinar on the State Budget and Adult Ed - with DOF! - the Department of Finance.
For this week's webinar on Friday, January 30th, the Department of Finance will be presenting on the budget for Adult Education and will be answering your questions. The webinar is at 12:00PM to 100PM and it will be recorded and posted to ab86.cccco.edu Please visit us at ab86.cccco.edu or see below for directions on how to connect to the webinar.
How to Connect:
Dial your telephone conference line: (888) 886-3951
1. Thursday, January 29th at 4 pm CCAE webinar on the State Budget and Adult Ed.
"We will be hosting our third webinar this Thursday, January 29th at 4 p.m. in order to provide an update on the Governor's FY 15-16 Budget for adult education. Our Legislative and Governmental Budget Advocate Dawn Koepke will be discussing the latest insights on the state budget discussions and next steps for action to protect K-12 Adult Schools.
We look forward to speaking with you about the Governor's Budget proposal, our perspectives and key issues, and discussing our next steps to protect K12 adult schools. Register today!" Click here for a link to register and participate.
2. Friday, January 30th at 12 noon AB86 webinar on the State Budget and Adult Ed - with DOF! - the Department of Finance.
For this week's webinar on Friday, January 30th, the Department of Finance will be presenting on the budget for Adult Education and will be answering your questions. The webinar is at 12:00PM to 100PM and it will be recorded and posted to ab86.cccco.edu Please visit us at ab86.cccco.edu or see below for directions on how to connect to the webinar.
How to Connect:
Dial your telephone conference line: (888) 886-3951
The immense support, letter writing, social media/blog posting, phone calls and participation in various meetings from friends of BAS recently have been received by our Board and it is important that we continue to advocate for our programs, to organize to inform and have a presence at meetings, write letters, and invite Board members to visit. We are moved and grateful for the unified support of ...our school particularly from our staff. Local stakeholders have written letters, made phone calls and spoken at meetings. At Wednesday evening's Board meeting, Superintendent Evans said "We're not in a position to talk about long-term solutions." While the Superintendent's recommendation to re-purpose our site as an elementary school has been postponed, it remains one of two long term solutions, the other to build a new elementary school at the Oregon Street property. In mid-February, the Superintendent's staff will be looking at projected enrollment for Fall 2015 and determining which elementary schools need new modular classrooms as a temporary solution. If elementary enrollment continues to increase we may have to face the possibility that our advocacy turns to keeping us whole and finding a new location.
Students and faculty from Berkeley Adult School
stand and hold signs in solidarity
against relocation of the school at Wednesday’s board meeting.
Photo: Seung Y. Lee
Adult Education is a tool for social justice and like other worthy causes, we need to always highlight the good work we do by informing our Board, District staff, and legislators, asking the press and public to come and write about who we serve and how we do it, attend and participate in school district meetings, engage our students to work with us and stay in the limelight. BAS staff will be focusing our attention on alternative solutions for our Board to consider other than spreading our classes through the district and the value of the investment in keeping us whole.
There will be a town hall style meeting in mid-February regarding the future of BAS, please stay tuned for details and plan on attending if you can.
Thank you for your support.
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please see the AEM post, "All Out for Berkeley Adult School" for a full list of resources, contact info, media coverage, etc. That post will be continuously updated.
The immense support, letter writing, social media/blog posting, phone calls and participation in various meetings from friends of BAS recently have been received by our Board and it is important that we continue to advocate for our programs, to organize to inform and have a presence at meetings, write letters, and invite Board members to visit. We are moved and grateful for the unified support of ...our school particularly from our staff. Local stakeholders have written letters, made phone calls and spoken at meetings. At Wednesday evening's Board meeting, Superintendent Evans said "We're not in a position to talk about long-term solutions." While the Superintendent's recommendation to re-purpose our site as an elementary school has been postponed, it remains one of two long term solutions, the other to build a new elementary school at the Oregon Street property. In mid-February, the Superintendent's staff will be looking at projected enrollment for Fall 2015 and determining which elementary schools need new modular classrooms as a temporary solution. If elementary enrollment continues to increase we may have to face the possibility that our advocacy turns to keeping us whole and finding a new location.
Students and faculty from Berkeley Adult School
stand and hold signs in solidarity
against relocation of the school at Wednesday’s board meeting.
Photo: Seung Y. Lee
Adult Education is a tool for social justice and like other worthy causes, we need to always highlight the good work we do by informing our Board, District staff, and legislators, asking the press and public to come and write about who we serve and how we do it, attend and participate in school district meetings, engage our students to work with us and stay in the limelight. BAS staff will be focusing our attention on alternative solutions for our Board to consider other than spreading our classes through the district and the value of the investment in keeping us whole.
There will be a town hall style meeting in mid-February regarding the future of BAS, please stay tuned for details and plan on attending if you can.
Thank you for your support.
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please see the AEM post, "All Out for Berkeley Adult School" for a full list of resources, contact info, media coverage, etc. That post will be continuously updated.
The governor’s proposed budget, unveiled last week, allocates $500 million for an Adult Education Block Grant, with a provision that existing K-12 adult ed programs be funded for another year. The new funding allows more time for recently formed local consortia of adult schools, community colleges and other organizations that serve adults to determine what programs their communities need, how they will be funded and who is going to provide them.
K-12 adult schools have been fighting for survival since the recession, when school districts were allowed to use funding formerly dedicated for adult schools for any educational purpose. Many districts, trying to minimize cuts to their K-12 programs, took advantage of this new flexibility and eliminated or severely cut funding to their adult schools.
To stop the decimation of the state’s adult ed programs, the governor and legislators in the 2013-14 budget required districts that still had adult programs to maintain them for two years. If the governor’s current proposal is enacted, adult programs will have direct, dedicated state funding. Debra Jones, dean of career education practices at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, calls what is outlined in the budget “a gift to adult students.”
“I never dreamed I would see dedicated funding for disenfranchised adults,” Jones said. “We’re celebrating. Overall, this is pretty special.”
Adult schools provide free or low-cost classes to Californians who are too old for K-12 schools but not academically prepared for community college, or who don’t qualify for skilled jobs. They serve immigrants, the unemployed, disabled adults, high-school dropouts and ex-offenders reentering society.
“I never dreamed I would see dedicated funding for disenfranchised adults,” said Debra Jones, dean of career education practices at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. “We’re celebrating. Overall, this is pretty special.”
Without dedicated funding for the next year, adult school administrators and teachers were concerned that their schools would close as districts focused their funds on K-12 students. They were also worried that the newly formed consortia – 70 statewide – which have been meeting for about a year, were not yet ready to fully function.
Liv Ames for EdSource
Hessam Ghajar, left, and Takeshi Naoi practice English with classmates in a San Mateo Adult School class.“For the first time in decades, community colleges, county offices of education and school districts have been having meaningful conversations about what adult programs should look like,” said former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, who was head of the Assembly Education Committee until the current legislative session began. “We need to build on the work that has been done and then have a thoughtful implementation process to really deliver an effective program.”
The Department of Finance does not know exactly how much of the $500 million will go to preserve current programs, though estimates by adult school providers put the figure at around $300 million. The remaining $200 million or so funds will be given to the consortia to be used for programs and support services, such as child care or career counseling. Only 5 percent can be used for administration.
One issue the consortia will have to grapple with is limited funding to meet the needs of adult learners throughout the state, Jones said. Before the recession, K-12 adult schools were getting $723 million in state funding, she said. In addition, many areas of the state, particularly rural counties, had never had K-12 adult ed programs. The 70 consortia now cover the entire state. Jones said the Department of Finance made no promises regarding funding beyond the 2015-16 school year. But, she said, finance officials did say it probably would not be less than $500 million in the future.
In his budget, Gov. Brown states that state-funded adult education programs should include basic reading, writing, math, and other elementary and high school classes. They should also include citizenship and English as a second language classes, he said. In addition, adult ed should provide programs for adults with disabilities, apprenticeship programs and short-term, career-technical classes that provide skills in high demand, he said.
Former adult ed priorities under state law, such as older adult programs and parent education, will not receive direct state funding. Supporters have argued that parent education programs are key to involving parents in their children’s education. Under the Local Control Funding Formula, the new state funding system for schools, districts must meet eight priorities, one of which is parent involvement. Supporters of older adult programs say that as baby boomers retire, the need for programs to keep seniors active and mentally alert will grow.
Liv Ames for EdSource
Patricia Brown teaches English as a second language at San Mateo Adult School.The 2015-16 budget also lays out how the consortia are expected to work. The chancellor of the community colleges and the state superintendent of public instruction will jointly allocate funds among the 70 consortia. In an information session with Department of Finance officials, Jones was told the funds will be distributed based on existing programs, unmet need and performance. More funding is supposed to be channeled to the areas with the greatest needs, echoing the priorities under the Local Control Funding Formula, which gives districts more funds based on the percentages of English learners, low-income students and foster students they serve.
“As with the LCFF for children, allocating more money to areas where there is more need is an excellent idea that has the potential to promote an educational system that is more fair and provides students who stand at a disadvantage with more opportunities to succeed,” said Kristen Pursley, an adult ed teacher with West Contra Costa Adult Education, in a blog about the governor’s plan. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members – one each from community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs and one public member with relevant expertise. These committees will develop education plans for their consortia and determine which programs will be funded.
Each year, the allocation committees will send a report to the chancellor and state superintendent describing how well they have met the goals in their plans. Developing an entire new structure and working together to determine which organizations will provide various classes creates a lot of challenges, said Karen Arthur, an Oxnard Adult School teacher. “The allocation committees have a heck of a lot of power.”
Pursley said the proposal leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and its success will depend a lot on the committee members and how well they work together.
The consortia approach is likely to function better, educators say, if communities have worked well together in the past. San Mateo Adult School, for example, has had several years of experience collaborating with community partners through ALLIES, a coalition of community colleges, adult schools and community-based organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and with the help of a federal Workforce Innovation grant, the initiative began in 2011 to help the area’s immigrants get the education and support services they needed to find well-paid jobs and careers.
Tim Doyle, Assistant Director at San Mateo Adult School Photo Credit: Liv Ames for Edsource
“In some consortia, there is more overlap and more tension between community colleges and adult schools,” said Tim Doyle, assistant director of the San Mateo Adult School. “Here there is much more coordination. The local community college doesn’t do much of what we do.”
Daniel Pec is a 28-year-old immigrant from Guatemala who attends San Mateo Adult School. He said even though both San Mateo College and the adult school offer ESL classes, the focus of the two programs is different. Pec is trained in computer science and expects to eventually go to college, but for now he needs to learn English and support his family.
“The community college is very expensive, and it is more book English,” Pec said, adding that he likes the adult school because he has a chance to practice the language, which has helped him in his job at a restaurant.
Jones said the goal is to align the work that adult schools and community colleges are doing to improve access for all students. For example, a student might learn medical transcription at an adult school and then take a medical technology class at a community college. Or in Pec’s case, after learning conversational English in adult school, he might go on to learn “book English” at the local community college.
“We need better pathways,” Jones said. “When people exit one program, they should be adequately prepared when they get to the next one.”
Pursley said that there are many things left to be decided, but adult schools can now “breathe a sigh of relief.”
“There is money for us, and a system is being put into place for ongoing funding,” she said. “Adult schools have a future, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least.”
The governor’s proposed budget, unveiled last week, allocates $500 million for an Adult Education Block Grant, with a provision that existing K-12 adult ed programs be funded for another year. The new funding allows more time for recently formed local consortia of adult schools, community colleges and other organizations that serve adults to determine what programs their communities need, how they will be funded and who is going to provide them.
K-12 adult schools have been fighting for survival since the recession, when school districts were allowed to use funding formerly dedicated for adult schools for any educational purpose. Many districts, trying to minimize cuts to their K-12 programs, took advantage of this new flexibility and eliminated or severely cut funding to their adult schools.
To stop the decimation of the state’s adult ed programs, the governor and legislators in the 2013-14 budget required districts that still had adult programs to maintain them for two years. If the governor’s current proposal is enacted, adult programs will have direct, dedicated state funding. Debra Jones, dean of career education practices at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, calls what is outlined in the budget “a gift to adult students.”
“I never dreamed I would see dedicated funding for disenfranchised adults,” Jones said. “We’re celebrating. Overall, this is pretty special.”
Adult schools provide free or low-cost classes to Californians who are too old for K-12 schools but not academically prepared for community college, or who don’t qualify for skilled jobs. They serve immigrants, the unemployed, disabled adults, high-school dropouts and ex-offenders reentering society.
“I never dreamed I would see dedicated funding for disenfranchised adults,” said Debra Jones, dean of career education practices at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. “We’re celebrating. Overall, this is pretty special.”
Without dedicated funding for the next year, adult school administrators and teachers were concerned that their schools would close as districts focused their funds on K-12 students. They were also worried that the newly formed consortia – 70 statewide – which have been meeting for about a year, were not yet ready to fully function.
Liv Ames for EdSource
Hessam Ghajar, left, and Takeshi Naoi practice English with classmates in a San Mateo Adult School class.“For the first time in decades, community colleges, county offices of education and school districts have been having meaningful conversations about what adult programs should look like,” said former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, who was head of the Assembly Education Committee until the current legislative session began. “We need to build on the work that has been done and then have a thoughtful implementation process to really deliver an effective program.”
The Department of Finance does not know exactly how much of the $500 million will go to preserve current programs, though estimates by adult school providers put the figure at around $300 million. The remaining $200 million or so funds will be given to the consortia to be used for programs and support services, such as child care or career counseling. Only 5 percent can be used for administration.
One issue the consortia will have to grapple with is limited funding to meet the needs of adult learners throughout the state, Jones said. Before the recession, K-12 adult schools were getting $723 million in state funding, she said. In addition, many areas of the state, particularly rural counties, had never had K-12 adult ed programs. The 70 consortia now cover the entire state. Jones said the Department of Finance made no promises regarding funding beyond the 2015-16 school year. But, she said, finance officials did say it probably would not be less than $500 million in the future.
In his budget, Gov. Brown states that state-funded adult education programs should include basic reading, writing, math, and other elementary and high school classes. They should also include citizenship and English as a second language classes, he said. In addition, adult ed should provide programs for adults with disabilities, apprenticeship programs and short-term, career-technical classes that provide skills in high demand, he said.
Former adult ed priorities under state law, such as older adult programs and parent education, will not receive direct state funding. Supporters have argued that parent education programs are key to involving parents in their children’s education. Under the Local Control Funding Formula, the new state funding system for schools, districts must meet eight priorities, one of which is parent involvement. Supporters of older adult programs say that as baby boomers retire, the need for programs to keep seniors active and mentally alert will grow.
Liv Ames for EdSource
Patricia Brown teaches English as a second language at San Mateo Adult School.The 2015-16 budget also lays out how the consortia are expected to work. The chancellor of the community colleges and the state superintendent of public instruction will jointly allocate funds among the 70 consortia. In an information session with Department of Finance officials, Jones was told the funds will be distributed based on existing programs, unmet need and performance. More funding is supposed to be channeled to the areas with the greatest needs, echoing the priorities under the Local Control Funding Formula, which gives districts more funds based on the percentages of English learners, low-income students and foster students they serve.
“As with the LCFF for children, allocating more money to areas where there is more need is an excellent idea that has the potential to promote an educational system that is more fair and provides students who stand at a disadvantage with more opportunities to succeed,” said Kristen Pursley, an adult ed teacher with West Contra Costa Adult Education, in a blog about the governor’s plan. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members – one each from community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs and one public member with relevant expertise. These committees will develop education plans for their consortia and determine which programs will be funded.
Each year, the allocation committees will send a report to the chancellor and state superintendent describing how well they have met the goals in their plans. Developing an entire new structure and working together to determine which organizations will provide various classes creates a lot of challenges, said Karen Arthur, an Oxnard Adult School teacher. “The allocation committees have a heck of a lot of power.”
Pursley said the proposal leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and its success will depend a lot on the committee members and how well they work together.
The consortia approach is likely to function better, educators say, if communities have worked well together in the past. San Mateo Adult School, for example, has had several years of experience collaborating with community partners through ALLIES, a coalition of community colleges, adult schools and community-based organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and with the help of a federal Workforce Innovation grant, the initiative began in 2011 to help the area’s immigrants get the education and support services they needed to find well-paid jobs and careers.
Tim Doyle, Assistant Director at San Mateo Adult School Photo Credit: Liv Ames for Edsource
“In some consortia, there is more overlap and more tension between community colleges and adult schools,” said Tim Doyle, assistant director of the San Mateo Adult School. “Here there is much more coordination. The local community college doesn’t do much of what we do.”
Daniel Pec is a 28-year-old immigrant from Guatemala who attends San Mateo Adult School. He said even though both San Mateo College and the adult school offer ESL classes, the focus of the two programs is different. Pec is trained in computer science and expects to eventually go to college, but for now he needs to learn English and support his family.
“The community college is very expensive, and it is more book English,” Pec said, adding that he likes the adult school because he has a chance to practice the language, which has helped him in his job at a restaurant.
Jones said the goal is to align the work that adult schools and community colleges are doing to improve access for all students. For example, a student might learn medical transcription at an adult school and then take a medical technology class at a community college. Or in Pec’s case, after learning conversational English in adult school, he might go on to learn “book English” at the local community college.
“We need better pathways,” Jones said. “When people exit one program, they should be adequately prepared when they get to the next one.”
Pursley said that there are many things left to be decided, but adult schools can now “breathe a sigh of relief.”
“There is money for us, and a system is being put into place for ongoing funding,” she said. “Adult schools have a future, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least.”
Here is CCAE Legislative Analyst Dawn Koepke's analysis of Gov. Brown's Budget Proposal.
FY 15-16 Budget Overview - "Stability"
By Dawn Koepke, CCAE Legislative Analyst
We've been anxiously awaiting news, having worked so hard to make meaningful headway with the Administration and Department of Finance (DOF) on the future of adult education. All of that hard work culminated in the Governor releasing his FY 15-16 budget plan this morning that is workable and provides stability for K12 adult education when we need it most.
All-in-all, the proposal provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for a newly created Adult Education Block Grant, which the Administration is characterizing as an "integral component of the state's workforce development strategy." The Block Grant will fund adult education programs in elementary and secondary basic skills; classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants; education programs for adults with disabilities; short-term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential; and programs for apprentices. These programs align with the AB 86 parameters and are intended to be aligned with the economic needs of each region, providing clear and accessibly pathways to in-demand jobs. The program is intended to promote ongoing collaboration between different providers - K12 adult schools/school districts, community colleges, and other adult education providers in a region - and with organizations such as workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
Of greatest importance to help ease the transition to an AB 86 regional approach, the proposal provides dedicated funding directly to K12 school districts in the amount of the districts' maintenance of effort for adult education to maintain current capacity. While the proposal isn't perfect, this component was critically important and one of the key items we advocated heavily for to preserve current capacity as we make the transition. Other details of the proposal were also pulled directly from our advocacy, including the Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction being required to jointly approve allocations of funds to each region based on those regions with the greatest adult education needs.
In terms of the decision making related to funding, the Administration has been adamant about decisions being made at the local level within the consortia. In this regard and in an attempt to ensure adult education programs are well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration has proposed that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. More specifically, they envision each consortium forming an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee would then coordinate with its regional partners to ensure the various funding streams are integrated - block grant funds, other K12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will then determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (capped at 5%). Future allocations will be distributed according to these allocation committees.
While this allocation board/committee approach is different than what we had advocated for, its intent is to help level the playing field in the decision making process - another key issue we advocated for with DOF. We recognize, however, that not all regions are created equal but believe strongly this is a good start from which to work from that recognizes K12 adult education as an equal partner in the future of adult education. We'll clearly need to spend some time thinking about the board/committee, how it should operate, decision making processes, criteria, etc. This will take some time, but is doable and the fact that we've worked so well with the DOF thus far provides great opportunity to lock the details of the proposal down in the coming months.
All-in-all, I feel like we've made tremendous progress. Keep in mind that just two years ago the Governor's January budget proposal proposed to shift all of adult education to the Community College system essentially eliminating K12 adult education. Today, however, we are recognized as an important partner in the future of adult education and will retain our own standing. This turn around did not happen by chance - with your help we've worked hard to ensure stability and a bright future for K12 adult schools. And while I know that $500 million will not get us back to square one fiscally, it is certainly a good start for year one - especially with the dedicated maintenance of capacity funding to provide stability.
As we work with DOF to fill in the details (not yet available), we urge you to continue to work in earnest with your consortium and keep us informed of that progress. We'll certainly have more to say in the coming weeks and will be holding a webinar at the end of January to provide further detail. Stay tuned for the formal announcement...
Here is CCAE Legislative Analyst Dawn Koepke's analysis of Gov. Brown's Budget Proposal.
FY 15-16 Budget Overview - "Stability"
By Dawn Koepke, CCAE Legislative Analyst
We've been anxiously awaiting news, having worked so hard to make meaningful headway with the Administration and Department of Finance (DOF) on the future of adult education. All of that hard work culminated in the Governor releasing his FY 15-16 budget plan this morning that is workable and provides stability for K12 adult education when we need it most.
All-in-all, the proposal provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for a newly created Adult Education Block Grant, which the Administration is characterizing as an "integral component of the state's workforce development strategy." The Block Grant will fund adult education programs in elementary and secondary basic skills; classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants; education programs for adults with disabilities; short-term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential; and programs for apprentices. These programs align with the AB 86 parameters and are intended to be aligned with the economic needs of each region, providing clear and accessibly pathways to in-demand jobs. The program is intended to promote ongoing collaboration between different providers - K12 adult schools/school districts, community colleges, and other adult education providers in a region - and with organizations such as workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
Of greatest importance to help ease the transition to an AB 86 regional approach, the proposal provides dedicated funding directly to K12 school districts in the amount of the districts' maintenance of effort for adult education to maintain current capacity. While the proposal isn't perfect, this component was critically important and one of the key items we advocated heavily for to preserve current capacity as we make the transition. Other details of the proposal were also pulled directly from our advocacy, including the Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction being required to jointly approve allocations of funds to each region based on those regions with the greatest adult education needs.
In terms of the decision making related to funding, the Administration has been adamant about decisions being made at the local level within the consortia. In this regard and in an attempt to ensure adult education programs are well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration has proposed that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. More specifically, they envision each consortium forming an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee would then coordinate with its regional partners to ensure the various funding streams are integrated - block grant funds, other K12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will then determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (capped at 5%). Future allocations will be distributed according to these allocation committees.
While this allocation board/committee approach is different than what we had advocated for, its intent is to help level the playing field in the decision making process - another key issue we advocated for with DOF. We recognize, however, that not all regions are created equal but believe strongly this is a good start from which to work from that recognizes K12 adult education as an equal partner in the future of adult education. We'll clearly need to spend some time thinking about the board/committee, how it should operate, decision making processes, criteria, etc. This will take some time, but is doable and the fact that we've worked so well with the DOF thus far provides great opportunity to lock the details of the proposal down in the coming months.
All-in-all, I feel like we've made tremendous progress. Keep in mind that just two years ago the Governor's January budget proposal proposed to shift all of adult education to the Community College system essentially eliminating K12 adult education. Today, however, we are recognized as an important partner in the future of adult education and will retain our own standing. This turn around did not happen by chance - with your help we've worked hard to ensure stability and a bright future for K12 adult schools. And while I know that $500 million will not get us back to square one fiscally, it is certainly a good start for year one - especially with the dedicated maintenance of capacity funding to provide stability.
As we work with DOF to fill in the details (not yet available), we urge you to continue to work in earnest with your consortium and keep us informed of that progress. We'll certainly have more to say in the coming weeks and will be holding a webinar at the end of January to provide further detail. Stay tuned for the formal announcement...
Save Your Adult School is an amazing blog written by Kristen Pursley, one of the founding members of COSAS, Communities Organized to Support Adult Schools. The blog is always chock full of facts, insight, and analysis.
The most recent post is a phenomenal parsing of Governor Brown's new Budget Proposal for 2015-16. Because I think the post is so valuable and helpful and want it to have the widest readership as possible, I asked permission to share it here.
So, with the permission of Kristen Pursley, here it is:
The governor’s budget plan for adult education in 2015-2016 gives cause for both celebration and mourning. It also sends adult schools on a journey into the unknown, with a new system of allocating funding that mirrors the Local Control Funding Formula which was recently implemented in K-12 schools.
To celebrate: K-12 adult schools will survive. Categorical flexibility is over, and money dedicated to adult education will once again flow to adult schools. K-12 districts will still be involved in adult education.
To mourn: There is no money for Parent Education and Older Adult programs; the state is about to lose programs that have served young families and seniors since the 1920s and 1950s respectively, unless something is done, and quickly. No plans to save these programs are on the horizon.
Journey Into the Unknown: Beginning in 2016-2017, adult education funds will be allocated by regional allocation committees consisting of representatives of community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, workforce investment boards, social service agencies, and correctional rehabilitation programs.
Interestingly, the budget for adult education is contained in the section of the budget that relates to K-12 education, which suggests that the governor sees adult schools as part of K-12 districts. This is progress since the 2013 budget, which recommended abolishing adult schools and reorganizing them under the community colleges. In that budget, adult education funding was part of the higher education budget.
To read a summary of the governor’s proposal for adult education funding without interruption, click here:
To read it interlarded with comments, like a Greek comedy or tragedy (your choice) read on. The comments are in italics.
AdultEducation
Historically, K‑12 school districts and community colleges have provided adult education instruction. However, there was not effective coordination in all jurisdictions and regional workforce needs were not a focus. As a result, the state has an inefficientand in some places redundant system that is not always structured to best meet the needs of adult learners. Strengthening the link between the state’s education and workforce systems is crucial to California’s growing economy.
Comment re inefficiency and redundancy: The governor’s office still can’t seem to talk about adult education without bashing it a little. While it is certainly true that there has not been a high level of collaboration between adult schools and community colleges in many areas, it is also true that they were not originally set up to work together, but were rather established as separate systems. It’s actually a good idea to get them working more closely together, but why not just say we want more collaboration, instead of throwing around charges of inefficiency and redundancy? The claim that adult education is inefficient and redundant in California is actually something of a “big lie”, a lie repeated so often that people believe it to be true. The Legislative Analyst’s Report of 2012 made this claim in inflammatory language, but didn’t back it up with any facts showing that adult schools or community colleges are inefficient within themselves, nor did the report back up its claims about redundancy. Federal reports about adult education nationwide have found that adult schools are efficient and effective institutions that serve their students well.
It may seem churlish to complain about this language in a budget that seems to save adult schools from oblivion, but the way the powerful frame an issue is important. For contrast, look at the first lines of the section of the budget about California’s prisons, which have been sanctioned for overcrowding and hellish conditions. It reads like a love letter:
“The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation incarcerates the most violent felons, supervises those released on parole, and provides rehabilitation programs to help them reintegrate into the community. The Department provides safe and secure detention facilities and necessary support services to inmates, including food, clothing, academic and vocational training, as well as health care services.”
So prisons are heroes that save us from bad people, while adult schools are just this mess that we have to clean up. Prisons are getting 10.3 billion dollars in the 2015-2016 budget. Adult education is getting $500 million. Comment re regional workforce focus: Contrary to the above assertion that “regional workforce needs were not a focus” of adult education, regional workforce needs have always been a focus of adult education, and a strong one at that. Adult schools always collaborate with their local Workforce Investment Boards and business organizations. They have to do this, because vocational training and improved earning power are of vital importance to their students. But up until now, workforce preparation has not been the only focus of adult education. The 2015-2016 budget finishes the job of stripping adult schools of valuable community building functions that have historically been an important part of the mission. It narrows the focus of adult education by starving Parent Education, Older Adult, Health and Safety and Home Economics programs of money. These programs will die on July 1, 2015 if nothing is done to save them.
The 2013 Budget Act provided $25 million Proposition 98 General Fund for two‑year planning grants to consortia of community college districts and school districts in 70 regions. The planning builds upon the adult education infrastructure in schools and community colleges. In 2013‑14 and 2014‑15, K‑12 districts also have been required to maintain the 2012‑13 level of spending for adult education and career technical education (CTE) programs from funds received through the Local Control Funding Formula.
Comment: This paragraph describes the consortium planning process that has been going on for the last two years, which, as the language states, builds on both adult schools and community colleges. During this time, school districts with adult schools have been required to spend the same amount on their adult schools they spent in 2102-2013; in other words, they could not cut their adult school’s budgets any more in order to spend the money on other priorities.
The Budget provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for the Adult Education Block Grant, which is an integral component of the state’s workforce development strategy, as discussed in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. The block grant will fund programs in elementary and secondary basic skills, classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants, education programs for adults with disabilities, short‑term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential, and programs for apprentices. Comment: Here is the narrowing of adult education’s mission to programs related to workforce development. Community building programs like Parent Education and Older Adult programs are left out, which means they will lose their state funding. To be successful, it is imperative that these programs be well aligned with the economic needs of each region, and that they provide clear pathways to in‑demand jobs, as determined by regional labor market information. The program will promote ongoing collaboration amongst different providers and with entities that serve the populations that benefit from adult education; namely, workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
Comment: The proposal to promote ongoing collaboration is very promising, a bright spot in this budget plan. Ongoing collaboration is crucial to meeting the needs of adults in an ever-changing economic and social environment. This proposal indicates that the consortium planning will be an ongoing process, as it should be, rather than a one-time effort.
In order for adult education programs to be well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration proposes that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K‑12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee will coordinate with regional partners to ensure various adult education funding streams are integrated, such as block grant funds, other K‑12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (which will be capped at 5 percent). Each consortium will report annually to the Chancellor and Superintendent on progress towards fulfilling its adult education plan using all resources available. These reports will inform distribution of block grant funds in the future.
Comment: This is the heart of the adult education funding plan. A new entity, an allocation committee for each consortium, will coordinate with regional partners in order to allocate adult education funds. It’s a journey into the unknown, and it’s difficult to know how it will actually play out. On one hand, school districts will continue to be involved in adult school funding, as the allocation committee will include a representative from K-12. This is what adult school advocates have been asking for; a continuing relationship with the school districts they serve. It’s a relief to know this relationship will be maintained. Maybe districts will need to be more involved in their adult schools and understand them more deeply, because they will be involved in these group funding decisions. That would be a desirable and beneficial development.
On the other hand, it seems like there will be a lot of groups with competing interests having to come to a decision, and it brings to mind the old saying about a camel being a horse designed by a committee. Actually, this saying is a bit unfair to the camel, which is a wondrous creature in its way, and well designed to survive in its environment, but you get the idea. Whether adult education funding in a region turns out to be a swift steed or an ungainly beast may depend a lot on who the actual committee members are and how well they work together.
Several questions arise right away. For one thing, the proposal specifically states that each committee will have seven members representing different interests, including K-12 districts and community colleges. Consortia are defined by community college districts, so only one community college district will need to be represented on the board. But most consortia contain many K-12 districts, while it appears that there will be room for only one K-12 representative on the committee. How will this representative be chosen, and how will he or she be held accountable for fairly representing all the K-12 districts in the consortium? And how will such things as union negotiations fit into this process? Each consortium will be dealing with multiple unions: classified employees’ unions and administrator’s associations as well as teachers’ unions, and they will be different for each district.
It could work, of course. Like the consortium planning process, it will undoubtedly be a “learn as you go” experience. In order to work, the process will need to be completely open and transparent, and ideally open to input from various stakeholders, especially students.
A final comment about this: adult school funding before the budget crisis of 2008 stood at about $700 million, and that money was just for adult schools. Currently adult schools are funded at about $300 million, with the money coming out of school districts’ Local Control Funding Formula funds. The 2015-2016 budget provides a $500 million Adult Education Block Grant, and when the state talks about “Adult Education” now, it means both adult schools and community colleges. So it seems that the $500 million, which is still about $200 million less than adult schools alone were receiving prior to the crisis, might also be available to the community colleges, depending, it seems, on the decisions made by each consortium’s allocation committee.
It is important to note that community colleges have their own funding, included in the Higher Education budget. That budget for 2015-2016 includes well over $900 million for the community colleges in increases and one-time adjustments alone. The community colleges deserve this money, of course. They are a huge system serving an enormous number of students. But it is important to note that the Adult Education Block Grant is a tiny portion of the money available for them, while it is all the money that is available to adult schools. The Adult Education Block Grant is listed in the Community College section of the governor’s 2015-2016 budget proposal, as well as in the K-12 section. You can read the summary of the proposed budget for the community colleges here: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2015-16/pdf/BudgetSummary/HigherEducation.pdf
The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees. The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees.
Comment: It is good to know that the Superintendent of Public Instruction will be involved in approving allocations. It means that the California Department of Education will still have involvement in adult schools, another sign that adult schools are not being completely turned over to the community colleges. The emphasis on providing funding to regions with the greatest adult education needs brings adult education funding into line with the Local Control Funding Formula(LCFF) that is now in place for children, which allocates more money to districts with high numbers of low-income, English Language Learner, and foster children, who are determined to have more educational needs. As with the LCFF for children, allocating more money to areas where there is more need is an excellent idea that has the potential to promote an educational system that is more fair and provides students who stand at a disadvantage with more opportunities to succeed. Like the LCFF, there will need to be strong accountability measures to make sure the money goes to help the students for whom it is intended, rather than simply going to the area in which those students reside. The one-year transitional period is good news and bad news, in a way. On one hand, it is probably the only way to avoid chaos, as everything is happening so fast. The final consortium reports won’t even be complete until March, and there probably isn’t enough time between now and July to get the allocation committees up and functioning. So the state is extending the maintenance of effort, but it sounds like they will be giving school districts additional money, earmarked for adult schools, with which to do it. That will be good news for school districts, who can now free up the LCFF money they have been spending on adult schools for other purposes without losing their adult schools, which they can now fund from the Adult Education Block Grant. The bad news for adult schools is that next year will just be a maintenance of effort; there won’t be any more money. Adult schools that have been barely scraping by on their scanty allowance will have to keep scraping for another year. However, the last line about further allocations distributed according to allocation committees seems to hold out a ray of hope. Will those further allocations, perhaps, take place next year?
A final report from the two‑year planning process will be provided by March 1, 2015. This report will inform the accountability framework for delivery of adult education and remaining policy decisions, such as how fees are charged for similar programs delivered by different providers.
Comment: Obviously, there are many things left to be decided, but adult schools can breathe a sigh of relief at last. There is money for us, and a system is being put into place for ongoing funding. Adult schools have a future, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least.
Save Your Adult School is an amazing blog written by Kristen Pursley, one of the founding members of COSAS, Communities Organized to Support Adult Schools. The blog is always chock full of facts, insight, and analysis.
The most recent post is a phenomenal parsing of Governor Brown's new Budget Proposal for 2015-16. Because I think the post is so valuable and helpful and want it to have the widest readership as possible, I asked permission to share it here.
So, with the permission of Kristen Pursley, here it is:
The governor’s budget plan for adult education in 2015-2016 gives cause for both celebration and mourning. It also sends adult schools on a journey into the unknown, with a new system of allocating funding that mirrors the Local Control Funding Formula which was recently implemented in K-12 schools.
To celebrate: K-12 adult schools will survive. Categorical flexibility is over, and money dedicated to adult education will once again flow to adult schools. K-12 districts will still be involved in adult education.
To mourn: There is no money for Parent Education and Older Adult programs; the state is about to lose programs that have served young families and seniors since the 1920s and 1950s respectively, unless something is done, and quickly. No plans to save these programs are on the horizon.
Journey Into the Unknown: Beginning in 2016-2017, adult education funds will be allocated by regional allocation committees consisting of representatives of community colleges, K-12 districts, other adult education providers, workforce investment boards, social service agencies, and correctional rehabilitation programs.
Interestingly, the budget for adult education is contained in the section of the budget that relates to K-12 education, which suggests that the governor sees adult schools as part of K-12 districts. This is progress since the 2013 budget, which recommended abolishing adult schools and reorganizing them under the community colleges. In that budget, adult education funding was part of the higher education budget.
To read a summary of the governor’s proposal for adult education funding without interruption, click here:
To read it interlarded with comments, like a Greek comedy or tragedy (your choice) read on. The comments are in italics.
AdultEducation
Historically, K‑12 school districts and community colleges have provided adult education instruction. However, there was not effective coordination in all jurisdictions and regional workforce needs were not a focus. As a result, the state has an inefficientand in some places redundant system that is not always structured to best meet the needs of adult learners. Strengthening the link between the state’s education and workforce systems is crucial to California’s growing economy.
Comment re inefficiency and redundancy: The governor’s office still can’t seem to talk about adult education without bashing it a little. While it is certainly true that there has not been a high level of collaboration between adult schools and community colleges in many areas, it is also true that they were not originally set up to work together, but were rather established as separate systems. It’s actually a good idea to get them working more closely together, but why not just say we want more collaboration, instead of throwing around charges of inefficiency and redundancy? The claim that adult education is inefficient and redundant in California is actually something of a “big lie”, a lie repeated so often that people believe it to be true. The Legislative Analyst’s Report of 2012 made this claim in inflammatory language, but didn’t back it up with any facts showing that adult schools or community colleges are inefficient within themselves, nor did the report back up its claims about redundancy. Federal reports about adult education nationwide have found that adult schools are efficient and effective institutions that serve their students well.
It may seem churlish to complain about this language in a budget that seems to save adult schools from oblivion, but the way the powerful frame an issue is important. For contrast, look at the first lines of the section of the budget about California’s prisons, which have been sanctioned for overcrowding and hellish conditions. It reads like a love letter:
“The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation incarcerates the most violent felons, supervises those released on parole, and provides rehabilitation programs to help them reintegrate into the community. The Department provides safe and secure detention facilities and necessary support services to inmates, including food, clothing, academic and vocational training, as well as health care services.”
So prisons are heroes that save us from bad people, while adult schools are just this mess that we have to clean up. Prisons are getting 10.3 billion dollars in the 2015-2016 budget. Adult education is getting $500 million. Comment re regional workforce focus: Contrary to the above assertion that “regional workforce needs were not a focus” of adult education, regional workforce needs have always been a focus of adult education, and a strong one at that. Adult schools always collaborate with their local Workforce Investment Boards and business organizations. They have to do this, because vocational training and improved earning power are of vital importance to their students. But up until now, workforce preparation has not been the only focus of adult education. The 2015-2016 budget finishes the job of stripping adult schools of valuable community building functions that have historically been an important part of the mission. It narrows the focus of adult education by starving Parent Education, Older Adult, Health and Safety and Home Economics programs of money. These programs will die on July 1, 2015 if nothing is done to save them.
The 2013 Budget Act provided $25 million Proposition 98 General Fund for two‑year planning grants to consortia of community college districts and school districts in 70 regions. The planning builds upon the adult education infrastructure in schools and community colleges. In 2013‑14 and 2014‑15, K‑12 districts also have been required to maintain the 2012‑13 level of spending for adult education and career technical education (CTE) programs from funds received through the Local Control Funding Formula.
Comment: This paragraph describes the consortium planning process that has been going on for the last two years, which, as the language states, builds on both adult schools and community colleges. During this time, school districts with adult schools have been required to spend the same amount on their adult schools they spent in 2102-2013; in other words, they could not cut their adult school’s budgets any more in order to spend the money on other priorities.
The Budget provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for the Adult Education Block Grant, which is an integral component of the state’s workforce development strategy, as discussed in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. The block grant will fund programs in elementary and secondary basic skills, classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants, education programs for adults with disabilities, short‑term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential, and programs for apprentices. Comment: Here is the narrowing of adult education’s mission to programs related to workforce development. Community building programs like Parent Education and Older Adult programs are left out, which means they will lose their state funding. To be successful, it is imperative that these programs be well aligned with the economic needs of each region, and that they provide clear pathways to in‑demand jobs, as determined by regional labor market information. The program will promote ongoing collaboration amongst different providers and with entities that serve the populations that benefit from adult education; namely, workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
Comment: The proposal to promote ongoing collaboration is very promising, a bright spot in this budget plan. Ongoing collaboration is crucial to meeting the needs of adults in an ever-changing economic and social environment. This proposal indicates that the consortium planning will be an ongoing process, as it should be, rather than a one-time effort.
In order for adult education programs to be well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration proposes that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K‑12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee will coordinate with regional partners to ensure various adult education funding streams are integrated, such as block grant funds, other K‑12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (which will be capped at 5 percent). Each consortium will report annually to the Chancellor and Superintendent on progress towards fulfilling its adult education plan using all resources available. These reports will inform distribution of block grant funds in the future.
Comment: This is the heart of the adult education funding plan. A new entity, an allocation committee for each consortium, will coordinate with regional partners in order to allocate adult education funds. It’s a journey into the unknown, and it’s difficult to know how it will actually play out. On one hand, school districts will continue to be involved in adult school funding, as the allocation committee will include a representative from K-12. This is what adult school advocates have been asking for; a continuing relationship with the school districts they serve. It’s a relief to know this relationship will be maintained. Maybe districts will need to be more involved in their adult schools and understand them more deeply, because they will be involved in these group funding decisions. That would be a desirable and beneficial development.
On the other hand, it seems like there will be a lot of groups with competing interests having to come to a decision, and it brings to mind the old saying about a camel being a horse designed by a committee. Actually, this saying is a bit unfair to the camel, which is a wondrous creature in its way, and well designed to survive in its environment, but you get the idea. Whether adult education funding in a region turns out to be a swift steed or an ungainly beast may depend a lot on who the actual committee members are and how well they work together.
Several questions arise right away. For one thing, the proposal specifically states that each committee will have seven members representing different interests, including K-12 districts and community colleges. Consortia are defined by community college districts, so only one community college district will need to be represented on the board. But most consortia contain many K-12 districts, while it appears that there will be room for only one K-12 representative on the committee. How will this representative be chosen, and how will he or she be held accountable for fairly representing all the K-12 districts in the consortium? And how will such things as union negotiations fit into this process? Each consortium will be dealing with multiple unions: classified employees’ unions and administrator’s associations as well as teachers’ unions, and they will be different for each district.
It could work, of course. Like the consortium planning process, it will undoubtedly be a “learn as you go” experience. In order to work, the process will need to be completely open and transparent, and ideally open to input from various stakeholders, especially students.
A final comment about this: adult school funding before the budget crisis of 2008 stood at about $700 million, and that money was just for adult schools. Currently adult schools are funded at about $300 million, with the money coming out of school districts’ Local Control Funding Formula funds. The 2015-2016 budget provides a $500 million Adult Education Block Grant, and when the state talks about “Adult Education” now, it means both adult schools and community colleges. So it seems that the $500 million, which is still about $200 million less than adult schools alone were receiving prior to the crisis, might also be available to the community colleges, depending, it seems, on the decisions made by each consortium’s allocation committee.
It is important to note that community colleges have their own funding, included in the Higher Education budget. That budget for 2015-2016 includes well over $900 million for the community colleges in increases and one-time adjustments alone. The community colleges deserve this money, of course. They are a huge system serving an enormous number of students. But it is important to note that the Adult Education Block Grant is a tiny portion of the money available for them, while it is all the money that is available to adult schools. The Adult Education Block Grant is listed in the Community College section of the governor’s 2015-2016 budget proposal, as well as in the K-12 section. You can read the summary of the proposed budget for the community colleges here: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2015-16/pdf/BudgetSummary/HigherEducation.pdf
The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees. The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees.
Comment: It is good to know that the Superintendent of Public Instruction will be involved in approving allocations. It means that the California Department of Education will still have involvement in adult schools, another sign that adult schools are not being completely turned over to the community colleges. The emphasis on providing funding to regions with the greatest adult education needs brings adult education funding into line with the Local Control Funding Formula(LCFF) that is now in place for children, which allocates more money to districts with high numbers of low-income, English Language Learner, and foster children, who are determined to have more educational needs. As with the LCFF for children, allocating more money to areas where there is more need is an excellent idea that has the potential to promote an educational system that is more fair and provides students who stand at a disadvantage with more opportunities to succeed. Like the LCFF, there will need to be strong accountability measures to make sure the money goes to help the students for whom it is intended, rather than simply going to the area in which those students reside. The one-year transitional period is good news and bad news, in a way. On one hand, it is probably the only way to avoid chaos, as everything is happening so fast. The final consortium reports won’t even be complete until March, and there probably isn’t enough time between now and July to get the allocation committees up and functioning. So the state is extending the maintenance of effort, but it sounds like they will be giving school districts additional money, earmarked for adult schools, with which to do it. That will be good news for school districts, who can now free up the LCFF money they have been spending on adult schools for other purposes without losing their adult schools, which they can now fund from the Adult Education Block Grant. The bad news for adult schools is that next year will just be a maintenance of effort; there won’t be any more money. Adult schools that have been barely scraping by on their scanty allowance will have to keep scraping for another year. However, the last line about further allocations distributed according to allocation committees seems to hold out a ray of hope. Will those further allocations, perhaps, take place next year?
A final report from the two‑year planning process will be provided by March 1, 2015. This report will inform the accountability framework for delivery of adult education and remaining policy decisions, such as how fees are charged for similar programs delivered by different providers.
Comment: Obviously, there are many things left to be decided, but adult schools can breathe a sigh of relief at last. There is money for us, and a system is being put into place for ongoing funding. Adult schools have a future, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least.
Here it is - Governor Brown's Proposed Budget for 2015-16.
It looks good for K12 Adult Schools. 3 key points:
* For existent K12 Adult Schools, a year more of being funded at MOE (Maintenance of Effort) clause levels directly through their district for existent.
* A block grant of 500 million dollars for Adult Education. This money can only be spent on Adult Ed.
* A new system of Local Allotment Boards which will decide how much each local school gets.
The AB86 Workgroup declares the proposal a victory for adult education students across California.
I'd say it's a victory, too - in numerous ways.
More on that and a full parsing to come in the future.
The Adult Ed portion is copied below. It begins on page 24 of the Summary.
Hit the "read more" link to see it.
Adult Education
Historically, K‑12 school districts and community colleges have provided adult education instruction. However, there was not effective coordination in all jurisdictions and regional workforce needs were not a focus. As a result, the state has an inefficient and in some places redundant system that is not always structured to best meet the needs of adult learners. Strengthening the link between the state’s education and workforce systems is crucial to California’s growing economy.
The 2013 Budget Act provided $25 million Proposition 98 General Fund for two‑year planning grants to consortia of community college districts and school districts in 70 regions. The planning builds upon the adult education infrastructure in schools and community colleges. In 2013‑14 and 2014‑15, K‑12 districts also have been required to maintain the 2012‑13 level of spending for adult education and career technical education (CTE) programs from funds received through the Local Control Funding Formula.
The Budget provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for the Adult Education Block Grant, which is an integral component of the state’s workforce development strategy, as discussed in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. The block grant will fund programs in elementary and secondary basic skills, classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants, education programs for adults with disabilities, short‑term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential, and programs for apprentices. To be successful, it is imperative that these programs be well aligned with the economic needs of each region, and that they provide clear pathways to in‑demand jobs, as determined by regional labor market information. The program will promote ongoing collaboration amongst different providers and with entities that serve the populations that benefit from adult education; namely, workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
In order for adult education programs to be well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration proposes that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K‑12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee will coordinate with regional partners to ensure various adult education funding streams are integrated, such as block grant funds, other K‑12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (which will be capped at 5 percent). Each consortium will report annually to the Chancellor and Superintendent on progress towards fulfilling its adult education plan using all resources available. These reports will inform distribution of block grant funds in the future.
The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees. In the initial year, to ease the transition, funding will be provided directly to K‑12 school districts in the amount of the K‑12 districts’ maintenance of effort for adult education—as jointly determined by the Chancellor and the Superintendent. Further allocations will be distributed according to the local allocation committees. A final report from the two‑year planning process will be provided by March 1, 2015. This report will inform the accountability framework for delivery of adult education and remaining policy decisions, such as how fees are charged for similar programs delivered by different providers.
Career Technical Education
High‑quality CTE programs provide students, particularly those at risk for dropping out, with valuable career and college readiness skills, and are a critical piece to the overall workforce investment strategy of the Administration, as discussed in more detail in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. Prior to the adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula, the state provided more than $500 million annually to support a collection of CTE categorical programs, most notably the Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCPs). The 2013 Budget Act collapsed almost all of this previous categorical funding into the Local Control Funding Formula in the form of a 9‑12 grade span adjustment, with requirements on districts in their Local Control and Accountability Plans to describe how they intend to meet the career technical education needs of their students consistent with state‑adopted standards. Additionally, the 2013 Budget Act included a two‑year maintenance‑of‑effort requirement for local educational agencies to maintain their existing levels of spending on ROCPs, providing them with additional time to structure more long‑term service delivery arrangements. Further, both the 2013 and 2014 Budget Acts provided $250 million in one‑time Proposition 98 funding to support the Career Pathways Trust Program, which provides one‑time competitive grants to create innovative programs and partnerships linking rigorous academic standards to career pathways in high‑need and high‑growth sectors of the economy.
Given the complexity and relatively resource intensive nature of starting and updating CTE programs, the Budget proposes $250 million in one‑time Proposition 98 funding in each of the next three years to support a transitional CTE Incentive Grant Program. Unlike the existing Career Pathways Trust Program, school districts, county offices of education and charter schools receiving funding from this new transitional program will be required to provide a dollar‑for‑dollar match, and priority for these state funds will be given to local educational agencies applying in partnership with other local educational agencies to offer regional programs. To maintain eligibility for funding under the CTE Incentive Grant Program, recipients will need to demonstrate positive results across a spectrum of outcome measures, including high school graduation rates, CTE course completion rates, pupils obtaining industry‑recognized credentials and certificates, the number of pupils achieving gainful employment in relevant occupations, and the number of pupils progressing to postsecondary education. This program is intended to accelerate the development of new and expanded high‑quality CTE programs during the next three years and provide opportunities for program growth.
Here it is - Governor Brown's Proposed Budget for 2015-16.
It looks good for K12 Adult Schools. 3 key points:
* For existent K12 Adult Schools, a year more of being funded at MOE (Maintenance of Effort) clause levels directly through their district for existent.
* A block grant of 500 million dollars for Adult Education. This money can only be spent on Adult Ed.
* A new system of Local Allotment Boards which will decide how much each local school gets.
The AB86 Workgroup declares the proposal a victory for adult education students across California.
I'd say it's a victory, too - in numerous ways.
More on that and a full parsing to come in the future.
The Adult Ed portion is copied below. It begins on page 24 of the Summary.
Hit the "read more" link to see it.
Adult Education
Historically, K‑12 school districts and community colleges have provided adult education instruction. However, there was not effective coordination in all jurisdictions and regional workforce needs were not a focus. As a result, the state has an inefficient and in some places redundant system that is not always structured to best meet the needs of adult learners. Strengthening the link between the state’s education and workforce systems is crucial to California’s growing economy.
The 2013 Budget Act provided $25 million Proposition 98 General Fund for two‑year planning grants to consortia of community college districts and school districts in 70 regions. The planning builds upon the adult education infrastructure in schools and community colleges. In 2013‑14 and 2014‑15, K‑12 districts also have been required to maintain the 2012‑13 level of spending for adult education and career technical education (CTE) programs from funds received through the Local Control Funding Formula.
The Budget provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for the Adult Education Block Grant, which is an integral component of the state’s workforce development strategy, as discussed in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. The block grant will fund programs in elementary and secondary basic skills, classes and courses in citizenship and English as a second language for immigrants, education programs for adults with disabilities, short‑term CTE programs linked to occupations with high employment potential, and programs for apprentices. To be successful, it is imperative that these programs be well aligned with the economic needs of each region, and that they provide clear pathways to in‑demand jobs, as determined by regional labor market information. The program will promote ongoing collaboration amongst different providers and with entities that serve the populations that benefit from adult education; namely, workforce investment boards, social services departments, and correctional rehabilitation agencies.
In order for adult education programs to be well coordinated and linked with the economic needs of their region, the Administration proposes that each consortium designate an allocation board responsible for planning and allocating block grant funds. Each consortium will form an allocation committee consisting of seven members who represent community colleges, K‑12 districts, other adult education providers, local workforce investment boards, county social services departments, correctional rehabilitation programs, and one public member with relevant expertise. Each allocation committee will coordinate with regional partners to ensure various adult education funding streams are integrated, such as block grant funds, other K‑12 and community college resources, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations, and other federal funds. Each allocation committee will determine how to allocate block grant funds for direct instruction, support services, and administration of its consortium (which will be capped at 5 percent). Each consortium will report annually to the Chancellor and Superintendent on progress towards fulfilling its adult education plan using all resources available. These reports will inform distribution of block grant funds in the future.
The Chancellor of the Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction will jointly approve allocations of funds, with an emphasis on providing funding to those regions with the greatest adult education needs. Funding allocations approved by the Chancellor and Superintendent will be distributed to providers as determined by their allocation committees. In the initial year, to ease the transition, funding will be provided directly to K‑12 school districts in the amount of the K‑12 districts’ maintenance of effort for adult education—as jointly determined by the Chancellor and the Superintendent. Further allocations will be distributed according to the local allocation committees. A final report from the two‑year planning process will be provided by March 1, 2015. This report will inform the accountability framework for delivery of adult education and remaining policy decisions, such as how fees are charged for similar programs delivered by different providers.
Career Technical Education
High‑quality CTE programs provide students, particularly those at risk for dropping out, with valuable career and college readiness skills, and are a critical piece to the overall workforce investment strategy of the Administration, as discussed in more detail in the Investing in California’s Workforce Chapter. Prior to the adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula, the state provided more than $500 million annually to support a collection of CTE categorical programs, most notably the Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCPs). The 2013 Budget Act collapsed almost all of this previous categorical funding into the Local Control Funding Formula in the form of a 9‑12 grade span adjustment, with requirements on districts in their Local Control and Accountability Plans to describe how they intend to meet the career technical education needs of their students consistent with state‑adopted standards. Additionally, the 2013 Budget Act included a two‑year maintenance‑of‑effort requirement for local educational agencies to maintain their existing levels of spending on ROCPs, providing them with additional time to structure more long‑term service delivery arrangements. Further, both the 2013 and 2014 Budget Acts provided $250 million in one‑time Proposition 98 funding to support the Career Pathways Trust Program, which provides one‑time competitive grants to create innovative programs and partnerships linking rigorous academic standards to career pathways in high‑need and high‑growth sectors of the economy.
Given the complexity and relatively resource intensive nature of starting and updating CTE programs, the Budget proposes $250 million in one‑time Proposition 98 funding in each of the next three years to support a transitional CTE Incentive Grant Program. Unlike the existing Career Pathways Trust Program, school districts, county offices of education and charter schools receiving funding from this new transitional program will be required to provide a dollar‑for‑dollar match, and priority for these state funds will be given to local educational agencies applying in partnership with other local educational agencies to offer regional programs. To maintain eligibility for funding under the CTE Incentive Grant Program, recipients will need to demonstrate positive results across a spectrum of outcome measures, including high school graduation rates, CTE course completion rates, pupils obtaining industry‑recognized credentials and certificates, the number of pupils achieving gainful employment in relevant occupations, and the number of pupils progressing to postsecondary education. This program is intended to accelerate the development of new and expanded high‑quality CTE programs during the next three years and provide opportunities for program growth.
Januari 2015 - Hallo sahabat fashion, Pada Artikel yang anda baca kali ini dengan judul Januari 2015, kami telah mempersiapkan artikel ini dengan baik untuk anda baca dan ambil informasi didalamnya. mudah-mudahan isi postingan
Artikel Budget,
Artikel CCAE,
Artikel Gov Brown,
Artikel Legislature,
Artikel Press, yang kami tulis ini dapat anda pahami. baiklah, selamat membaca.
This Friday, January 9th, Governor Brown is expected to present his proposal for the 2015-16 budget.
The MOE - the Maintenance of Effort - Clause, which has been holding the K12 Adult School system up since flex broke it, ends June 30, 2015.
Removing the MOE is like taking a cast off a broken leg. What's underneath? Something healed and solid, able to support the K12 Adult Education system? Or an underfunded, broken system that will not be able to hold up its part of the new Regional Consortia delivery system?
Hit the "read more" link to learn more. Brown's Budget proposal will be step one in finding out.
Step one because his proposal is just that - a proposal.
Then begins the dance, a long and complex and public dance between the Governor and the Legislature, and us, the people... the people whose money is being spent... the people who elected the Governor and the Legislature to spend it wisely on ourselves.
Only at the end of the dance, scheduled for June 30th, 2015, will we know the actual status of K12 Adult Schools and Adult Education.
To take part in the dance, to do our part, we need information:
* information about the dance - how the budget process works
* information about the purpose of the dance - using the people's money to care for the people
* information about the price of the dance - in both short and long terms.
“After years of underfunding and even borrowing from our local schools, the state now has significantly increased its financial support for education,” Brown said.
Brown did not offer specifics on next year’s education funding proposal, but those details will be revealed Friday when the governor is expected to unveil his budget proposal for 2015-16.
“Educating the next generation is fundamental to our collective well-being,” Brown said in his 23-minute address.
“We’re holding our breath to see what happens in January,” Bettar said of the governor’s upcoming release of his proposed budget. “Adult educators are very anxious if it’s going to happen, and if it will happen the way we want it to happen.
“AB 86 is not the panacea for adult education. It was not meant to be the magic wand to fix it. It just opened the conversation. … My hope is the Legislature and governor understand that AB 86 alone is not the vehicle to serve adults in the state. It is a means of communication to address our needs and close gaps.” California Budget Project - Infographic on Budget Process
Understanding the process by which policymakers craft California’s state spending plan each year is important for staying engaged in the debate.
This Friday, January 9th, Governor Brown is expected to present his proposal for the 2015-16 budget.
The MOE - the Maintenance of Effort - Clause, which has been holding the K12 Adult School system up since flex broke it, ends June 30, 2015.
Removing the MOE is like taking a cast off a broken leg. What's underneath? Something healed and solid, able to support the K12 Adult Education system? Or an underfunded, broken system that will not be able to hold up its part of the new Regional Consortia delivery system?
Hit the "read more" link to learn more. Brown's Budget proposal will be step one in finding out.
Step one because his proposal is just that - a proposal.
Then begins the dance, a long and complex and public dance between the Governor and the Legislature, and us, the people... the people whose money is being spent... the people who elected the Governor and the Legislature to spend it wisely on ourselves.
Only at the end of the dance, scheduled for June 30th, 2015, will we know the actual status of K12 Adult Schools and Adult Education.
To take part in the dance, to do our part, we need information:
* information about the dance - how the budget process works
* information about the purpose of the dance - using the people's money to care for the people
* information about the price of the dance - in both short and long terms.
“After years of underfunding and even borrowing from our local schools, the state now has significantly increased its financial support for education,” Brown said.
Brown did not offer specifics on next year’s education funding proposal, but those details will be revealed Friday when the governor is expected to unveil his budget proposal for 2015-16.
“Educating the next generation is fundamental to our collective well-being,” Brown said in his 23-minute address.
“We’re holding our breath to see what happens in January,” Bettar said of the governor’s upcoming release of his proposed budget. “Adult educators are very anxious if it’s going to happen, and if it will happen the way we want it to happen.
“AB 86 is not the panacea for adult education. It was not meant to be the magic wand to fix it. It just opened the conversation. … My hope is the Legislature and governor understand that AB 86 alone is not the vehicle to serve adults in the state. It is a means of communication to address our needs and close gaps.” California Budget Project - Infographic on Budget Process
Understanding the process by which policymakers craft California’s state spending plan each year is important for staying engaged in the debate.
