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From the Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community
California Adult Education______________________________________________ A Newsletter on Adult Education in California August 2015
FEES IN ADULT EDUCATION NEED LEGISLATION THIS 2015 SESSION
Legislation on fees in adult education is needed before the Legislature adjourns in September. At a minimum, the provisions of AB 189 (Eng, 2011) need to be extended since they sunset on June 30th. AB 189 allowed fees in ESL/Citizenship classes, and supported districts as they sought to continue these course offerings.
Click on the "read more" link to learn more.
The fee legislation is needed because AB 104 (2015 budgt trailer bill that contains the Adult Eduation Block Grant) is silent on fees, and presently some district adult education programs are being legally advised against their use. Fees are especially critical to providing extra support to programs that help adults prepare for the workforce, both in acquiring language/academic and job skills.
A broader approach to fees would be welcomed or even preferred. SB 178 (Liu, 2014) specifically requested recommendations on fees in adult education, and these were to be submitted to the respective state agencies on March 1, 2015 as a part of the report-back on AB 86 consortia planning. To date these recommendations have yet to be submitted.
THE URGENCY OF THE NEW ADULT EDUCATION BLOCK GRANT
Time is of the Essence: This description is applicable to the work required to implement the AB 104 Adult Education Block Grant. Starting now and continuing over the new few months, at least the following needs to be done:
* Consortium Membership: Formal membership needs to be established with recognition by governing boards of school and community college districts.
* Decision-Making provisions: Each consortium needs to establish the basis for decision-making, especially in regards to decisions involving funding.
* Public Notice Requirements: A public notice needs to be established that is like the Brown Act, which is used by public entities throughout the state.
* Conflict of Interest Adherence: Consortia will spend significant amounts of public fund, and procedures will be needed to avoid problems with mismanagement.
* 2015-16 Priorities for Implementation: Each consortium will be evaluated at the end of the year to assess its success in meeting its priorities and target objectives. Now each consortium needs to decide what it will accomplish in 2015-16 and how it will be measured to assess its success.
WHAT TO DO...
Contact your local legislators and let them know about the need to enact legislation on fees in adult education. Also let them know about your implementation of AB104. Most of all, thank members for supporting adult education.
Developed by Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community.
From the Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community
California Adult Education______________________________________________ A Newsletter on Adult Education in California August 2015
FEES IN ADULT EDUCATION NEED LEGISLATION THIS 2015 SESSION
Legislation on fees in adult education is needed before the Legislature adjourns in September. At a minimum, the provisions of AB 189 (Eng, 2011) need to be extended since they sunset on June 30th. AB 189 allowed fees in ESL/Citizenship classes, and supported districts as they sought to continue these course offerings.
Click on the "read more" link to learn more.
The fee legislation is needed because AB 104 (2015 budgt trailer bill that contains the Adult Eduation Block Grant) is silent on fees, and presently some district adult education programs are being legally advised against their use. Fees are especially critical to providing extra support to programs that help adults prepare for the workforce, both in acquiring language/academic and job skills.
A broader approach to fees would be welcomed or even preferred. SB 178 (Liu, 2014) specifically requested recommendations on fees in adult education, and these were to be submitted to the respective state agencies on March 1, 2015 as a part of the report-back on AB 86 consortia planning. To date these recommendations have yet to be submitted.
THE URGENCY OF THE NEW ADULT EDUCATION BLOCK GRANT
Time is of the Essence: This description is applicable to the work required to implement the AB 104 Adult Education Block Grant. Starting now and continuing over the new few months, at least the following needs to be done:
* Consortium Membership: Formal membership needs to be established with recognition by governing boards of school and community college districts.
* Decision-Making provisions: Each consortium needs to establish the basis for decision-making, especially in regards to decisions involving funding.
* Public Notice Requirements: A public notice needs to be established that is like the Brown Act, which is used by public entities throughout the state.
* Conflict of Interest Adherence: Consortia will spend significant amounts of public fund, and procedures will be needed to avoid problems with mismanagement.
* 2015-16 Priorities for Implementation: Each consortium will be evaluated at the end of the year to assess its success in meeting its priorities and target objectives. Now each consortium needs to decide what it will accomplish in 2015-16 and how it will be measured to assess its success.
WHAT TO DO...
Contact your local legislators and let them know about the need to enact legislation on fees in adult education. Also let them know about your implementation of AB104. Most of all, thank members for supporting adult education.
Developed by Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community.
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.”
A Newsletter on Adult Education in California August 2014
FALL 2014: ADULT EDUCATION IN A TIME OF OPPORTUNITIES, UNCERTAINTIES, AND CHAOS
As the state legislature finishes its two-year session on August 31st, Adult Education enters a period of uncertainty unlike any other experienced in recent years. With Fall 2014 around the corner, it is a good time to focus on the advocacy that is necessary to make sure Adult Education is funded in July 2015. The immediate looming items are the state collection of AB 86 consortia plans and the Governor’s 2015-16 budget introduction on January 10th that will send the first signals on what to expect in Adult Education funding for 2015-16.
Meanwhile, as the state Legislature wraps its session, legislators are making plans to work primarily out of home district offices. This becomes an excellent time to reach out to local legislators and tell them your adult education story.
Fall 2014 promises to be a challenging period for Adult Education in California because of the uncertainties on the future of the program. But this period also provides opportunities to balance the effects of the uncertainties:
Opportunities:
These include, but are not limited to, the following:
• A New Program with State Support: Based on the expectations and work of AB 86 Adult Education consortia, the potential exists to establish a sound adult education program that matches California’s needs for adult literacy and job training with its employment opportunities.
• Defining Roles and Responsibilities: AB 86 outcomes also have the potential for defining roles for K-12 adult education and non-credit community college, including delineating who is responsible for delivering which program.
• Adequate Funding: A model that supports instruction and support services.
Certainty:
A commitment for Adult Education funding is in AB 86: “It is the intent of the Legislature to provide additional funding in the 2015-16 fiscal year to the regional consortia to expand and improve the provision of adult education.”
Risks:
Negative consequences could be the result of the continued use of phrases that are counter-productive:
• Reinforcing the idea of community colleges taking over Adult Education.
• Continuing to say that Adult Education does not have 2015-16 funding.
• Taking on the Governor by mounting a campaign aimed at him rather than focusing on advocacy with the 140 legislators.
Chaos:
The lack of a clear and positive statement on what to expect for 2015-16 will add to the rumors and confusion regarding the future of the Adult Education.
WHAT TO DO? . . . .
Advocate at the local offices of state legislators, and make sure your AB 86 consortium plan includes Adult Education 2015-16 funding recommendations.
Developed by Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community
A Newsletter on Adult Education in California August 2014
FALL 2014: ADULT EDUCATION IN A TIME OF OPPORTUNITIES, UNCERTAINTIES, AND CHAOS
As the state legislature finishes its two-year session on August 31st, Adult Education enters a period of uncertainty unlike any other experienced in recent years. With Fall 2014 around the corner, it is a good time to focus on the advocacy that is necessary to make sure Adult Education is funded in July 2015. The immediate looming items are the state collection of AB 86 consortia plans and the Governor’s 2015-16 budget introduction on January 10th that will send the first signals on what to expect in Adult Education funding for 2015-16.
Meanwhile, as the state Legislature wraps its session, legislators are making plans to work primarily out of home district offices. This becomes an excellent time to reach out to local legislators and tell them your adult education story.
Fall 2014 promises to be a challenging period for Adult Education in California because of the uncertainties on the future of the program. But this period also provides opportunities to balance the effects of the uncertainties:
Opportunities:
These include, but are not limited to, the following:
• A New Program with State Support: Based on the expectations and work of AB 86 Adult Education consortia, the potential exists to establish a sound adult education program that matches California’s needs for adult literacy and job training with its employment opportunities.
• Defining Roles and Responsibilities: AB 86 outcomes also have the potential for defining roles for K-12 adult education and non-credit community college, including delineating who is responsible for delivering which program.
• Adequate Funding: A model that supports instruction and support services.
Certainty:
A commitment for Adult Education funding is in AB 86: “It is the intent of the Legislature to provide additional funding in the 2015-16 fiscal year to the regional consortia to expand and improve the provision of adult education.”
Risks:
Negative consequences could be the result of the continued use of phrases that are counter-productive:
• Reinforcing the idea of community colleges taking over Adult Education.
• Continuing to say that Adult Education does not have 2015-16 funding.
• Taking on the Governor by mounting a campaign aimed at him rather than focusing on advocacy with the 140 legislators.
Chaos:
The lack of a clear and positive statement on what to expect for 2015-16 will add to the rumors and confusion regarding the future of the Adult Education.
WHAT TO DO? . . . .
Advocate at the local offices of state legislators, and make sure your AB 86 consortium plan includes Adult Education 2015-16 funding recommendations.
Developed by Adult Education Advocates in the Montebello Community
