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The Value of Adult Education in Rebuilding California—The Economy, Public Safety, Families, and Our Communities
With the intense focus on deficit reduction in California as a result of year-over-year budget shortfalls, the very real economic benefits derived from the state's public investment in adult education and workforce development programs have been overlooked and decimated. Numerous studies have shown that even in difficult economic times a preemptive focus on adult education actually saves governments money be reducing societal healthcare, public assistance, and incarceration costs. Adult education also improves and expands the nation's available pol of human capital by increasingly high-tech and global job market. Adult education and career technical training are potentially the most cost-effective tools the state has to recover its economic health.
In 2012, the Alliance of Excellent Education (AEE) released a report that analyzed the effect of educational achievement on the local economies of the 45 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. In this report, AEE found that if only half of the dropouts from the Class of 2008 in these metropolitan areas had managed to graduate, they would have contributed the following additional combined economic benefit to their communities during an average year:
• $4.1 billion in additional earnings, compared to their likely earnings without a diploma;
• An additional $2.8 billion in spending and $1.1 billion in investments;
• They would have purchased homes worth $10.5 billion more mid-career than they would have been able to buy as dropouts, and spend an additional $340 million on vehicle purchases each year;
• Their additional spending and investments would have likely generated 30,000 new jobs;
• State and local tax revenues in each of the areas would have increased as a result of this increased economic activity—an additional $536 million in an average year.
Adult education is an investment that can help recapture some, if not all, of these potential losses. Further, adult education is an investment in the future of our state, as research shows that better educated parents raise better educated, more successful children, who are less likely to end up in poverty or prison.
Contact:
Dawn Koepke
McHugh, Koepke & Associates
(916) 930-1993
dkoepke@mchughgr.com
Fate of LAUSD Adult Education on Hold after School Board Defers Budget Vote
February 27, 2012—The Argonaut
By Gary Walker
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| David Hudak says he would not be able to afford the course that he is taking at the Venice Skills Center at another school. (Argonaut photo by T.W. Brown) |
An amendment by school board member Steve Zimmer to push back an impending vote by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education on its 2012–13 budget plan has temporarily placed on hold the possible elimination of adult education.
LAUSD officials notified educators and the school district’s Division of Adult and Career Education last month that schools like the Venice Skills Center could have their funds taken away due to the district’s massive budget shortfall. “Having made systematic and significant cuts in programs and personnel over that period, and with no additional revenues forthcoming, I, and the Los Angeles Board of Education, are left with no choice but to seriously consider massive reductions in critical areas, including arts programs for elementary school students, adult education, and early childhood education,” LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy said in a statement. “We must do all that we can to preserve (kindergarten) through 12 class size at acceptable levels for next year.”
The plan that was offered at the Feb. 14 meeting included the termination of funding for adult education, early childhood education and arts education at the elementary school level in order to reduce the deficit.
Hundreds of supporters of the arts and continuing education programs rallied outside the district headquarters and spoke before the school board, imploring them to consider the fallout from effectively closing down adult education classes.
After listening to the public, Zimmer—who represents schools in Mar Vista, Venice, Del Rey and Westchester - proposed his amendment to move the date of adopting the budget to March 13.
Adult Education on LAUSD Chopping Block
February 11, 2012—Daily News Los Angeles
By Barbara Jones
Call it a school for second chances.
High-school dropouts can go there to earn a GED or diploma. Veterans, laid-off workers and young adults with vocational aspirations can learn a trade. Immigrant parents can acquire basic English and math skills so they can help their kids with homework.
At nearly three dozen adult education and occupational centers operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District, nearly 300,000 students are enrolled in low-cost programs designed to help them better their lives.
Their fate now lies in the hands of the school board, which is set to vote Tuesday on a budget that would cut the program and divert most of the $200 million in state money earmarked for adult education to ease the district's $557 million deficit.
Their fate now lies in the hands of the school board, which is set to vote Tuesday on a budget that would cut the program and divert most of the $200 million in state money earmarked for adult education to ease the district's $557 million deficit.
While LAUSD leaders say they desperately need the money to fund core programs at K-12 campuses, adult education advocates say the program is essential to building an academic support system for LAUSD parents and training a skilled workforce for Southern California.
"Los Angeles Unified is the perfect storm," said Chris Nelson, president of the 3,000-member California Council for Adult Education. "Ending all services for 300,000 students will have a huge impact -- not only on the students, but on the community."
There is no easy solution to the quandary facing the school district, which is wrestling with how to balance the $6 billion budget for 2012–13.
• Californians Together: Championing the Success of English Learners (PDF)
• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (PDF)
January 25, 2012
Hello Everyone,
I want to give you an update about legislation. The Governor has proposed his budget and there are many questions about how adult education will survive in his proposal. Our wonderful Legislative Advocate, Dawn Koepke indicates that at this point, it makes sense not to speak on behalf of CCAE but of your own interest. According to Dawn, CCAE’s statewide advocacy on this issue is being handled in a much more methodical and conscientious manner until we have clarity and, hopefully, an alternative to offer. If you are attending the CAEAA conference, she will be presenting there. Also, she will be participating in our Leg Committee meeting on Friday and providing an in person report on Saturday at our full board meeting.
She also believes that it is okay for members to raise their concerns with Legislators, as individual adult educators and administrators, about Adult Education potentially being included in the Governor’s consolidation proposal; the potential for us to oppose such an approach; and noting the lack of clarity with the proposal and whether or not Adult Education is indeed included will help generate additional buzz as we move forward with our advocacy. It will create a buzz about Adult Education that lets members know that their constituencies are watching this piece closely and will hopefully provide us some added momentum to resolve the issue to our favor.
Also, we have put together a spot bill for adult education that Assemblymember Mike Eng will support. We are looking forward next week to all of you meeting Dawn and helping her to create a more fully developed bill.
Chris Nelson
CCAE State President
Administrator, Adult & Career Education
Oakland Unified School District
2607 Myrtle Street, Oakland, CA 94607
Office: (510) 273-2300 Fax: (510) 452-2077
christian.nelson@ousd.k12.ca.us
January 24, 2012
The 2012–13 Budget proposal recently released by the Governor’s Office contains a recommendation to institute a weighted student funding proposal that further expands flexibility. To quote the Governor’s preface on the education section of the budget:
“The Budget dramatically increases flexibility and local control by consolidating the vast majority of categorical programs (excluding federally required programs such as special education) with revenue limit apportionments into a single stream of funding for schools on a permanent basis.”
The Proposal: This Budget proposal would codify permanently the categorical program flexibility provisions that are due to end in fiscal year 2014–15. The weighted student formula proposes to provide K-12 education funding equally to all districts, and add funding to address the needs of low income and English learner students. At this point Adult Education is in the formula and would lose its distinction. Districts would have discretion on funding categorical programs consolidated into the formula.
The Governor’s staff has announced that they will be examining the use of greater accountability to assure that student needs are being addressed. Legislative provisions on the weighted student formula may be available in early February.
Recent analyses indicate that the Governor’s proposal may not succeed this year because some districts will lose funding while others would gain. However, it is possible that the formula provisions could be enacted into law with a hold harmless provision, and be implemented when state revenues increase.
Timeline: State budgets annually are subject to a process that includes the following steps:
- January 10th: Governor introduced the budget for next fiscal year (July to June)
- February: Legislative Analyst Office comments on the budget
- Feb., March, & April: Legislative committees review and act on the proposed budget. On February 16th, the Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to a hearing on the Education provisions of the budget.
- May 15th: Governor and legislature make adjustments based on updated state revenues
- June 15th: Deadline for the legislature to approve a balanced budget.
- June 30th: Deadline for the Governor to approve a budget for the next fiscal year.
Web Information: State budget information at http:/www.dof.ca.gov/. The weighted student formula is described pages 139–140 of the Budget Summary document.
January 15, 2012
Governor Brown released his FY 2012-13 budget last week that assumes a $92.5 billion General Fund spending plan ($137.33 billion total) with a $9.2 billion deficit to be addressed through $4.2 billion in cuts, $4.6 billion in tax and revenue raising proposals and $1.4 billion in fund shifts and restructuring. Following the path of the 2011-12 budget package, the proposal calls for some additional restructuring and the downsizing of government agencies and programs. New revenues in the form of legislative tax increases are not included in the proposal; however, the balance relies on additional revenues to be generated from the hopeful success of a November ballot initiative that would raise the projected $4.6 billion from temporary increase to higher income earners and a ½ cent sales tax increase. Much like last year, the proposal calls for additional “trigger” cuts that would be enacted should the passage of the November revenue proposal be rejected. The additional trigger cuts would total ~$5.4 billion and would largely be focused on K-14 education, higher education and park closures, among others.
Specific to education funding, the budget builds upon flexibility granted to schools in recent years and gives significant decision-making authority to local school districts. The Brown Administration believes California’s school finance system has become too complex, administratively costly and inequitable. Furthermore, the Administration is concerned that many program allocations have been frozen and no longer reflect demographic and other changes. To remedy these concerns, the Administration is proposing to roll forward FY 11-12 funding levels to FY 12-13 for each program and district followed by a five-year phase-in period toward a singled weighted student formula block grant comprising both revenue limit and flexed categorical funding. The formula will purportedly distribute these combined resources to schools based on weighted factors that account for the variability in costs of educating specific student populations, thereby ensuring that fund will continue to be targeted to schools with large populations of disadvantaged pupils (ESL, etc.). More specifically, it would include a weighted student formula that would provide for per-student funding targets based on a per-student amount that incorporates a “concentration grant” philosophy, meaning that at-risk students pose a greater and costlier challenge when they are the majority of students in a school, rather than a minority.
Ultimately under the proposal, all of the programs that would be replaced by the formula would be immediately flexible for use in supporting any locally determined educational purposes. The proposal would also be paired with accountability measures that would be the basis for evaluating and rewarding school performance. The measures would include quantitative, test-based accountability measures, along with locally developed assessments and qualitative measures of schools.
In instituting these changes, the Administration believes it will increase transparency and help to facilitate greater and more informed involvement of parents and community members in local school financial matters.
Obviously the proposal raises a number of questions and serious concerns for the adult education community. The California Council of Adult Education (CCAE) and California Adult Education Administrators Association (CAEAA) are working vigorously to chart a path for adult education through the budget morass.
Stay tuned…
Dawn Koepke
Legislative Advocate
McHugh & Associates
1121 L Street, Suite 103
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 930-1993
(916) 930-0580 Fax
November 4, 2011
American Jobs Act
A few weeks ago, the American Jobs Act was brought to the Senate floor where it died quickly. The only way both Democrats and Republicans envision passing job-spurring legislation is in piecemeal form—taking apart the American Jobs Act and voting on various aspects of the bill separately.
The Pathways Back to Work Fund, a program included in the American Jobs Act designed to meet the needs of unemployed, low-skilled workers, includes adult education activities as an allowable use of funds, in addition to other activities that support education and training opportunities for unemployed, low-skilled adults and youth.
However, no one in Congress is talking about the Pathways Back to Work Fund as one of the individual measures that should be debated and passed. We need you to call your U.S. Senators today to change that conversation to include introducing and passing the Pathways Back to Work Fund.
Action: Tell Senators to urge inclusion of the Pathways Back to Work Fund as part of any jobs legislation moving forward.
Click here to quickly locate your Senators’ contact information.
WIA Reauthorization
WIA Reauthorization has not seen significant movement since June 2011, when the Senate HELP Committee staff released a discussion draft for feedback from advocacy groups. Mark up on the Senate draft, originally scheduled for June 2011, continues to be stalled over an issue in Title I related to the Workforce Investment Boards’ composition.
However, recently WIA—or at least discussion of adult education and workforce development—has shown a bit of movement in the House. On June 16, 2011, Congressman Hinojosa (D-TX) reintroduced the Adult Education and Economic Growth (AEEG) Act, and on October 4, 2011, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), held a hearing on “Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act.” The hearing was focused on Title I and workforce training. Overall themes from the witnesses’ included: 1) giving more flexibility to workforce development programs while still requiring accountability; 2) eliminating government bureaucracy; and 3) focusing on meeting the needs of local business.
Even though this was a hearing focused on Title I, Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) began his remarks by emphasizing the need for adult education and literacy, continuing to advocate for the important need for these services. See it on You Tube: http://bit.ly/n1qbDi . Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) commented, “We need to strengthen and fund both the workforce training and adult education systems in order to create jobs.” While discussions continue about WIA reauthorization at the Committee level, it is unclear as to whether or not a draft bill will be introduced this fall or if it will be pushed aside once again as the Committee refocuses its attention on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) Act.
Action: We need to keep House Members, especially those on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, informed of our WIA reauthorization priorities and latest adult education and literacy facts to ensure we are at the table during their ongoing discussions. If you have a House Member on this Committee, you should contact him or her and update your Member on your community’s adult education successes and needs:
Democrats |
Republicans |
Congressman, George Miller
Seventh Congressional District
Concord Office
1333 Willow Pass Road, Ste. 203
Concord, CA 94520
Phone: (925) 602-1880
Fax: (925) 674-0983
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Congressman, Buck McKeon
25th District of California
Santa Clarita Office
26650 The Old Road
Suite 203
Santa Clarita, CA 91381
Phone: (661) 254-2111
Fax: (661) 254-2380
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Congresswoman, Lynn Woolsey
6th Congressional District
Marin Office
1050 Northgate Drive Suite 354
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: (415) 507-9554
Fax: (415) 507-9601 |
Congressman, Duncan Hunter
52nd Congressional District
El Cajon Office
1870 Cordell Ct, Ste 206
El Cajon, CA 92020
Phone: (619) 448-5201
Fax: (619) 449-2251 |
Congresswoman, Susan Davis
53rd Congressional District
2700 Adams Avenue
Suite 102
San Diego, CA 92116
Phone: (619) 280-5353
Fax: (619) 280-5311 |
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will require local workplace investment boards (WIBs) to channel at least one quarter of their funding towards programs that will teach the unemployed the new skills needed for the changing US economy and job market. Currently, California receives up to $500 million in federal funding every year. In 2016, the percentage of mandatory funding for job training will increase from 25% to 30% annually.
The bill, SB 734 (DeSaulnierD) includes Adult Education and literacy programs as part of the "job training’ component", IF combined with occupational and job readiness training. While job training programs are currently part of the services and programs offered through many WIBs, the average amount spent on job training is about 20% statewide. Many WIBs now focus on getting people back to work quickly by building resumes, practicing interview skills and intensive job searches.
The rationale behind this funding change is the recognition that many workers lack the basic math, reading and higher level skills needed to be successful in today's more demanding, and higher paying, job market. While opponents of the bill question whether the unemployed can afford to spend time in training programs, proponents believe that the longer-term benefit of raising the skill level of workers will have a more lasting and productive impact on for individuals, and on the economy in general.
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April 17, 2012— "When you cut adult education, when you close down LAUSD's adult education program, which is the largest and most successful job retraining program in the western United States," Fletcher said. "It's like asking the recession to last a year longer in L.A. It's foolish, it's very foolish."...More
April 17, 2012—The impact of LAUSD sweeping ALL the DACE money will impact every adult program in the state that receives 231 Federal Funds...More
April 17, 2012—Can You Please Provide Additional Clarification on AB 189, Public
Hearings, and the Impact on Tier III Flexibility?...More
April 16, 2012—Tax initiatives being circulated for placement on the November state ballot. Both measures are important to raising revenues for public education, including Adult Education...More
March 14, 2012—Los Angeles Unified Budget Would Close All of the District's Adult Schools...More
March 10, 2012—The Value of Adult Education in Rebuilding California—The Economy, Public Safety, Families, and Our Communities...More
February 23, 2012—Why AB18 Should be Supported by Adult Educators..More
February 23, 2012—Vital Student Programs may be Sacrificed on the Altar of Flexibility...More
February 11, 2012—Adult Education on LAUSD Chopping Block...More
February 10, 2012—A Message from the California Department of Education: Elimination of Adult Education Opportunities...More
January 28, 2012—Adult Education on L.A. Unified's Chopping Block, Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times...More
January 25, 2012—Legislative Update from CCAE State President, Chris Nelson...More
January 24, 2012—Does California Adult Education Disappear with Brown's Weighted Student Pupil Funding Proposal?...More
January 15, 2012—Brown Administration's Budget Builds Upon Current Flexibility...More
December 13, 2011—Department of Finance Trigger Cuts...More
December 8, 2011—Final Draft of Adult Education Strategic Plan is available: Linking Adults to Opportunity: Transformation of the California Department of Education Adult Education Program (PDF)
November 30, 2011—Legislative Advocacy Changes for CCAE...More
Joanne Durkee, Chair
Bay Section
Mt. Diablo Adult Education
1266 San Carlos Avenue
Concord, CA 94518
(925) 798-7340
durkeej@mdusd.org
Vittoria Maghsoudi
Bay Section
Mt. Diablo Adult Education
1266 San Carlos Avenue
Concord, CA 94518
Lariann Torrez
Central Section
Tulare Adult Education
575 West Maple Ave.,
Tulare, CA 93274
Work:
(559) 686-0225,
Fax: (559) 687-7447,
Cell: (559) 920-0664
larriann.torrez@tulare.k12.ca.us
Phil Dwyer
LA Metro Section
LAUSD-Evan CAS
717 N. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-7151
(231) 626-4487 (Fax)
pdwyer@lausd.net
Candace Lee
LA Metro
LAUSD-Metro Skills Center
2801 W. 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(323) 567-5603
(323) 567-7990 (Fax)
candace.lee@lausd.net
Cris Johnson
Northern Section
Sacramento City Adult Education
5241 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 452-1431
criskingjohnson@yahoo.com
Mike Neary
Southern
San Bernardino Adult School
1200 N. E Street
San Bernardino, CA 92405
(909) 388-6000
• Please join or renew your membership today!
• CCAE is unique in that membership is available to Teachers, Administrators, Classified Staff Members, Counselors, Students, and Friends of Adult Education.
• For more information please click on the button below to find out how you can become a member of CCAE or renew your membership.
Address:
PO Box 978
Los Alamitos, CA 90720-0978
Phone: 888-542-2231
Fax: 866-941-5129
Email: membership@ccaestate.org
Website: ccaestate.org
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