173: Finding the Spring

SB 173 goes before the Assembly Higher Ed Committee on Tuesday, June 10th at 1:30 pm.

SB 173 has gone through a number of changes since it last appeared before this same committee back in August of 2013.

At that time, SB 173 excluded Parent Education and Older Adults Adult Education courses from funding by the state.

I and others attended that hearing to ask that SB 173 be amended so that those programs were not excluded. 

At that time, CCAE - the California Council of Adult Education - spoke for SB 173 and CFT - the California Federation of Teachers - spoke against it. 

Various community members and organizations also spoke both for and against it. 

This issue of narrowing the mission of Adult Ed is not the only part of the bill that has incited controversy and argument but I would say it is the issue that has caused the most heat and the most division in the Adult Ed community.   I wrote about that division here.

I am a member of both CCAE and CFT.  I agree with both organizations on some points and disagree with them on others.  I am grateful that both organizations exist and I "put my money where my mouth is" through my membership, dues, and participation in both organizations.

At the hearing in August of 2013, I said that I thought SB 173 should be amended to include Parent Education and Older Adults, as well as Financial Literacy and Home Economics, the other two programs slated to be excluded.  Recently, I think more and more about Financial Literacy and Home Economics.  Imagine if Californians better understood financial matters?  And running their home in an economically wise way?  Imagine.  Yes now.  For just this moment.  Imagine.  Yes.  Wow.  It's that important.

I still think SB 173 should be amended.  You can read why here. 

You can also read this Save Your Adult School post which very factually and eloquently combs through both the benefits and shortcomings of SB 173.

The view that SB 173 needs further amending is not a popular view and in the eyes of many, it is not a practical view. 

But having just come from a week on the Mountain during which I had time to swim and sit and hike and think...  to visit with my daughter and a friend...  to think about my family... which consists of many folks connected to me by blood, law, love, and water...  to read Mercedes Schneider's amazing book, "A Chronicle of Echoes:  Who's Who in the Implosion of the American Public Education" and think about what's really at the root of the arguments around SB 173 and Designated Funding for K12 Adult Schools and how to include teacher, student and community voice in the formation of the Regional Consortia and all the other things we in the field of Adult Education talk and argue about...

hit the "read more" link to find out what I figured out

Update Riverside: Reason for Concern & Action

The Press-Enterprise article, "Riverside: Adult School Programs Slashed" is cause for great concern.

Even though the MOE (Maintenance of Effort) clause stipulates that if an Adult School was open in 2012, it must be open now and at the same funding level, the District has cut Adult Ed programs.

Paul Steenhausen of the Legislative Analyst’s Office in Sacramento, said...    “They’re not allowed to spend less,” said Steenhausen, whose office provides nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis for the Legislature. If they do, he said, they could be in violation.             (From the PE Article)

Reductions at the Riverside Adult School, from 2012 to 2013, include:

ENROLLMENT: From 1,200 to 185

COURSES: to 6

BUDGET: $3.6 million to $1.8 million

STAFF: 52 to 19

(Statistics from PE Article)

Even though we the people of California, including many Adult Education students, staff, and supporters passed Prop 30...

Even though the Legislature created the Maintenance of Effort clause to ensure the survival of Adult Schools...

Even though Adult Education is wanted and needed in Riverside, where 24% of the population is foreign-born and 15% lives under the poverty level...

The District has made these cuts.

Click the "read more" link to learn more.

Update: Oakland Adult School

Oakland Adult School once served over 20,000 people.

The crisis that hit Adult Education, in particular K12 Adult Schools, nearly destroyed it.

But it didn't.  Not entirely.  A tiny core of programs survived, including the little engine that could, La Escuelita, and last May, motivated by a mighty cry from the community, the Oakland School Board voted to stand by those programs and keep them going.  Shortly after, Gov. Brown came out with his May Revise that brought new hope to K12 Adult Schools.

A good thing, because Oakland very much needs these programs.

Some facts that show why:

Hit the "read more" link to learn more.