Speak Up

 

 Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

 Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

Too much has already been lost.

Time to SPRING BREAK 4WARD.

Check out A4CAS - Alliance for California Adult Schools - on Facebook.

Sign the petitions:

Rebuild Adult Education:  K-12 and Designated Funding

Stop Gov. Brown's Plan to Shift Adult Ed to the Community College System

Or write a letter or email in your own words expressing your own ideas to Gov. Brown and/or the State Legislature.

Read the latest article on why Adult Ed is worth saving.

Read what Tom Torlakson had to say on moving Adult Ed out of the K-12 programs.

(To paraphrase, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  The K-12 Adult Schools work fine!)

Speak up.

 

 

 

Celebrate - Thank - Prepare

This week, just a week after Adult Education Week, we had a real victory.

The Assembly Budget Committee unanimously rejected Gov. Brown's plan.

They affirmed the value of Adult Education.

They acknowledged that Adult Education has been devastated, is fragile, and deserves rebuilding.

They warned districts:   Do not continue to dismantle and close your programs!

That is a reason for celebration.

There were five members of that committee who voted No on that plan and who spoke up on our behalf.  Who said, Yes, Adult Education Matters!   We need time to find a way to rebuild it.  But in the meantime, please, do not destroy it.

They deserve our thanks.

Please take a quick minute to thank the following Committee members who voted No on Gov. Brown's plan to shift Adult Ed into the Community College

Asm Susan Bonilla, Chair (14):
assemblymember.bonilla@assembly.ca.gov

Asm Rocky Chavez (76):
assemblymember.chavez@assembly.ca.gov

Asm Al Muratsuchi (66):
assemblymember.muratsuchi@assembly.ca.gov

Asm Brian Nestande (42):
assemblymember.nestande@assembly.ca.gov

Asm Phil Ting (19):
assemblymember.ting@assembly.ca.gov

Finally, there is work yet to be done.

Gov. Brown's plan will also be reviewed by the Senate Budget Committee.

More people need to take a moment and realize the value of Adult Education.

That value needs to be defined, documented and communicated to the Legislature and Gov. Brown.

More people need to sign the petitions.

                http://signon.org/sign/rebuild-adult-ed-k-12

                http://signon.org/sign/stop-gov-browns-plan

And finally, those with experience and/or ideas need to think about how Adult Ed can be rebuilt.

It can all be done.

And taking care of ourselves, celebrating our victories, acknowledging the value of our programs, staff and students, thanking those who stand up for us, and preparing for the next step will be how we do it, one bunny hop at a time.

Happy Spring.



Rise From The Ashes

On this first day of Spring, as we take in the good news from yesterday, what a great essay to share.

This was the winning essay from the ESL Day Program "How Has San Mateo Adult Helped You?" Essay Contest. 

It is shared anonymously and with permission by the author.

Rise from the Ashes

When I came to the San Mateo Adult School, it was a difficult time in my life.  I often felt lonely and uncomfortable and missed my family a lot.  Moreover, for the first time in my life, I was unable to support my children, help them adapt to the new situation.  I wasn’t able to set a good example for them as a mother because I really felt I was an incompetent person incapable of conversing with others, out of work and my professional environment.  I came to the San Mateo Ault School only to learn English; however I acquired something more than ordinary language acquisition.  I unexpectedly got encouragement from many people: students, teachers and school employees.  All of them literally helped me restore to the social life.

In the Adult school I met diverse students from different countries.  Their life stories have been similar to mine.  It helped me to realize that I am not an exception with my depression and despair.  Nevertheless, their examples showed me that it is possible to get over the language’s difficulties and adjust pretty quickly to the new situation.  My teachers not only have taught us English, but also supported us.  They have been always very friendly and empathic.  I found a lot of interesting and professional people in my school, so I don’t feel lonely any more.

Due to well-qualified teaching, my English is improving day by day. Our teachers also have explained to us the features of the life in the USA.  Now I feel more confident and can think about my professional future in this country.  Moreover, I am going to volunteer in my son’s school next month, but I couldn’t imagine it a half year ago.  I learned to write a resume and a cover letter; consequently, I can look for a job in a Community Agency.  I am ready to work with people and want to aid them.

However, my critical metamorphosis has been the return of capacity as a mother.  Now I am able to help my children with their school work because I know English grammar better than my sons.  I can communicate with other parents in my children`s schools, and now my sons often receive invitations to play dates and birthday parties.  So they have been improving their friendships.  On account of my studying in the Adult School, I understand the local education system better than before, so I can ask teachers the more important and deep questions about school life and learning problems during teacher-parent conferences.  And I can choose interesting and useful after-school activities for my children.  My teachers in the Adult school clarified for me how to use the library, and now we take there DVD disks and books every week.  In addition, I am able to tell my sons something new and crucial about culture and life style in the USA that I have learned in my school.

Our confidence and self-esteem play a critical role in the kids’ development and education because children always follow parents’ example.  Two years ago I thought I was nobody and my life is ruined.  My crisis and depression adversely affected the mood and behavior of my children.  Due to my studying in San Mateo Adult School, I “rose from the ashes”- today I am able to respect myself again.  And I have set a good example for my sons on how to get a grip and attain success in a difficult situation.  I think my children can be proud of their mother now, so I am grateful to my Adult school for giving us this opportunity.

Remember to sign the petition to help Adult Education rise from the ashes, too!

 

Good News! Assembly Committee Rejects Brown's Plan to Shift Adult Ed to Community Colleges

From Edsource -

"Assembly Committee Rejects Plan to Move Adult Ed Programs to Community Colleges" -

by Susan Frey

In a clear message to Gov. Jerry Brown, an Assembly subcommittee voted unanimously Tuesday to reject his proposal to shift responsibility for adult education programs from K-12 districts to community colleges.
The bipartisan vote Tuesday followed a flurry of pink slips issued by school districts to adult educators last week.
The vote was meant as a message to school districts considering abandoning their adult ed schools that the Assembly supports current district programs and that there will be funding for those programs, said Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), chair of Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education and Finance.
“I’ve heard from many of my colleagues in the Assembly and from many constituents that the governor’s proposal is going to be devastating to adult ed,” she said. Bonilla said the Legislature’s previous actions that eliminated dedicated funding for adult education beginning in 2009 occurred “in the midst of a great financial crisis.” As the state budget tightened, $634 million previously earmarked for adult education became “flexible,” allowing school districts to use the money for any educational purpose. With budgets eroding due to the recession, many districts channeled those funds into K-12 programs and greatly reduced or shuttered adult education offerings.
“It was never the intention to destroy adult ed,” she said. “We know we’ve weakened it; it is now a very fragile system. We’re not going to continue down that path. It’s far too critical for thousands and thousands of Californians as the place where they can have their education needs met.”
Adult schools offer community based–classes to some of the state’s neediest adults, ranging from the unemployed, the disabled and the elderly to ex-offenders re-entering society and immigrants trying to learn English and become citizens. They are typically located in schools or neighborhood centers providing easy access to these students, who often are intimidated by college campuses.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal includes setting aside $300 million in dedicated funding for adult education, something the subcommittee supports, Bonilla said. But, she added, she has heard from a number of community college representatives that say the colleges will not be ready by July 1, the beginning of the next fiscal year, to assume full responsibility for adult ed.
Currently some community colleges, such as San Francisco City and San Diego City, run their own adult ed programs. But many of the 112 community colleges do support adult ed programs or have only a few classes. Duplication of effort by adult schools and community colleges as well as the abandonment of adult education by many school districts when they were able to use adult school funds for any educational purpose convinced the governor that shifting responsibility to community colleges was the best way to ensure adult education for the future.
Bonilla and Dawn Koepke, a lobbyist for two statewide groups — California Council for Adult Education (CCAE) and California Adult Education Administrators Association (CAEAA) — said they will be working with the governor’s office, Sen. Carol Liu (D-Glendale), who is working on a bill,  and the Department of Finance to fashion a compromise that will ensure funding for the state’s existing district adult education programs and create clear pathways from district adult schools to college — another criticism of the current adult education system. The Senate is scheduled to consider the governor’s proposal on April 11.
“We consider this vote very important,” Koepke said. “Comments made by the Assembly members showed their understanding and appreciation that access, skills, programming and services are best served under the K-12 system. The subcommittee chair made it very clear that neither the governor’s proposal nor the committee’s actions should be a path to layoff notices or closed adult schools.”
Access has been a key argument for those opposed to the governor’s proposal. Many adult education students’ first contact with the state’s education system is through literacy classes at their children’s school.
Suzanne Ludlum, who teachers at Koreamatsu Discovery Academy and Esperanza Elementary in East Oakland, said mothers move from her literacy class to her GED class or into the job market.
“They have enough English to work and provide support for their families,” she said, adding that her “hidden agenda” is to encourage these mothers to go on to college.
Chris Nelson, president of the California Council for Adult Education and director of Oakland’s adult school, which trustees recently voted in February to close, called the subcommittee’s action “a good step in the right direction.”
“There absolutely needs to be dedicated funding for adult education in K-12 schools,” he said. “That’s the only way adult education is gong to survive.”
Going deeper
California Council for Adult Education (CCAE)
California Adult Education Administrators Association (CAEAA)
Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord)
Senator Carol Liu (D-Glendale)
Restructuring California’s Adult Education System, Legislative Analyst’s Office, December 2012
At Risk: Adult Schools in California, EdSource, June 2012
Linking Adults to Opportunity, California Department of Education, Sept. 28, 2010
Adult Education, California Department of Education
Serving Students, Serving California: Updating the California Community Colleges to Meet Evolving Demands, Little Hoover Commission, February 2012

More articles on the good news:

In the LA Times:  Assembly Panel Rejects Piece of Jerry Brown's Education Plan

In the Sacramento Bee:  Assembly Committee Rejects Adult Education Program Shift

 

Truly, at last, the value of Adult Education is being seen.

We, the people, know it.

And we, the people, are taking on the job - our job - of making sure our representatives in Sacramento know it.

And they are listening.



It's not to late to sign the petitions.  And they matter! 

Each signature and comment is instantly shared with both the Legislature and Gov. Brown.

Sign and share!

Rebuild Adult Ed:  K12 and Designated Funding Stream

and

Stop Gov. Brown's Plan to Shift Adult Ed to the Community College System

K-12 Adult Education is

 

Keeping the cost down

12 months a year

All across the state

Doing good for over 150 years

Under local control

Lifting parents, seniors, job seekers, immigrants, youth

Telling us, showing us:

 

               You matter.  You count.

 

Adult Education Matters.

Maintain and rebuild the K-12 Adult Schools.

Provide Designated Funding for all Adult Education programs - both K-12 and Community College.

 

 

Perspective: ESL Student

To celebrate Adult Education Week, our ESL students competed in an essay contest,
"How Has San Mateo Adult School Helped You?" 

Here is one of the winning essays, shared anonymously but with permission from the author.

Beginnings

 

There were a lot of beginnings in my life such as beginning to a new job or just a new hobby.   Most of the beginnings were exciting, and made me happy, but how about beginning to live in a different country?  It is not easy as it sounds.  It is not easy not to be part of a society or just living without family or friends.  I wouldn’t be really that happy if I haven’t had this experience with Adult School.  Life is really tough for everyone.  I left my parent’s house when I was fourteen, and I had lost my hope about living without fighting or sadness, but this beginning has changed my life.  Adult School has helped me to get back the hope, and teachers made me feel that I’m in my home again, and they teach me how to speak just like my parents did.

Life is tough for everyone.  Sometime it can be really hard to believe everything is going to be okay when we have really serious problems.  Life brings us so many different difficulties.  Some of us has family problems.  Some of us have health problems.  Some of us have economic problems, and there are more and more problems in our world.  Everybody tries to solve the problem as much as they can.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work all the time.  Sometime we just see there is no solution.  Consequently, we accept and live with the problem.  Yes, it is not like that all the time.  Sometimes we might find the solution when we don’t have any hope.  The answer just can appear in front of us.  However, the answer didn’t appear in front of me, but teachers showed to me. Believing to live the life that I want instead of accepting the life that I have to life wasn’t easy for me.  I was always ambitious about finishing college.  I was so close to finishing it in my country, but I had to leave.  I thought, I will never have that opportunity again.  I couldn’t believe that I will be able to study in English and work at the same time in such a country.  It was a far possibility for me to feeling comfortable in English.  AS you read I have learned a lot, and I just didn’t hear from what my teachers said, also I saw in their eyes that I can learn that language, and I can support myself.  Furthermore, I can be in a college and study.  That is my silver lining now, not just work and live, also create the life I want.

Count on Adult Ed - Count on You - Count on Us

For over 150 years, you could count on Adult Ed to be there when you needed it.

Now Adult Ed needs you.

Will you help?

Sign the petitions: 

Rebuild Adult Education.

Stop Gov. Brown's Plan to Shift Adult Education to the Community College System.

"Like" the Alliance For California Adult Schools Facebook page.

Watch the A4CAS video:  http://youtu.be/Qzol25sjN5M

Catch the clip from Spanish language Univision Channel 14 when they visited our School 3/15/13.
Get the facts:

In 2009, the Legislature gave K-12 school districts in California the go-ahead to spend adult education money however they wanted and also cut funding by 20 percent. What happened next?

Funding statewide: In 2007-08, $750 million; in 2012-13, $300 million (estimate)
Oakland: In 2007-08, 25,000 enrolled; in 2012-13, 1,300 enrolled
MetroEd (San Jose): 2007-08, 10,000 enrolled; in 2012-13, 2,300 enrolled

Source: Legislative Analyst's Office, Oakland, MetroEd

Read more at:

Some See Adult-School Funding Shift as Disastrous

Districts Struggle with Governor's Adult Education Proposal

While K-12 Schools Await Infusion of Money, Adult Ed Programs Brace for Cuts

California Adult Schools:  Then and Now

Adult Education's Fate in Limbo in California

Adult Schools Deserve Support

What's Happening to Adult Education?

Adult Education's Unclear Future

Save Our Adult School

The Legislative Analyst Office's Report on Adult Education

Adult Ed Students Succeed - Profiles of Successful Adult Ed Students

Adult Education Matters - Video Testimonials

Adult Education in Limbo

Mercury News has issued this excellent article: 

 

Adult Education in Limbo in California

 

By Katy Murphy

Oakland Tribunemercurynews.com

Posted:   03/09/2013 08:36:11 AM PST

March 9, 2013 4:36 PM GMTUpdated:   03/09/2013 08:36:17 AM PST

PHOTO GALLERY > View more images in this slideshow | Mercury News Media Center

Documents

• The Restructuring California's adult education report
• Reaction to the report

School districts throughout California are weighing the fate of adult education courses that serve dropouts, recent immigrants and others at the margins of the economy as Gov. Jerry Brown proposes shifting the classes from K-12 to community colleges.

While the move is part of Brown's goal to give local schools more control over their money, the idea has college leaders wondering how they would manage the new responsibilities and adult students pondering what would happen if their programs are forced to close.

Rebuild Adult Education: Sign the Petition!

To:  Gov. Brown and the State Legislature

Rebuild Adult Education: Keep the K-12 systems and Provide A Designated Funding Stream

Adult Ed has been serving California for over 150 years, helping parents, the unemployed, seniors, young adults, & immigrants gain the skills they need to contribute to California at full power. In the last five years, it's been cut to the bone. Now Gov. Brown wants to move it to the Community College system, away from the low-cost programs in K-12 systems. The move would cost money. And it would make it harder or impossible for some students to access it. Keep Adult Ed as it - but give it a stable budget (a designated funding stream). Rebuild Adult Education to Rebuild the State. Adult Education Matters!

Click here to sign the petition.

 

 

Alliance for California Adult Schools

There's a great new way for us to share ideas, strategy, experience, and support:

The Alliance For California Adult Schools Facebook page.

You do NOT need to be a Facebook "user" or "member" to look at this page.

You DO need to be a user or member to contribute to it.

If you are member of Facebook, please "like" this page, read it, and contribute to it.

Sharing information with each other is invaluable.

United, we are stronger, smarter, and better able to achieve our goals.

Together, we can maintain, strengthen and rebuild Adult Education.

It matters!


                                                     The A4CAS Facebook Page says:

 

Perspective: Larry Teshara, SMAS Director

At San Mateo Adult School, we are lucky to have Larry Teshara, 2012 ACSA Administrator of the Year, as our Director.

Mr. Teshara has experience in both Adult Education and K-12. 

Here he shares his thoughts on the value of providing Adult Education under the auspices of K-12 Districts.

February 28, 2013

Lawrence Teshara
Director San Mateo Adult School
San Mateo Union High School District

In 2002, I was given the opportunity to provide testimony, on behalf of the ACSA State Adult Education Council, to the California Legislative Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Education in California. Specifically the plan included the now infamous recommendation #38 to transfer all Adult Education to the Community Colleges. The idea was impractical then and remains so now. Reviewing my testimony today, our arguments on behalf of maintaining basic adult education programs with K12 districts remain valid. In reality our position is more compelling now than a decade ago.

Accessibility gives our programs a real advantage. We provide a safe, familiar neighborhood environment for our students. We are open to those whose educational needs demand flexibility. Our students are working and many are raising families. We are not tied to fixed quarters or semesters, unrealistic attendance policies, or arbitrary schedules that serve the organization but not the student. Such a rigid structure is necessary for colleges because they are awarding academic credit for their classes. We are not. We are close to public transportation and bicycle accessible.

We remain low or no cost making learning English or gaining basic skills available to all. Historically our cost per student was a fraction of that of any other educational program, public or private. Before 2009, our ADA allotment was the lowest of any public school program. We did, and continue to do, a lot with a little. We are a taxpayer friendly program. If the same dollars spent by our district on adult education were transferred to the community colleges, the result would necessarily be many fewer students served. Those not being served would likely be the most needy due to limited access.

Our students are not the natural constituents of a community college. The colleges are already under pressure to serve their primary mission, to advance students on to universities or provide them with vocational certifications; hopefully within a four semester time frame. Our students are not going to help them meet their goals. Our mission is to make students ready to be successful in those community college programs. Evidence show that lack of basic English language skills and/ or high school fundamentals is the major reason for high student attrition in the colleges. There is no evidence that community colleges in our area have any interest in taking on this additional responsibility.

And some very recent developments validate our position:

I am a resident of San Francisco. Our local community college is faced with draconian reductions, perhaps loss of accreditation, due to lack of any cost containment. Years ago San Francisco Unified essentially turned over all adult education programs to the college district. They are offering non-credit adult education programs at a cost far greater than K12 Adult Schools. That is a big part of their financial morass.

Immigration reform is on the horizon. Already stop-gap measures are in place. All sides of the
debate consider learning English essential. The law specifically speaks of seeking a high school diploma or G.E.D. Citizenship preparation is mentioned. Who will provide these services in the most accessible and tax-payer friendly environment? We believe K12 Adult Education remains the answer.

We understand the overall theme of the Governor’s funding proposal is to provide additional resources for communities with large number of students with limited English skills or living in poverty. A worthy goal to be sure. What the Governor does not understand is that our students are the parents, guardians, family and neighbors of those same school children. They are setting a great example in their own homes by attending school. We need to place fewer, not more, obstacles in the way of their achieving their goal.

Larry Teshara
Director
San Mateo Adult & Community Education 

 

 

 

"Mr. T" - as we know him

 

 

CCAE February President's Message

From the February CCAE Communicator  -  The President's Message

(Please click on the link above in order to access the links below)

Dear Members,

In this edition of the Communicator, you will learn about a number of exciting ways you can make a difference in our fight to save adult education. Now is the time to pull together  in preparation for CCAE's Legislative Day at the Capitol. Here are some important steps that we ask you to take:

 

Review the latest talking points on K-12 Adult Education and the Governor's LCFF proposal.  

 

Revise the California Adult School Fact Sheet to include your district-specific information, and send a copy of your completed sheet to membership@ccaestate.org. 

 

Contact your elected officials  at their district offices - Senator & Assembly member, and schedule a site visit for the member to visit your school.

 

 

 

 

Utilize the NASCAR sample letter to obtain and show support from your community for K-12 Adult Education. Be sure to send a copy of your completed letter to membership@ccaestate.org.

 

I encourage you to take the time now to schedule your meetings for Leg Day on April 17th.  I hope to see you there!

  

Christian Nelson

CCAE President

Save Your Adult School

Several excellent and informative posts from the "Save Your Adult School" blog:

"Why Keeping Adult Schools Within K-12 Serves Californians Best."

From that blog post:

"The Governor’s Budget Plan recommends that adult education classes be reorganized under the community colleges.  Governor Brown is to be thanked for recommending funding for adult education. However a recent recommendation by the Legislative Analyst’s Office(LAO) that adult schools and community colleges remain two separate systems with better coordination between the two will serve adults better than the Governor’s Budget Plan recommendation that the two systems be joined, for the following reasons: " (Hit the link above to read the full post.)


"SB 173 and SB 174:  Proposed Legislation Regarding Adult Education."

From that blog post:

"Two bills regarding funding for adult education, SB 173 (Liu) and SB 174 (Liu) have recently been referred to the state senate committee on education, and may be acted on as soon as  March 8. SB 173 is concerned with classes in health and safety only; it provides that neither adult school nor community college non-credit classes in health and safety are eligible for state funding, as they are under current law.

 

SB 174 is much more sweeping in its scope; it revises the list of classes that qualify for state funding. SB 174 has some excellent features, chief among them its provision that adult schools will remain part of the K-12 system.  However, the bill unnecessarily narrows the mission of adult education and cancels state funding for some effective programs that serve vulnerable adults well.  It also allows districts to charge a fee for all courses, removing the mandate that basic literacy classes, such as High School Diploma, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language must be offered free.  Since students without basic literacy skills in the United States tend to have very scarce resources, charging fees could price the students who need instruction most out of an education.
SB 174 is supposed to be a pro-adult education bill; California Council for Adult Education (CCAE) approached Senator Liu to request that she draft this bill in support of adult education.  The bill would be much stronger if it restored some crucial adult education programs that make important contributions to the well-being of California communities and restored the mandate that basic literacy classes, at least, be wholly state funded."