May Revise - Adult Education Update & Next Steps
Not unexpected, the Governor's May Revise budget plan released yesterday focused on adjustments in revenues and programmatic expenditures - not on adult education. As we've discussed previously, the Administration and Legislature are committed to addressing the needs of adult education, particularly for K-12 adult schools, in the FY 15-16 budget process that will begin with the Governor's January budget proposal to be released by January 10th, 2015.
While there were no significant changes relative to the future of adult education, the May Revise did contain provisions that would suspend local educational agencies from establishing new federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) affiliated charter schools and charter schools that offer correctional education until a more comprehensive plan for adult education is developed next budget cycle. Concerns peaked with the Administration, Legislature and Department of Education (CDE) earlier this year with the establishment of an adult-focused charter school in Northern California. Currently, these schools can claim LCFF based funding for adult average daily attendance, which no other local educational agency may claim.
Ultimately, the Administration and Legislature are interested in the development of a more comprehensive plan for adult education in both delivery systems - CCC and K-12 - that takes in to account the benefits and strengths of both systems and ensures stability and beneficial outcomes for the students we serve. In this regard, we are working aggressively to ensure that plan protects K-12 adult schools, while at the same time continuing the regional consortia work that was initiated under AB 86 last year. We're continuing to meet with key legislators, Administration officials, Department of Finance (programmatic staff and management), budget staff, and stakeholders to craft a comprehensive plan that is protective of K-12 adult schools, workable, and clear for districts to include in their budgets going in to FY 15-16. This work will be critically important through the summer and early fall as the Department of Finance embarks on the development of the next budget plan that will address adult education. In this regard, we will be ramping up efforts soon with grassroots advocacy (that's YOU!), media interaction, coalition building and more.
In the meantime, it is critically important that all of you in the field continue to focus on and take the following steps in the next month:
- Sign up for your elected officials' monthly/weekly newsletters through their website;
- Relationship building with an education of your local elected officials and district office staff regarding your adult school, student achievements, and etc.;
- Invite them to your graduations, ceremonies, and schools for a visit;
- Go visit the member and their staff at their district office during their sidewalk hours;
- Utilize your friends and family who have relationships with the members as a means of introducing the members to K-12 adult schools;
- Educate members and staff on your AB 86 consortia planning efforts; and
- Reconnect with supportive community based stakeholders in your region in preparation for this summer's advocacy efforts (local chambers of commerce, businesses, community based organizations, county supervisors, city councilmembers, etc.).
Strong relationships with elected officials and the field in their districts will be critical to our grassroots advocacy push this summer. Such relationships and advocacy this summer will help apply pressure to the Department of Finance and Administration to protect K-12 adult schools as they work to draft their FY 15-16 budget plan this Fall. In the coming month, we'll be preparing more specific talking points and "asks" for adult education - you, the field, will be critical to that effort. In the meantime, we urge you focus on continuing to build those relationships!
Dawn Koepke
CCAE Legislative Liaison
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