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.
No comments:
Post a Comment