Here’s an important message from CCAE Bay Section President and VP, Debbie Norgaard and Bob Harper;

For many decades The California Council for Adult Education has been the voice of the field advocating for public adult education in our state.  Since 2008 we have experienced devastating cuts to adult schools, and school districts have been given the “flexibility” to sweep adult education funds.   In these last few years no organization has been more effective in keeping our interests on the radar.   Although the details of Assembly AB189 did not fully resolve the threat to adult education, its success this year, passing both houses of legislature and being signed by the Governor, was the most hopeful news for adult ed. from Sacramento in a long time.   That happened in large part due to the coordinated efforts of CCAE.

The next legislative cycle begins this spring.   Even as the economy continues to recover much too slowly, the ideas about what adult ed. will be in the future need to be formed and presented now.   The advocacy efforts of CCAE will continue and expand.  They need the support of all those in our state who care about the future of adult education.   Our future may well be decided in the next two years.

If you are a current member of CCAE, can you ask your colleagues if they are members?  Can you recruit those who have never been a member of the organization?  If you were a member in the past, can you renew your membership now?   We need to expand the circle of support.  Working together we can assure that adult students in all parts of our state will continue to have an adult school to welcome them.  If our advocacy is stronger with more members to our organization than ever, 2012 can be our year to make a difference.

Renew membership or send new members here to join:

http://ccaestate.org/how_to_join.html

Debbie Norgaard, President – Bay Section CCAE

Bob Harper, Vice President, Membership – Bay Section CCAE

DID YOU KNOW THE UNITED STATES IS RANKED 27TH IN LITERACY?

It seems unbelievable that the United States is ranked 27th among all countries in literacy. How can this be? Adult literacy affects economic development, future prosperity, and social well-being of our nation's residents and families.

More than 93 million people living in the U.S. have skills below the high school level.

More than 70% of jobs in the U.S. require more education than a high school diploma.

1 in 7 adults—nearly 15% of the population—is unable to read a job application.

2 out of 5 prisoners lack a high school diploma.

Someone with a high school diploma or GED earns, on average, $250,000 more throughout their lifetime than someone who does not—that’s a quarter of a million dollars! This additional earned revenue not only heightens quality of life for the individual and their family, but also positively impacts our community with additional wage tax revenue and other economic gains.  

What can we do?

• Advocate for increased funding for access to Adult Education and literacy programs
• Offer incentives to organizations for coordinated services so that learners can receive the support they need

Business can

• sponsor on-site programs to increase the skills of their employees
• increase internships and mentoring outreach and/or host job shadowing opportunities
• Sponsor adult literacy organizations
• serve as guest speakers in adult literacy programs
• provide in-kind services to education agencies

Get involved and persuade support of adult literacy

All BAS employees participated in Staff Development on Monday, October 10. Classified and Support staffs had targeted training sessions covering digital, safety and technical skills. Certificated teachers worked with Administration on the upcoming accreditation Self Study Report. At our Back to School Staff Development in August, we introduced our Self Study Report to the staff and met in cross-departmental groups to review the document, recording suggested edits, changes, additions and other feedback on our approach to earning accreditation from WASC.

Based on staff recommendations, we agreed to modify our school’s Mission Statement and Student Learning Outcomes. Our revisions are:

The mission of the Berkeley Adult School is to provide adult learners with equal access to learner-centered lifelong education in a safe, supportive multicultural environment.

Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

All students will

·         Identify and achieve personal goals

·         Practice respect of diversity

·         Build self confidence

·         Demonstrate effective communication

·         Develop and practice analytical thinking skills

·         Be lifelong learners

In addition, we again worked in cross-departmental groups and developed a prioritized list of strengths and key issues in ten areas, including

1.    Institutional Mission, Purpose, and Objectives

2.    Organizational Structure

3.    Evaluation and Planning

4.    Educational Programs

5.    Program, Student, and Institutional Outcomes

6.    Student Support Services

7.    Human Resources

8.    Learning Resources

9.    Financial Resources

10. Physical Resources

The purpose of the self-study process is to identify key issues that are inserted into a schoolwide Action Plan that governs school improvement activities and events. The schoolwide Action Plan is used regularly, reviewed annually, and monitored consistently by the governing body to ensure continuing school improvement. The work we have done so far will help us develop the Action Plan, and a draft will be shared in November.

We’ll be editing the entire Self Study Report, including the Action Plan through the winter until we agree and are satisfied that all stakeholders have weighed in and understand the accreditation criteria and process. In the spring, a Visiting Committee comprised of statewide educators will practically live at our school for three and a half days, investigating and validating our report. Stay tuned for updates and get involved if you’re a stakeholder; contact BAS Administration.

Here’s some potentially good news for Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, statewide. New legislation requires Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) to invest more of their funding from the Workforce Investment Act on job training.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Thursday (10/13/11) that requires local Workforce Investment Boards to divert at least a quarter of the money for their job centers to programs that teach the jobless new skills for the changing economy. This includes Adult Education.

Thanks to one of our CTE Coordinators, Alfred Miller, all of our CTE classes are now referred to job training clients by the local WIB. Berkeley Adult School is on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL).

Federal WIA funds are delivered locally to Rubicon/One-Stop Berkeley and the Private Industry Council (PIC)/One-Stop in Oakland. For detailed information on SB 734 (DeSaulnier), click here.  And for a recent article in the LA Times on this legislation, click here.

Although it was watered down, AB 189 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown and should be counted as a success. Congratulations and thank you to Assembly Member Mike Eng for championing this legislation and seeing it through. It’s a small step, but an important one. Here is his press release:

SACRAMENTO, CA – This past weekend, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 189 by Assemblymember Mike Eng (D – Monterey Park), which will empower parents and community members to advocate for the protection of education programs important to them, as local boards consider making deeper cuts or closing entire programs. The bill also permits school districts to gain revenue to help fund programs like Adult Education.

Specifically, AB 189 requires Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to hold independent meetings that are separate from the meeting to adopt a budget prior to the transfer of funds from categorical programs in Tier 3 flexibility. If a governing board intends to shut down a program, it will be required to notice a proposed elimination of a program at the meeting to discuss proposed transfer of Tier 3 funds or another meeting that is not the meeting to adopt the budget. In addition, it provides the ability to offer English as a Second Language and citizenship classes with modest fees as a means of keeping programs open and ensuring these services during flexibility.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-10 budget had an important impact on categorical programs. The budget agreement imposed a 20% reduction on 39 programs and gave LEAs that received those funds in FY 2007-08 the flexibility to use the funds for any educational purposes from FY 2008-09 through FY 2012-13. The Governor recently enacted legislation to extend flexibility through the FY 2014–15.

“I am thrilled that the Governor heard the thousands of voices throughout the state that have advocated so strongly for this very important legislation, especially those in the Adult Education community,” said Assemblymember Eng. “Now, these same voices will have an opportunity to weigh in and advocate for the programs that are important to them before school districts take drastic steps in reducing or eliminating categorical programs.”

Categorical programs like Adult Education and Regional Occupational Centers & Programs (ROCP) provide valuable educational and post-educational services to a broad cross section of California’s population and prepares both adults and high school students for the workforce.

“For many members in our communities, these programs help fulfill their dreams of obtaining a better job, buying their own home, starting their own business and becoming more involved in their children’s education,” said Assemblymember Mike Eng.