GOOD NEWS FOR ADULT EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA

from the AALA Update | http://bit.ly/166dFHV

21 March 2013  ::  Members of the State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance rejected Governor Brown’s plan to move administrative and financial responsibility for adult education from K-12 districts to the community colleges on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

This vote, by a Democrat-controlled committee, indicates that the controversial proposal may have difficulty being adopted by the full Assembly. Under Brown’s plan, which was strongly opposed by Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of Public Instruction, adult education would be reduced from the current ten instructional areas to six and administrative oversight would go the California Community College system.

Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), chair of the panel, said, “It was never the intention of the legislature to eliminate or to destabilize and weaken adult education but rather flexibility was given to school districts based on the financial crisis that districts found themselves in. It is certainly not our intention to continue the demise of adult education in the state of California but rather reaffirm our commitment to how very important it is.”