From the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Update, Week of December 15, 2014 | http://bit.ly/1z2FqRJ
11 Dec 2014 :: How adult education in the state of California will look next year is still a question.
Governor Brown included a provision in his 2013 budget that mandated that school districts maintain their then current level of funding for adult education for two years while a regional consortium was creating a plan to better service adults. AB 86 appropriated $25 million to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to fund a two-year planning and implementation grant to develop regional plans for adult education. The two-year period ends in June 2015 and while planning between community colleges and the California Department of Education (CDE) is ongoing, the law provides that funding for adult education after that period be funneled through the CCCCO.
This, of course, has raised concerns among many adult school staff members; however, we are cautioned that the funding is only to pass through the CCCCO to the various consortia that will make budget decisions, such as how much money each K-12 adult school and community college will receive. To try to clarify some of the questions regarding the implementation of AB 86, we have reviewed the official website, http://ab86.cccco.edu, and are providing this information.
The regional consortia are composed of at least one community college district and one K-12 district within its boundaries. There are 70 consortia in the state with 72 community college districts and almost 300 school districts participating. The consortium that services LAUSD is the Los Angeles Regional Adult Education Consortium and the fiscal agent is the L.A. Community College District, with Donna Brashear, District Executive Director of the Division of Adult and Career Education, as the primary contact.
The funding from AB 86 required that the money be used to provide adults with:
- Elementary and secondary basic skills, including classes required for a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate
- Classes and courses for immigrants eligible for education services in citizenship and English as a second language and workforce preparation classes in basic skills
- Education programs for adults with disabilities
- Short-term career technical education programs with high employment potential
- Programs for apprentices
AB 86 also requires that the plan developed by each consortium must include:
- An evaluation of current level and types of adult education programs within its region including education for adults in correctional facilities, credit, noncredit and enhanced noncredit adult education coursework and programs funding through Title II of the federal Workforce Investment Act
- An evaluation of current needs for adult education programs within its region
- Plans for parties that make up the Adult Education Consortia to integrate their existing programs and create seamless transitions into postsecondary education or the workforce
- Plans to address the gaps identified Plans to employ approaches proven to accelerate a student’s progress toward his or her academics or career goals
- Plans to collaborate in the provision of ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty and other staff to help them achieve greater program integration and improve student outcomes
- Plans to leverage existing regional structures
By March 1, 2015, the CCCCO and the CDE must submit a joint report to the California legislature that includes the plans developed by each local consortium with recommendations for improvements in the delivery system. It is the intent of the legislature to include in the budget for 2015-16 additional funding to the regional consortia to expand and improve adult education.
That said, the concept of combining the efforts and endeavors of school district K-12 Adult Ed Programs and Community College Programs is a promising+challenging one; there is plenty of room+opportunity for success.
The members if the Los Angeles Regional Adult Education Consortium are:
- Burbank Unified School District
- Culver City Unified School District
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- Montebello Unified School District
- Los Angeles Community College District
No comments:
Post a Comment