Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

The following is a message from Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee Member Maria Alegria concerning a resolution adopted by the DPCCC at its Central Committee meeting last week.

Dear DPCC Executive Committee,

Can you please circulate to DPCC members and CDP delegates the summary and resolution in support of Adult Education under the K-12 System.  In order for the "late" resolution to be heard before the Resolutions Committee at the Convention next month, it will need unanimous support from the Resolutions Committee.  DPCC members and CDP delegates can contact me if the would like to support this resolution.

Sincerely,

Maria Alegria

Summary of Adult Schools Organized Under the K-12 System in California

The Governor’s Budget Plan recommends that adult school programs currently organized under the K-12 schools, be reorganized under the community colleges.  Governor Brown is to be commended for recommending funding for adult education. However, the proposal is flawed.

A recent recommendation by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) states that adult schools and community colleges should remain two separate systems and that better coordination between the two would better serve adults, than the Governor’s Budget Plan’s recommendation, to reorganize Adult Education under the community colleges.

On March 19, 2013, Assembly Budget Subcommittee 2 on Education and Finance rejected the proposal to reorganize adult schools under the community colleges unanimously in a bipartisan 4-0 vote, with one member absent.  Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), chair of the subcommittee, pointed out that the decision to eliminate dedicated funding for adult education and allow districts to “flex” the funding was made “in the midst of great financial crisis”, and stated, “It was never the intention to destroy adult education… We’re not going to continue down that path. It’s far too critical for thousands and thousands of Californians as the place where they can have their education needs met.” 

Source: “Assembly Committee Rejects Moving Adult Education to Community Colleges” by Susan Frey, EdSource, March 19, 2013.

California Democratic Party Supports Adult Education
Under the K-12 System in California

WHEREAS, adult schools organized under the K-12 system, which have been a part of California’s infrastructure for over 155 years, almost as long as California has been a State, work well for their students, providing outcomes, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office Report of  December 5, 2012, comparable to community college non-credit programs, and

WHEREAS, efforts to reorganize California’s 300 adult schools under the 112 California community colleges would inevitably result in reductions in service, especially in those areas of California that are not already within a community college district, a circumstance that would be particularly detrimental to veterans, workers in transition, students seeking their GED, and low-income students with limited access to transportation, and

WHEREAS, adult schools support the mission of K-12 schools, since the teaching of basic literacy, the primary function of adult schools, is more in line with the mission of K-12 schools than with that of community colleges, which is to provide college level instruction, and adult school classes at neighborhood schools increase parent involvement and make schools into true community centers. 

THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County and California Democratic Party,

1.   Declares support for California adult schools organized under K-12 schools, and

2.   Opposes any proposal to reorganize adult schools under the community colleges.

Sponsor: 

Maria Alegria
Elected Delegate, Supervisorial District 1
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

Voted & Adopted by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
Date: March 21, 2013