Ruth Dunn, 72, of Berkeley raises her hand during a current events class for older adults at the Jewish Community Center in Berkeley. Credit: Lillian Mongeau, EdSource Today
An effort to narrow adult education’s core mission is being met with resistance from advocates for older adult and parent education programs, which would lose funding under a budget compromise crafted by supporters of adult education and Gov. Jerry Brown.
“A lot of people think supporting older adult and parent ed programs is a lost cause,” said Kristen Pursley, who teaches English as a Second Language courses at West Contra Costa Adult Education. “But we think they are too important to give up.”
The programs have typically been offered by adult schools, which themselves were the focus of a budget fight in Sacramento this year when Brown attempted to shift oversight of the programs from K-12 districts to community colleges. Brown relented as part of a budget compromise, deciding instead that districts must keep their adult education programs afloat for the next two years while working with their local community colleges on a plan to streamline the courses by developing regional consortia to oversee the programs. The governor has proposed spending $500 million on adult education in 2015-16, with current programs being given priority for the money. But he is clear that older adult and parent education classes will not be part of the mix.
Senate Bill 173, introduced by Sen. Carol Liu, D-Glendale, enacts the compromise, providing funding to K-12 districts only for adult school classes offering elementary and secondary basic academic skills, English as a second language or preparation for citizenship; short-term vocational programs with high employment potential; and programs for disabled adults. Community colleges could offer ESL and citizenship classes for free, but the campuses would have to charge fees for all other classes.
Robert Oakes, Liu’s legislative director, says she had to look at the primary purpose of adult education in an era of diminished resources.
“We want to focus on the knowledge and skills people need to participate in the workforce and civic life,” he said. That view is supported by reports from both the Legislative Analyst’s Office and the California Department of Education, which recommend limiting the focus of adult education.
But George Porter, who teaches older adult classes for the Berkeley Adult School and is chair of the Commission on Aging in Berkeley, disputes such arguments. Seniors may not be in the paid workforce, he said, but they contribute economically and are active in society – volunteering, supporting their grandchildren, and taking part in local community and political issues.
“Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you are no longer a productive member of society,” he said.
With the large generation of baby boomers beginning to retire, older adult programs are seen as vital to help keep seniors participating in society as well as mentally and physically fit, which can provide larger societal savings in medical costs, Porter said. By 2030, almost one in five Californians will be over age 65, according to the California Department of Aging.
Older adult programs
Older adult programs offer a variety of courses aimed at keeping seniors mentally and physically fit. For example, West Contra Costa County’s older adult classes, held at a church in El Cerrito on Monday mornings, include Spanish, German, current events and line dancing. Most older adult classes are free or offered for a nominal price.
Instructor George Porter leads an adult education class for seniors on current events at the Jewish Community Center in Berkeley on July 18. Credit: Lillian Mongeau, EdSource Today
Porter teaches a two-hour current events class for older adults each Thursday afternoon at the Jewish Community Center in Berkeley. The dozen or so participants who met one recent Thursday ranged in age from the early 60s to 97. Discussions covered a wide range of topics, from the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case to Syria.
“The only social events in my life at this time are the classes,” said 73-year-old Shelly Davis, who is recovering from cancer and the recent death of her mother. “It is the high point of my week.”
Davis has been commuting from Richmond for many years to attend classes on Mondays and Thursdays, including the current events class, at the community center.
“Often when you get to my age, your friends have died and you end up alone,” she said. “You can give life to people when you share your time, conversation, knowledge, and kindness with them. I could write a book about how meaningful these classes are for me.”
Parent education classes
Parent education classes teach parents how to help their children succeed in school and include topics such as how to engage children in reading as well as in positive disciplinary techniques, anger management, and how to prevent older children from joining gangs.
“Parent education classes are not frills,” West Contra Costa’s Pursley wrote to the Senate Education Committee. “Classes like these can literally save lives.”
When districts cut funding for adult education during the recession, some programs started charging fees to keep classes going.
Kenneth Ryan, who teaches parent education for West Contra Costa Adult Education, said fees didn’t work at his adult school, which like many throughout the state caters to low-income families.
When the school offered parent education classes for $100, “parents in our community couldn’t afford it,” Ryan said, and the district wasn’t willing to fund the program on its own. Currently only one district-funded class – with a waiting list – is offered on anger management, which is often ordered by the court for parents in danger of losing their children.
Parent education programs ultimately benefit school districts, Ryan argued, because parents can do a better job of supporting their children academically. However, districts have limited funds and lots of needs.
“One of the reasons we want dedicated funding from the state is that it’s really hard for us politically to go up against wealthier families who want the school district to spend its money on class size reduction,” Ryan said. “The communities we serve don’t have as much political power.”
‘Continuing discussions’
SB 173 breezed through the Assembly and Senate education committees and is now scheduled to be heard on Aug. 6 in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education. Advocates for older adult and parent education programs are hoping the bill will be amended to include funding for their programs.
Advocates have caught the ear of at least one senator, Ted Lieu, D-Redondo Beach, who voted for the bill but has since started a petition to urge his colleagues and the governor to continue to support older adult programs.
Dawn Koepke, a lobbyist who represents two statewide adult education organizations, the California Council for Adult Education and the California Adult Education Administrators Association, says the groups have to uphold their end of the compromise with the governor in order to ensure long-term funding for adult education. Given that the administration is “adamant” about narrowing the focus of adult education, Koepke said SB 173 should be amended so that districts could use adult education funding for older adult and parent education programs until 2015-16, when the regional consortia plans are set to be implemented. That would give districts two years to find funding from other sources for the programs, she said.
Oakes, from Liu’s office, said the senator is open to hearing what the advocates are proposing.
“We definitely are interested in continuing the conversation,” he said.
To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.