MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Juan Noguera             (818) 388-8369           [email protected]                 ENGLISH / SPANISH

Israel Lemus             (310) 621-9470            [email protected]              SPANISH

UNITED ADULT STUDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED CUTS TO ADULT EDUCATION

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – At 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 16, 2013, United Adult Students (LAUSD), joined by teachers, will hold a press conference challenging a proposed 25 percent cut to adult education classes, at the intersection of Third St. and Beaudry Ave. (across from LAUSD Headquarters). LAUSD adult education students and teachers will discuss the impact the cut will have on the lives and futures of their families—in both English and Spanish.

Despite a steady flow of new Proposition 30 and long-deferred Proposition 98 funds to the District since the November 2012 election, and the restoration of other educational programs, adult education programs continue to suffer annual cuts that have resulted in the elimination of two-out-of-three LAUSD adult education classes since 2008.

The proposed cuts come as another blow to Los Angeles’ large immigrant population just as the demand for such programs is expected to increase as a consequence of pending federal immigration reform. They also exacerbate the State’s anemic economic recovery and create more roadblocks in the struggle to move from economic dependency into self-sustaining career-oriented employment, since adult education produces a quicker return-on-investment than nearly any other educational program in the State and Los Angeles has the largest under-educated and under-employed adult population in the United States.

Background

In 2009, in an attempt to balance state budgets, the California legislature allowed local school districts to adult education funds for any educational purpose.  Although LAUSD receives approximately $135 million for adult education, with local flexibility, only approximately $78 million is allocated for its original intent. Since 2008, the teaching staff has been reduced from about 3,200 to less than 1,000, and the number of students served has fallen from approximately 350,000 to about 150,000. The largest adult education programs are Language Acquisition (ESL), Basic Skills, and Career-Technical Education.

Although LAUSD administrators claim they are not proposing further cuts, teachers currently employed are being laid-off and current classes are proposed to be eliminated or reduced in Fall 2013. The proposed cuts will occur primarily in Career-Technical Education (job training).

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