Ariz. nixes funding for CC adult ed program

““Dismayed.” That’s what Pima Community College (PCC) said in a press release regarding an agreement between Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona legislature to eliminate funding for the Community College Adult Education Workforce Program for the upcoming fiscal year as part of the state’s $18.3 billion budget. Despite bipartisan support for the program, state leaders implemented the cuts to stem an overall budget shortfall. The four-year-old Community College Adult Education Workforce Program serves community colleges with adult education programs, including nine of Arizona’s 10 community college districts. Last year, state lawmakers trimmed the program’s funding from $6 million to $4 million, with PCC receiving about $1.5 million this year. It’s a small pot of money, but it has a significant impact on the state’s workforce development, said Laurie Kierstead-Joseph, PCC’s assistant vice chancellor for adult basic education for college and career. The college has used that funding for a variety of efforts to assist some of the least-prepared adults get on a path toward education, employment and a career. That includes helping more than 650 adults complete their High School Equivalency (HSE/GED) diplomas, while enabling more than 1,700 learners to complete entry-level workforce training and begin career pathways. In Pima County, approximately 70,000 adults do not have a high school diploma or equivalent credential. Now, Pima and the other community colleges have to determine how to pare down services over the next year or two unless the state reinstates the funding. Layered with federal funding The program was also designed to layer on top of federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding to provide wraparound supports, such as transportation or childcare, to help adult learners overcome barriers to persistence, and to expand integrated education in training (IET) models, Kierstead-Joseph said. PCC received about $1,500 in WIOA funding per student, with another $500 per student from the state program, she said. Kierstead-Joseph noted a Pima student who recently completed the college’s IET support technician certificate and was simultaneously working toward her GED/high school equivalency through the program. She completed the tech certificate and has one more GED test to take. But without that GED, she can’t get a job because employers require at least a GED. “Employers want to see both the career training and that they completed high school,” Kierstead-Joseph said. A crucial role The statute that directs the state program created three funding pots: one for community colleges, one for Goodwill Excel Centers (tuition-free adult charter high schools that award industry-recognized certifications and high school diplomas) and one for adult online high schools. Funding for all three was nixed for the coming fiscal year, Kierstead-Joseph said. Placing adult ed in community colleges is crucial, Kierstead-Joseph said. In Arizona, about 40% of adult ed program are in public two-year colleges. “Adult ed needs community colleges because we want to get our learners transitioned on to career-level training and postsecondary education,” she said. “And colleges need adult ed programs, whether they are within their college or not, because we have a huge segment of the population that needs adult ed support before they’ll be successful in college.” The post Ariz. nixes funding for CC adult ed program first appeared on Community College Daily .

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