Principals Association Division of Adult and Career Education Los Angeles Unified School District

Proposed In Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Fiscal Stabilization Plan for 2012-2013 School Year

ELIMINATION OF ADULT EDUCATION AND SERIOUS REDUCTION IN REGIONAL OCCUPATIONAL CENTER PROGRAMS

1. Potential Impact: The elimination of Adult Education by the District is ill-conceived and would create a political and educational debacle. 2. Fiscal Facts: o Until the state granted school districts in California flexibility regarding the use of categorical funds with the 2009 budget, the Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE) generated its own funds and was self-sustaining o DACE does not encroach on the Districts general funds. o The District is taking funding that was originally generated by DACE to pay for its general fund shortfalls. o Additionally, the District sweeps away every dollar left in Adult and Career Education accounts at the o While providing critically needed basic education and career training for the community at large, Adult
and Career Education paid its own way through both direct and indirect assessments levied by the District against their severely limited resources end of each year

3. Potential Loss of Services: The loss of adult education career services to 1) high school students, 2) K12 students parents and other adults and 3) communities served by the District would have a grave educational and economic impact. Note sample services below:
DACE administrators carefully manage their programs including a successful dropout recovery program (AEWC - Alternative Education Work Centers) and labor union-supported apprenticeship programs and have a long history of successes on a shoestring that include the following: More that 10% of last years high school dropouts were enrolled in Adult and Career Education courses, thus reducing the Districts 2010-2011 dropout rate by 10%. The previous years reduction was also 10%, and nearly 9% the year before that. Clearly, LAUSDs dropout rate would increase dramatically if DACE programs were not available to these students. Approximately 1,500 former dropouts were graduated from DACE programs in 2010-2011, thus further reducing the Districts dropout rate. In 2010-2011, 88,200 high school students took Adult and Career Education courses to make up credits and keep up with their graduating class. Reducing accessibility for these students would simply transfer educational costs to the General Fund at a higher per-capita cost. Moreover, up to 50% of some high schools seniors graduate each year because they have taken classes in adult and career education. Loss of the ability for seniors to make up credits would have a significant negative effect on the District graduation rate. In 2010-2011, 51,844 high school students took courses at occupational centers and in ROP (Regional Occupational Programs). Reducing accessibility to these programs would cause students to be transferred back to their home schools and would increase costs to the General Fund, again at a higher per-capita cost. Career and technical programs that provide adult and high school students with employment skills resulting in a better economy for the business and industry sectors of communities served by the District. In 2010-2011, 58,147 parents took DACE courses.

Summary Statement: Shutting down the Districts Adult and Career Education programs would have the unintended consequence of increasing General Fund costs, increasing dropout rates, decreasing graduation rates and eliminating valuable educational and career services to thousands of needy parents and community members District-wide. Since flexibility funding is scheduled to end in 2015, if adult education is not funded by the district, the state would likely cease sending those funds.