Just so you don't think I have forgotten about you...

Appropriations

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year (FY) 2021 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill by a vote of 30-22, with  no changes. As previously reported, the bill includes a $7 million proposed increase to adult education state grants and leaves national leadership funding frozen at current levels. The Committee's report is posted here:

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20200713/110879/HMKP-116-AP00-20200713-SD003.pdf

The short section of the report concerning the proposed adult education appropriation is at the bottom of page 254, also pasted below. As is often the case, it includes some indication of a preference in how the Department of Education uses the National Leadership Activities, which I've highlighted.

Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants

The Committee recommends $663,955,000 for Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants, which is $7,000,000 more than the fiscal year 2020 enacted level and the fiscal year 2021 budget request. State formula grants, authorized under the AEFLA, sup- port programs to enable adults to acquire basic literacy skills, to enable those who so desire to complete secondary education, and to make available to adults the means to become more employable, productive, and responsible citizens.

Adult Education National Leadership Activities

The Committee recommends $13,712,000 for National Leadership Activities, which is the same as the fiscal year 2020 enacted level and the fiscal year 2021 budget request. This program supports ap- plied research, development, dissemination, evaluation, and pro- gram improvement efforts to strengthen the quality of adult edu- cation services.

The Committee encourages the provision of technical assistance to States to foster and scale IET models by ensuring collaboration with CTE providers. IET is a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement.

Note this is merely "encouragement" -- not a directive to actually do this.

The $7 million is nice, but I don't think represents a major push to get adult education for more dollars. Looking at the CEF budget table (attached), it looks like they tried to sprinkle what limited funds they had across as many programs as possible (sort of like last year's approach but with much less money), and that 1% increase looks to be on the smaller end of the % increases they proposed. Still better than nothing!

The Appropriations Committee is marking up the last five FY 2021 appropriations bills this week. In terms of what's next, what I know comes almost entirely from Sara Aberbnathy at CEF. House leadership wants to complete all House floor votes on their bills by the end of July. Sarah thinks given the time required for any floor votes, few amendments will be allowed.

The Senate, meanwhile, hasn't started marking up any of it's FY 2021 appropriations bills, and there is zero possibility that they will get their bills done before the FY 2021 fiscal year starts on October 1. So when Congress comes back in September it will likely pass a continuing resolution (CR) to extend current government funding into FY 2021, probably until Congress reconvenes in the lame-duck session after the November election.

CEF

CEF’s Budget Book briefing is happening Monday, July 20, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. ET. I know, much later than in past years. Since it is virtual, anyone can attend, but you need to register first here: https://acg-consultants.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SjSVj-rvT1SD9S6jA88nwg

Biden Campaign

I don't know if anyone here read the BIDEN-SANDERS UNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS released last week, but I have to read stuff like this for my actual job, and so for the heck of it, I did a search to see how often adult education is mentioned.

For what it's worth, not often.

The only places they mention adult education is in sort of an obligatory way in the immigration section and then in the paragraph about investing in community schools.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made plain, our public schools are more than places where children learn—they are pillars of our neighborhoods and our society. Democrats believe that no student should ever be shamed over school lunch debt, and support expanding universal free school meal programs. We will also support wraparound health care and nutrition services, before- and after-school programs, adult education classes, and other services by significantly expanding the community school model. (page 23)

Democrats support policies and programs to make it easier for qualified immigrants and their families to become full and equal citizens, including increasing funding for culturally appropriate immigrant inclusion and citizenship services, legal support, English classes and bilingual education, workforce development, and adult education. (page 23)

The authors of the education section seem to suggest that the community schools model would be the approach they'd recommend for adult education expansion. But I don't think they really mean that.

Not sure how much this matters (probably not much) but, still, you'd like to see some evidence that the authors of a document like this are aware of the federal adult education system in the U.S. and who it serves...

Jeff

Jeff Carter
Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr

Occasional Interloper
National Coalition for Literacy
http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/
mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org
Former President, Committee for Education Funding

Executive Director
Physicians for Social Responsibility

1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20005

http://www.psr.org/ | mailto:jcarter@psr.org

Just realized I did not attach the Committee report in addition to the CEF table. Here it is.

---- On Tue, 14 Jul 2020 17:11:19 -0400 Jeff Carter mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org wrote ----

Just so you don't think I have forgotten about you...

Appropriations

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year (FY) 2021 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill by a vote of 30-22, with  no changes. As previously reported, the bill includes a $7 million proposed increase to adult education state grants and leaves national leadership funding frozen at current levels. The Committee's report is posted here:

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20200713/110879/HMKP-116-AP00-20200713-SD003.pdf

The short section of the report concerning the proposed adult education appropriation is at the bottom of page 254, also pasted below. As is often the case, it includes some indication of a preference in how the Department of Education uses the National Leadership Activities, which I've highlighted.

Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants

The Committee recommends $663,955,000 for Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants, which is $7,000,000 more than the fiscal year 2020 enacted level and the fiscal year 2021 budget request. State formula grants, authorized under the AEFLA, sup- port programs to enable adults to acquire basic literacy skills, to enable those who so desire to complete secondary education, and to make available to adults the means to become more employable, productive, and responsible citizens.

Adult Education National Leadership Activities

The Committee recommends $13,712,000 for National Leadership Activities, which is the same as the fiscal year 2020 enacted level and the fiscal year 2021 budget request. This program supports ap- plied research, development, dissemination, evaluation, and pro- gram improvement efforts to strengthen the quality of adult edu- cation services.

The Committee encourages the provision of technical assistance to States to foster and scale IET models by ensuring collaboration with CTE providers. IET is a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement.

Note this is merely "encouragement" -- not a directive to actually do this.

The $7 million is nice, but I don't think represents a major push to get adult education for more dollars. Looking at the CEF budget table (attached), it looks like they tried to sprinkle what limited funds they had across as many programs as possible (sort of like last year's approach but with much less money), and that 1% increase looks to be on the smaller end of the % increases they proposed. Still better than nothing!

The Appropriations Committee is marking up the last five FY 2021 appropriations bills this week. In terms of what's next, what I know comes almost entirely from Sara Aberbnathy at CEF. House leadership wants to complete all House floor votes on their bills by the end of July. Sarah thinks given the time required for any floor votes, few amendments will be allowed.

The Senate, meanwhile, hasn't started marking up any of it's FY 2021 appropriations bills, and there is zero possibility that they will get their bills done before the FY 2021 fiscal year starts on October 1. So when Congress comes back in September it will likely pass a continuing resolution (CR) to extend current government funding into FY 2021, probably until Congress reconvenes in the lame-duck session after the November election.

CEF

CEF’s Budget Book briefing is happening Monday, July 20, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. ET. I know, much later than in past years. Since it is virtual, anyone can attend, but you need to register first here: https://acg-consultants.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SjSVj-rvT1SD9S6jA88nwg

Biden Campaign

I don't know if anyone here read the BIDEN-SANDERS UNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS released last week, but I have to read stuff like this for my actual job, and so for the heck of it, I did a search to see how often adult education is mentioned.

For what it's worth, not often.

The only places they mention adult education is in sort of an obligatory way in the immigration section and then in the paragraph about investing in community schools.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made plain, our public schools are more than places where children learn—they are pillars of our neighborhoods and our society. Democrats believe that no student should ever be shamed over school lunch debt, and support expanding universal free school meal programs. We will also support wraparound health care and nutrition services, before- and after-school programs, adult education classes, and other services by significantly expanding the community school model. (page 23)

Democrats support policies and programs to make it easier for qualified immigrants and their families to become full and equal citizens, including increasing funding for culturally appropriate immigrant inclusion and citizenship services, legal support, English classes and bilingual education, workforce development, and adult education. (page 23)

The authors of the education section seem to suggest that the community schools model would be the approach they'd recommend for adult education expansion. But I don't think they really mean that.

Not sure how much this matters (probably not much) but, still, you'd like to see some evidence that the authors of a document like this are aware of the federal adult education system in the U.S. and who it serves...

Jeff

Jeff Carter
Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr

Occasional Interloper
National Coalition for Literacy
http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/
mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org
Former President, Committee for Education Funding

Executive Director
Physicians for Social Responsibility

1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20005

http://www.psr.org/ | mailto:jcarter@psr.org

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