Indiana's Department of Education currently has control of more than $24 million annually for adult education.
But in the past, other organizations like the Department of Workforce Development and Ivy Tech sought to take control over that money. And that fight still looms at the state level, according to speakers at a rally Thursday for adult education.
Before the rally, Steve Schenkel, a member of the board of directors for the Indiana Association of Adult and Continuing Education, said the main purpose of the rally is to make people aware that funding for adult education and English as a second language has been threatened to be moved from the DOE. The goal is to keep the money within the DOE.
Carol Rhudy, director of adult education, Goshen, and also a past president of IAACE, said other entities think they should have the funding.
During the rally, Schenkel said Indiana Adult Education has helped hundreds of thousands of adults. About five years ago, when Gov. Mitch Daniels won the election, Schenkel said IAACE heard the money for adult education might be moved from the DOE to the Department of Workforce Development. He said the IAACE knew that could be real trouble and a grassroots network was started to keep the threat from happening.
"Unfortunately," Schenkel said, "every year since then we've had this fight. When we thought we won the battle last year, we found out the battle is still on."
Fred Inniger, coordinator for Four County Adult Education, said that Sen. Bob Meeks informed them last week that the threat is not over. A bill could show up before the state legislature next year moving the adult education money. While there will still be an adult education, some people at the statehouse want the money to go elsewhere, including to Ivy Tech.
"We are still not out of the woods," Inniger said.
He said it is important that the people contact their state legislatures, Chamber of Commerces, local politicians and other important people they know now to keep the money from being moved from the DOE.
"It's important you let people know," he said. "We have to be proactive, not reactive."
If another organization takes over the money for adult education, they wouldn't be required to have licensed teachers, Inniger said. The DOE requires teachers to be licensed.
Schenkel said organizations like Ivy Tech, Department of Workforce Development and DOE need to work together, not take each other down.
After the rally, Inniger said adult education in Indiana has done well. Adult education is a federal program, and the state matches the money provided by the federal government. With the adult education money coming from the DOE, local schools have to give a minimum of 5 percent of their funding to adult education, he said. If the DOE doesn't have control over the adult education money, then schools wouldn't have to provide any funds.
Adult education, he said, helps people help themselves.
"We feel they should keep the system where it's at because it's working," said Inniger.
Tony England, director of Alternative Learning Services, Warsaw, said Warsaw Adult Education has 350 to 400 students per year, most over 21 years old. Obviously, he said, that funding from the DOE is extremely important in helping their students learn basic skills and receive their GED.
Warsaw Adult Education operates on about $500 per student per year, England said. In a regular K-12 school, schools operate on about $5,000 per student per year.
Warsaw Community Schools provides the facilities for adult education, while Kosciusko Literacy Services provides the volunteers. Warsaw Adult Education has three full-time staff, including two teachers and one administrative assistant. It also has one part-time teacher and several instructional assistants.
Besides the rally in Warsaw Thursday, similar events are being planned for Indianapolis in December and in Bloomington in January.
