Executive Advisory Committee Meeting AB86
Minutes and Actions of the Committee
Eureka Main Campus, Room SS 104
January 29, 2015
11 AM
Attendees: Julia Peterson, Rick Jordan, Ed Wilkinson, Dave Lonn, Sheri Jensen
Phone Conference: Coleen Parker
I.
Lunch, Brief Introduction, and Review of Minutes
II.
Review of AB86 Adult Education Survey
Julia reviewed the survey and results. Coffee cards have been distributed to the
districts.
The survey consisted of 10 questions, and was open from January 6, 2015 through
January 23, 2014. We received 58 total responses, and 49 completed surveys. Of
the completed surveys, 38 (74.51%) were from teachers, Grades 9-12, 3 (5.88%)
were from counselors, and 10 (19.61%) were other secondary school staff and
administrators.
School districts represented in the survey were Eureka City Schools, Humboldt
County Office of Education, Eureka United School District, Northern Humboldt
Unified High School District, Del Norte County Unified School District, Fortuna Union
High School District, Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District, and Redwoods
Community College District.
Across all districts, the greatest need reported is for Career Technical Education
(CTE), followed closely by Apprenticeships. About a third of respondents reported
Adult Basic Education/Basic Skills (ABE/ABS) and English as a Second Language
(ESL) as their greatest need.
When asked to indicate the level of interest for each program area in their district,
just over 80% of respondents indicated interest in expanding existing CTE programs,
and 44% indicated interest in expanding Apprenticeships. 70% indicated interest in
expanding ESL, and 64% were interested in expanding Disabled Students Programs
and Services (DSPS).
Minutes 1-29-15 Executive Advisory Committee Meeting AB86.docx
Page 1 of 4
27% of respondents saw no need to attend additional professional development in
Adult Education, and 29% indicated that they would prefer to attend school inservice days for additional Adult Education training. 19% would prefer to receive
professional development in Adult Education through a one-week summer institute.
78% of respondents reported that adult learners in their district would be most likely
to attend Adult Education classes at a local high school, after school hours. Other
suggestions (14%) included an Educational Resource Center, County Office of
Education in the evening, and a continuation high school location.
Across all districts, most respondents (44%) believe that adult learners would travel
5-10 miles to attend classes, and 36% believe adult learners would travel 2-5 miles.
14% believe adult learners would travel 10-20 miles to attend classes, and only 4%
believe they would travel more than 20 miles.
47% of respondents believe the optimal cost adult learners should pay for an Adult
Education class is “$0 or Free,” and 25% believe the optimal cost per class is $10.
Another 16% believe the optimal student cost per class is $20, and 12% believe that
$30-50 is optimal.
There is a consensus among the committee members that a high school diploma is
essential to sustainable employment, and should be a contextualized component of
any short-term CTE/Apprenticeship sequence. Many high school teachers may
resist a shift away from traditional literature-based curricula to a contextual technical
writing approach. Some teachers also struggle with mastering content over multiple
technical curricula.
Since the survey response rate was lower than anticipated, the committee has
decided to reopen the survey through the close of business Wednesday, February 4,
2015. The link will be specifically directed to Community Day Schools and
Continuation Schools across all school districts. All survey data will be reanalyzed,
and all graphs and charts will be revised.
III.
March 1: Final Regional Comprehensive Plan Due
a. Two Generation Approach to Education
The committee would like to begin developing a Two Generation approach to
combining early childhood education with parents’ workforce development
and postsecondary education. One successful model we have examined is
the Dunbar Learning Complex in Atlanta, GA, as featured in the article, “A
Different Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty,” from The Atlantic,
December 24, 2014.
Minutes 1-29-15 Executive Advisory Committee Meeting AB86.docx
Page 2 of 4
This type of program, preparing young children for kindergarten through
quality preschool education while their parents pursue adult education and
workforce training, aligns impeccably with the goals and spirit of AB86.
Both the Eureka and Del Norte campuses of CR already have Early
Childhood Education facilities. The Eureka ECE facility has two classrooms.
The committee would like to write a Two Generation pilot program, based on
the CR main campus, into the current planning grant funding request. The
program should operate during the day, from 8 AM until 8 or 9 PM. Free
transportation and meals for children and parents could be provided.
Coleen has visited the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) in New York City, and
recommends the methods of Geoffrey Canada, the program’s founder and
CEO until last year, as another model for breaking the cycle of poverty.
Detailed information on the HCZ is available at http://hcz.org/.
Kindergarten teachers have indicated that understanding how to remain
seated and focus on classroom structure are more important skills for
preschool students than specific knowledge of colors, letters, numbers.
Additionally, regular exposure to other children helps preschoolers build
immunity to illness, which reduces sick time and boosts attendance in
subsequent grades. The value of combining generations for education is
obvious and supported by decades of research.
Locally, there is a shortage of quality infant care, so a program which begins
that early would provide great value to new parents in need of economic and
educational advancement.
The Winzler Children's Center, in the Eureka City Schools school district, is
the longest operating nonprofit public preschool in Humboldt County, and is
an obvious potential partner for the Two Generation pilot. A planned, childcentered curriculum is provided for each age group and for each individual
student. The Winzler Children’s Center website is:
http://www.eurekacityschools.org/?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&It
emid=51 Eureka City Schools is also very interested in exploring the potential
for a Two Generation approach on their other existing campuses.
b. Governor’s Budget 2015-16
Of the $500 million currently allocated for Adult Education in the state, it looks
like $300-$350 million will be dedicated to maintenance of effort for the K-12s.
The remainder will be allocated through the AB86 consortia. It looks as if this
Minutes 1-29-15 Executive Advisory Committee Meeting AB86.docx
Page 3 of 4
consortium will continue to function in some configuration. Disbursement of
funds will probably continue to be formula driven, based on need. Although
our categories of need seem to be somewhat uneven, it should not be difficult
to establish regional need in the areas of poverty, high crime, and DSPS.
Money could be available as early as July 1st.
Question from Del Norte: Do these (AB86) funds fall under the Prop 98
threshold, or outside of it?
From the Governor’s Budget Summary – 2015-16:
The Budget provides $500 million Proposition 98 General Fund for the
Adult Education Block Grant, which is an integral component of the state’s
workforce development strategy, as discussed in the Investing in
California’s Workforce Chapter. The block grant will fund programs in
elementary and secondary basic skills, classes and courses in citizenship
and English as a second language for immigrants, education programs for
adults with disabilities, short-term CTE programs linked to occupations
with high employment potential, and programs for apprentices. p. 24
IV.
2015 Meeting Dates:
 February 19, 2015
 March 26, 2015
This committee will continue to meet monthly through July 2015.
Minutes 1-29-15 Executive Advisory Committee Meeting AB86.docx
Page 4 of 4