Eureka Area Regional Focus Workgroups 1 & 2
College of the Redwoods, Eureka Main Campus
August 5, 2014, 11:00 AM
Room AT 103
Workgroups 1 & 2: Adult Basic Elementary and Adult Basic Skills, Adult Learners with
Disabilities, ESL and Immigrant Education
Attendees: Julia Peterson, Jon Sapper, Emma Breacin, Victor Zazueta, Rick Jordan,
Ed Wilkinson, John Lee, David Lonn, Elsie McLaughlin-Feliz
Actions: Eureka Area Regional Focus Workgroups 1 & 2 will meet again on September
4, 2014, from 11 AM until 1 PM. An additional meeting will be scheduled for late
October or early November.
Data Collection and Reporting Deadlines:
Due August 27: Spreadsheet and Narrative
Due October 3: Second set of data
Brief Introduction and Lunch
Julia Peterson, AB86 Program Manager, opened the meeting with a brief explanation of
the Workgroup structure and purpose. Those attending decided by consensus to
continue to combine Workgroups 1 & 2 in a single meeting in order to better manage
time and resources.
AB86 Recap and History
The AB86 focus is on Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, classes for
people with disabilities (DSPS), English as a Second Language (ESL) and immigrant
education, Short-term Career Technical Education (CTE), and Apprenticeships. The
regional planning consortium grant is simply asking: 1) What’s here today? 2) What
used to be here? and 3) If we had what we want, what would be here to help adults
increase their skills and knowledge so that they could get a job, or a better job? What is
the gap?
Structure of the AB86 Committees
1. Executive Advisory Committee: consists of consortium members, partners, and key
stakeholders, establishes and tasks Workgroups, and meets monthly to process
regional Workgroup reports and report quarterly to Sacramento.
2. Workgroups meet locally to determine the resources, gaps, and future needs of local
communities, and report back to the Executive Advisory Committee.
Regional Focus
1. Identify existing adult services and gaps
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2. Explore strategies for addressing gaps
3. Identify facilities where services can be offered
4. Establish referral processes for each of the areas outlined above
5. Report findings back to the Executive Advisory Committee
Discussion: Humboldt County Office of Education no longer offers adult education
classes, and does not anticipate any future needs to offer adult education programs or
services. The committee is currently using minutes, notes, and guidelines from the
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Prosperity Report for Humboldt
County to assess employer CTE needs from the past 2 years. One difficulty, so far, has
been getting the Consortium participants to dream big on Objective 4, meeting needs
and bridging the gaps between what is currently in place and what could be done with
increased funding.
The current grant is for planning only, and does not directly address implementation and
funding. The community clearly has adult education needs, and it is the task of this
Consortium to completely identify and thoroughly express those needs, in order to
receive potential implementation funding in the future. So far, the Consortium has
received $228,848 of the $25 MM ($22,500,000 for regional consortia grants and
$2,500,000 for statewide coordination and technical assistance) initial grant, and the
State has not made any promises of future funding.
The grant specifically addresses pre-college adult education in 5 Program Areas:
1) Elementary and secondary basic skills, including classes required for a high
school diploma or high school equivalency certificate.
2) Classes and courses for immigrants eligible for educational services in
citizenship and English as a second language, and workforce preparation
classes in basic skills.
3) Education programs for adults with disabilities.
4) Short-term career technical education programs with high employment
potential.
5) Programs for apprentices.
About 1/3 of Full Time Equivalent Student (FTES) seats at CR are remedial. Community
college classes are classified as Credit, Not-for-credit, or Noncredit. Noncredit classes
do not count against student financial aid unit and repeatability caps. Currently, students
are completing about 135 hours for a 120 hour degree, so there has been Federal
pressure to cap the number of credit hours for which students may receive financial aid.
Change has been slow and incremental.
CR is growing its Noncredit offerings in the 10 allowable state-supported categories:
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1. English as a Second Language (ESL)
2. Immigrant Education
3. Elementary and Secondary Basic Skills
4. Health and Safety
5. Substantial Disabilities
6. Parenting
7. Home Economics
8. Courses for Older Adults
9. Short-term Vocational
10. Workforce Preparation
Noncredit classes are currently reimbursed by the State at ¾ of the level of Credit, but
this will increase to full parity with Credit in 2015-16. Noncredit classes offer open
enrollment and open exit, unlimited repeatability, and zero tuition and fees. CR is
currently developing modular short-term certificate programs in a variety of areas,
including Customer Service, Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Custodian, and Agriculture.
Under AB86, local district discretion in adult education class offerings is shifting to
specific program areas, with the goal of aligning current offerings and future needs,
through consolidation and cooperation within the Consortium, to provide more effective
services at a lower cost.
Explanation of Objectives 1, 2, and 4 and Preview of 3, 5, 6, and 7
CR is currently developing educational Pathways for adult learners to higher education
and careers. These Pathways offer opportunities for adult learners to enter, exit, and reenter the academic continuum in order to accommodate the realities of life in this
region.
We will be adding to our draft until March 31, 2015, but we need a solid foundation in
the first three objectives: Where are we? What do we need? How do we plan to get
there?
Adult learners in a rural area face some very specific barriers and needs, such as small
class size and allowance or reimbursement for transportation, which are much different
from larger urban populations. This planning process helps us work through these
regional issues, even though specific funding outcomes remain unclear. The two stated
intentions of the legislature for AB86 are 1) to work toward developing common policies
related to adult education, including policies on fees and funding levels, and 2) to
provide additional funding to improve the provision of adult education.
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Discussion of Current Programs and Needs (Around the Table)
Humboldt Literacy Project: Always in need of more volunteer tutors. There is a huge
demand for ESL, and the ESL component of the program is thriving and growing. Even
though it is not directly funded by State and Federal government, the ESL program
represents about 20% of overall program services provided, and offers individualized
curricula, focusing on the specific needs of each adult learner. HLP nearly folded after
the State slashed budgets for libraries and literacies at the end of 2012, creating a
survival mentality, but the doors have remained open, and the program is currently
stable. In order to grow and serve more students, HLP needs learning materials, a fulltime Program Coordinator, and increased funding. Money makes all the difference in
the scope and quality of services.
Humboldt County Library: Some services currently provided include are career and
testing online, so people can prepare for the GED and take exams. Public access
computers are available at all 11 branch sites, and staff is available onsite to help
patrons learn some basic skills, such as internet navigation. The Library is a conduit for
funding the Humboldt Literacy Project. The library reports about 45,000 one-time
computer users annually, indicating the high demand for access. There is a need for
additional work stations, so that the public could have access to more training courses.
Also, there is some interest in purchasing some new database subscriptions, which
would cost about $8000.00 to start, and a need for faster internet, including a possible
partnership with Scenic Solutions Group.
Humboldt State University: Student organizations, supported by the University, have
coordinated with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in San Francisco to provide
housing, legal, and literacy assistance to documented and undocumented immigrant
students. A Recreation Administration Special Educator coordinates program
development and supervises students who work with Adults with Disabilities in the
community. The Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), funded by the
Chancellor’s Office, instructs low-income and immigrant parents on how to navigate the
school system and find educational opportunities for their children. HSU is also in
partnership with CR and NCOE to provide ESL classes at a number of local elementary
schools, from Arcata to south of Fortuna. CR provides the teacher, and HSU and HCOE
provide funding, which covers course materials, childcare, a parent liaison, and snacks
for about 60 families. Attendance and retention are high. More personnel, especially
outstanding ESL teachers, and further needs analysis within the communities head the
list of current gaps. Another difficulty has been identifying trusted individuals within the
immigrant community to serve as Parent Liaisons. HSU’s current needs can be
expressed simply as information, people, and dollars.
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Eureka City Schools: ECS currently offers adult basic education classes in the county
jail, ESL and ESL Civics at the Learning Center, and the ESL partnership program with
CR and HSU at Alice Birney. There is a need to offer credit recovery for concurrent high
school students, and other programs to help students get back on track when their
education has been interrupted. Additionally, a short-term CTE Nursing Assistant
program is being offered, in partnership with Prius Healthcare, which leads to CNA
certification. CR accepts the Noncredit CNA certificate from the Eureka Adult School as
a prerequisite for the Nursing program, helping students further their higher education
goals. ECS would like to expand its current Healthcare pathway to prepare high school
students for credit work at CR, with the possibility of dual enrollment Credit CNA
program. There is a need to build on current articulations, and broaden the scope of
CTE and Apprenticeship in the region.
Humboldt County Jail: CR and the Eureka Adult School have been serving the jail
population for several years, and the need continues to grow for all areas of adult
education, including basic life skills, parenting, substance abuse awareness, work
readiness, and full credit classes. Eureka Adult School has had to scale back over the
years, due to budget constraints, and CR is trying to fill in the gaps without overlapping
existing programs. CR is working to implement a CISCO Telepresence in the jail, so
inmates can take Credit courses while incarcerated, and continue the class on campus
upon release. Many inmates are ready for Credit courses. AB109 has mandated inmate
programs for re-entry into society, so funding may be available to teach basic life skills,
and the need is huge. CR has been teaching inside the jail since January of this year,
and students are making progress.
Northern Humboldt UHSD: The 2009-10 fiscal year was the last time HCOE had a fullfledged adult education program, covering all of the AB86 Program Areas except
Apprenticeship training. The County currently serves adults with disabilities through
Humboldt Employment Services, formerly Redwood United. The County has absorbed
Driver Education training. Jack Sheppard’s auto shop class has provided certification
which led to employment for a number of students this past year. The Building Trades
program has also helped students find work with local contractors. Employers in the
community are very generous, and want to contribute to CTE and Apprenticeship
programs. Current needs include adult education in all AB86 Program Areas, more
administrative support for current programs, and better retention of Training Specialists
who supervise Adults with Disabilities.
Yurok Tribe: About 700 people (roughly 20% tribal membership) need GED classes,
tutoring, and testing. The TERO (Tribal Employment Rights Office) collects fees from
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businesses to provide tutoring for adults, because the JOM (Johnson-O’Malley)
program cannot pay for adult tutoring. The Yurok Tribe currently requires a GED or HS
diploma for employment, so, with a new casino nearly built, Adult Basic Education is in
high demand. CR can offer “paper and pencil” HSE testing, perhaps as early as
September. CR can also provide a GED class, which would augment the current
individual tutoring program, increasing students’ success. Another need is hiring Native
staff for resume writing and job search training for 16-24 year olds. Adults with
Disabilities are currently referred to outside programs and social service agencies.
Current vocational programs include Cosmetology and Heavy Equipment Operation, but
these are expensive long-term training opportunities, and serve only 6-10 students each
year. The Tribe also provides Yurok language instruction apprenticeships to help
middle-school teachers develop the skills necessary to pass the Tribe’s certification test,
and teach Yurok in the public schools, but it has been difficult to find qualified training
teachers. Overall, there is a need to hire more Native American staff in all Program
Areas in order to resolve some of the trust issues and perceptions that can discourage
adult learners in the community.
Review of MOUs and Tiered Stipends
Review of Data Collection and Reporting Deadlines
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