Senate President Stan Rosenberg announced Thursday he and other western Massachusetts legislators stopped a proposed 30 percent cut to adult education programs, including those in Franklin and Hampshire counties.
According to a press release, programs that would have been affected include those for high school equivalency exams, English as a second language, and re-entry for the incarcerated.
Under a new funding formula adopted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the release states, money for adult education programs will be allocated primarily based on population. Conversations Rosenberg had with DESE acting Commissioner Jeffrey Wulfson and senior associate Commissioner Cliff Chuang persuaded them to build in mitigation efforts, particularly preventing any local workforce area from losing more than 15 percent of its funding.
“Maintaining these programs is critical for the socio-economic growth of the region,” Rosenberg is quoted as saying. “The Senate supported funding for adult education services at the highest levels, but our funding level was cut due to revenue downgrades. I am very pleased that DESE has implemented a revised funding formula that reduces the cuts to important adult education programs in Franklin and Hampshire counties.”
According to the release, western Massachusetts legislators including state Reps. Solomon Goldstein-Rose, Stephen Kulik, Peter Kocot, Paul Mark, John Scibak, Aaron Vega and Carlos Gonzalez signed a joint letter to Chuang asking him to mitigate cuts to rural programs. The letter stated, in part: “Under the current proposed methodology to determine funding… these programs would receive such severe cuts to their budgets that they may not be able to continue offering classes in all of their western Massachusetts locations.”
Organizers of programs that would have been affected, like Caroline Gear, executive director of the International Language Institute in Northampton, thanked the legislators for their collaboration with DESE representatives. “We’re very happy there hasn’t been such a huge cut,” Gear said. “We’re thrilled with all the support.”
“Our legislators have acted on behalf of all rural programs in the state and benefited low-income, under-educated adults in Hampshire and Franklin counties,” Judith Roberts, executive director of The Literacy Project, is quoted as saying in the release. “This action ensures that free services will continue for those who need them most, allowing adults to work toward being better able to provide for their families.”
Gear said when she heard about the proposed 30 percent cut in July, she reached out to Rosenberg, concerned about how cuts might affect her non-profit language school’s ability to teach English to immigrants and refugees, as well as help native English speakers improve their reading and writing skills to acquire better jobs and further their education. “There’s just never enough money to support the work that’s needed to help our community members get to the next step.”