The May Budget Revision and Its Effects on Adult Education

To the editor: 

Governor Brown recently released his revised budget plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Much of this budget is fiscally prudent and provides a good blueprint for our state to follow.

For example, I agree with the governor’s plan to quickly pay down our “Wall of Debt.”

I am also pleased to see K-12 education as a priority, because it is important to fund education and ensure all children have access to a bright, prosperous future.

One budget area of particular interest to me is adult education. While I am encouraged by the governor’s decision to fund this important program, I am focused on the changes he proposed. Ensuring the continuation of adult education is vital to my District and will be one of my top priorities moving forward.

The primary purpose of adult education is to provide adults with the skills they need to participate in today’s society and workforce. Adult education programs provide support in many different areas of instruction including career technical education, citizenship and workforce preparation and English as a second language.

Participating adults can also earn their high school diploma or GED. Adult education programs are currently funded through California’s K-12 education system and our Community Colleges.

In the latest iteration of his budget, the governor proposes making significant changes to the way adult education is both run and funded.

Under this new proposal, adult education will remain the same for the next two years and will continue to receive funding from both the K-12 and Community College systems.

Over this time, it is expected that adult education programs will transition to newly formed, local “education consortia” which will receive their own dedicated funding. These regional groups will be run by school districts and community college districts and will hopefully involve other important stakeholders like workforce investment boards, local governments and community organizations.  

I support this development and the opportunity for local officials across California to develop their own adult education programs that will fit with the governor’s new model and benefit their unique communities. The focus in our community must be on how to structure delivery in a way that best serves those seeking adult education.

We need to invest in our adults, who are not just earning a GED or learning English as a second language, but are learning new skills that will grow our job market and help them compete in today’s economy. 


Adult education has a profound impact on many people’s lives – I have seen this time and time again by visiting the Vista Adult Education Center in my District.

These programs provide adults with the skills they need for new jobs and allows them to take pride in their ability to move up in the work force. They give parents the ability to influence their children’s education and help with their homework.

Giving our adults the tools to provide for their families and nurture their children will ensure the 76th District continues to move in a positive direction. I look forward to working alongside North County’s education stakeholders to develop and execute a plan that will provide adult education services to our community in the best way possible. 

Rocky J. Chávez
76th Assembly District

Rocky J. Chávez is a retired Marine Colonel, former City Councilman and former Acting Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. He represents California’s 76th Assembly District, which includes Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista.