[GLC] National efforts this summer

[Paul Jurmo]

Dear Supporters of Adult Education in NYC,

While GLC and others are exploring areas to focus advocacy on locally, we
are still impacted by federal funding realities, like it or not.

See the message below from Art Ellison, state director of adult education in
New Hampshire and co-chair of the policy committee of the National State
Directors of Adult Education.   In a nutshell, he is saying that the field
needs to remain ready to respond to developments in federal policy over the
summer.   This is consistent with lessons learned by advocates in states
like Massachusetts, who attribute their great success in increasing state
funds to a strong network of adult educators, adult learners, and union and
business leaders.  That Massachusetts network established relationships with
local legislators who, when the time was right, were well informed and ready
to support adult education.

In other words, "Don't mourn, organize."  (But be well organized, with a
clear, well-informed vision and a plan for achieving something concrete.)

Paul Jurmo 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ellison, Art [mailto:AEllison at ed.state.nh.us]
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 12:35 PM
Subject: Timeframes and Planning for Summer Actions

To:      Single Point of Contact Network



From:   Art Ellison, Co-Chair, Policy Committee, National Council of State
Directors of Adult Education



Date:   May 9, 2005



Re:     Tiimeframes and Planning for Summer Actions





Several of you have asked for some guidance around the timelines for
legislative action on appropriations and WIA reauthorization.

Here is my best guess on both:



Timeframes 



     There were early indications that the both the Republicans and
Democrats in the House and Senate wanted to get WIA reauthorization finished
by June 30, 2005, the end of the current one year extension. While this is
still possible it is less likely since the bipartisan tone in the Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has changed. We still expect
to ask the Single Point of Contact network for focused messages to member of
this committee sometime this month. If legislative process does not produce
a new bill by June 30, 2005 we will be looking at additional extensions to
the current legislation.



  The appropriations process will continue in the House and Senate through
the summer and into September. We will be asking for contacts with House and
Senate Appropriations Committee members and perhaps members of the entire
House and Senate during this time.



Planning for Summer Actions



Since many adult education programs close for the summer we will be losing a
substantial part of our letter writing and telephone contact base from June
through Sept. In order to compensate for this situation some states are
developing at the local level internet group lists of staff and in some
cases students that could be used for contacts during the summer. While this
will not replace the number of people available during the school year it
should provide the resource that you will need if 200-300 calls are needed
within a short period of time. If any of you come up with other ways to keep
people in the loop during the summer please send them along to me so that I
can share them with the network.



It was good to see some of you at the COABE conference and to hear first
hand the wonderful work that is going on. The gathering of 100-120 people
allowed us to focus on the great distance that we have come and recommit to
the final goal of our effort.






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