[NLA] CBO's as Key Players

[Nancy Hansen]

Deb wrote regarding a comment made by Gail Spanenburg
of CAAL that 'CBO's are the key players':
>>> My Board is struggling with decisions about how to
> focus our advocacy
> message, with increasing concern that while we seem
> to be the only real
> voice (locally) inclusive of adults at the lowest
> proficiency levels, we
> also want to frame our message in a broader way to
> dispel the idea that the
> lowest-level learners are the ONLY ones we serve, or
> are the only ones we
> are fit to serve. >>>

I'd like to see some input from Gail (and others)
regarding how do the CBO's advocate for funding to
cover the *costs* of being "key players".  Some
(many?) of the CBO's are not part of the AELS and have
even less of a voice in the arena.

Did anybody count the number of states in Jon
Randall's post giving credit to those who fax'ed and
called their elected officials to voice an opinion
about adult education funding cuts?  If you didn't,
there were 18.  That's not even a majority -- 18 of
51.  Yet I'll bet there are literacy CBO's (who are
not receiving federal funding) who *would* have
advocated for keeping adult ed funding stable.  Did
you see SD?  We aren't there because we aren't funded
by the DoL's nickels disseminated to adult ed/GED-prep
only.

Even though some of the CBO's don't get a federal
nickel, I predict that a cut in funding will affect
all of the CBO's in the end ANYway.  They will end up
serving learners with the "lowest proficiency levels"
referred >by< the entities whose funding was cut.  The
ripple effect of thee loss of funding will impact the
number of staff they can hire, consequently the number
of adults they'll adequately serve in the ABE
programs. Here if the learners aren't high enough
level and/or  they aren't capable of studying for a
GED, guess which CBO serves them .... free of charge. 
No nickels for us.

Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council (CBO)
sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com

--- Debbie Yoho <dwyoho at earthlink.net> wrote:
> (This message cross-posted to NIFL-Health)
> 
> Gail Spanenburg of CAAL commented that  "...(CBO's)
> are the key players
> when it comes to 
> providing service to adults at the lowest
> proficiency levels."
>  
> Gail, I'm interested in whether there is any
> evidence, research, etc. that
> demonstrates the truth of this statement, much as I
> agree with it, or do
> you think the idea is basically an opinion?
>  
> My Board is struggling with decisions about how to
> focus our advocacy
> message, with increasing concern that while we seem
> to be the only real
> voice (locally) inclusive of adults at the lowest
> proficiency levels, we
> also want to frame our message in a broader way to
> dispel the idea that the
> lowest-level learners are the ONLY ones we serve, or
> are the only ones we
> are fit to serve. 
>  
> Deborah W. Yoho
> Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv
> President, SC Adult Literacy Educators
> Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy
> Council
> 2728 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205
> 803-765-2555 Fax 803-779-8417 dwyoho at earthlink.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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=====
Nancy Hansen, E.D.
Email:  sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com

Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
Sioux Falls, SD 57104-1314
Phone: (605) 332-BOOK
Fax:  (605) 332-9389

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