RE: School readiness

Frances Venn is completely correct in asserting that "parents need help" in providing the right home backgrounds in which to assure their children's success. This means providing parents with the right academic knowledge as well as strong parenting skills. Existing public adult education programs provide both of these services within the elementary schools and nearby community centers. In addition, public funding for these programs is already provided and would cost no additional monies if they continue to be administrated in their current formulas by k-12 school districts. However, adult education,as it currently exists,is absent from the master plan and the cost effective role adult edcuation provides in assuring both a ready student body of young children preparing to first enter school and an additional source of academic and job training for high school students and adults has not been recognized in the existing master plan. K-12 public adult education programs are a viable and important part of the educational system and need to be fully included in the master plan.