RE: It should be free

Education beyond K-12 should not be free.  Students will make a committment to complete if they have an investment in their education.  Students go to college--any level--by choice.  When they make the choice and the committment, they often do better than in a forced education setting, i.e. high school.  Community colleges are very modest in their charges.  State universities are also modest--one son is at CSU,Fullerton, two at private colleges--so I appreciate the quality and price at Fullerton.

I work in an adult school that services over 17,000 short term students a year.  When we "give away" the classes by charging fees that are practically free, the student committment is not the same as when they make an investment.  We are a very cost effective education source for adults needing short term vocational training, ESL to help the transition into the community, parent training which helps the children do better, the safety net for high school seniors trying to graduate, seniors who are "catching up" with computer skills and physical activities to keep them physically and mentally active, and adults getting their GED or high school diploma.

We are the third part of the education Master Plan.  We articulate courses to the community colleges, easing adults back into the classroom setting.  Adult education needs to be defined as an entity meeting the needs of 2.4 million adults in the state each year.  To bring the administration of adult education under the umbrella of the community colleges will NOT be cost effective.  Most adult schools have facilities that are part of the local school district or in facilities maintained by the community.  We receive a much lower ADA than K-12 and the community colleges.  To put this very important education source under the administration of the community colleges would increase costs to the state and to the student.  Many adult classes would be closed if facilities have to be leased, the instructors are paid at the community college rate, and if the state has to pay the community college apportionment instead of the lower adult school rate. Community college teachers would have to be credentialed to bring them to the level of the adult shool teachers.

The areas of adult education responsibility must be defined and followed so that there is no duplication of services, e.g. costs.  An administratrative position to oversee and ensure non-duplcation of costs would be a more cost effective solution than including adult education under the community colleges, and thus ensure the continuance of this vital education service as we know it.

Committee members should visit the adult schools in their areas to see first hand how we meet the needs of the communties we serve.  We are all unique because the needs of our communties are not the same.