California Assembly Bill AR7 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: HR 7AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 23, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Lopez (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Calderon, Eggman, Cristina Garcia, Gomez, Gonzalez, Medina,  and Rendon   Rendon,   Achadjian,   Travis Allen,   Atkins,   Baker,   Bigelow,   Bloom,   Bonilla,   Bonta,   Brown,   Burke,   Campos,   Chang,   Chau,   Chvez,   Chiu,   Chu,   Cooley,   Dababneh,   Dahle,   Daly,   Dodd,   Frazier,   Beth Gaines,   Gallagher,   Eduardo Garcia,   Gatto,   Gipson,   Gordon,   Grove,   Hadley,   Harper,   Roger Hernndez,   Holden,   Irwin,   Jones,   Jones-Sawyer,   Kim,   Lackey,   Levine,   Linder,   Low,   Maienschein,   Mathis,   Mayes,   McCarty,   Melendez,   Mullin,   Nazarian,   Obernolte,   O'Donnell,   Olsen,   Patterson,   Perea,   Quirk,   Rodriguez,   Salas,   Santiago,   Mark Stone,   Thurmond,   Ting,   Wagner,   Waldron,   Weber,   Wilk,   Williams,   and Wood  ) FEBRUARY 19, 2015 Relative to adult education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, The week of March 22, 2015, to March 28, 2015, inclusive, is observed as "Adult Education Week," recognizing the unique accomplishments of California adult schools; and WHEREAS, The Assembly of the State of California acknowledges that adult schools that are provided by K-12 school districts offer quality programs to meet the ever-changing economic and workforce development and lifelong learning needs of our diverse state; and WHEREAS, The first recorded adult education class in California was held in the basement of St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco in 1856. The class was authorized by the San Francisco Board of Education to teach English to Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants. John Swett, who was the first volunteer teacher for the class, later became a Superintendent of Public Instruction; and WHEREAS, Adult schools, which work in collaboration with community centers and libraries, are a primary community resource for the teaching and instruction of adult literacy; and WHEREAS, Adult schools provide a way for adults to complete secondary-education studies and obtain a high school diploma at their own pace and to prepare for and transition to postsecondary education and career training; and WHEREAS, Adult schools provide to high-school-aged students critical opportunities to recover credit and stay on track for graduation, to prevent dropping out, and to bring recent dropouts back to school; and WHEREAS, Adult schools provide instruction to those in the state who take English as a second language and citizenship courses and play a key role in immigrant integration and the path to United States citizenship, which is important for our diverse community during this time of immigration reform; and WHEREAS, To break the cycle of illiteracy and to support educational equity for all our children, we must focus on educating parents and adult schools provide programs in family literacy at elementary schools in conjunction with community-based organizations; and WHEREAS, Historically, adult schools have been called on to assist the state as it dealt with significant social, political, and economic issues, such as providing job training programs during the Great Depression and training for skilled and underskilled workers during World War II; and WHEREAS, Adult schools provide short-term career and technical training for adults seeking changes or enhancements in their career pathways; and WHEREAS, Adult schools offer varied, market-based education programs to enhance the lifelong learning opportunities in the state; and WHEREAS, The California State Assembly applauds Governor Brown for making adult education a priority by dedicating $500 million in Proposition 98 funds for the Adult Education Block Grant program; and WHEREAS, Adult schools in California still face their biggest challenge, forcing funding that was previously reserved for adult education to be used in other areas of education, resulting in many adult schools decreasing in size, and the actual closing of some adult schools; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the week of March 22, 2015, to March 28, 2015, inclusive, be recognized as Adult Education Week, and the teachers, administrators, classified staff, and students of adult education programs statewide be honored for their efforts and accomplishments; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.