Three years ago, officials with the State Board of Education and the Illinois Community College Board met in the governor’s office and hammered out an agreement on adult education. Central to that accord was a provision leaving governance of the program in the hands of the board of education.
Many in the adult ed community hoped the pact, once and for all, would end the perennial and high-octane struggle over which agency would control the $37 million nationally recognized program that provides education and job training to adults who have not completed high school.
But after a three-year lull in the fighting, the battle has picked up again. Illinois Community College officials are trying to wrest control of adult ed away from the board of education. And this time, they have a powerful ally: State Schools Supt. Glenn “Max” McGee.
At a board meeting late last month, McGee announced he supports moving adult education from his agency–where it has been since its inception four decades ago–to the community college board or another agency selected by legislators or Gov. George Ryan. McGee proposed moving the program over a two-year period.
“Adult education, while important, is not one of our top priorities, and it might very well be true that another agency would make it more central to their mission,” McGee said.
McGee’s recommendation served to further the discord among adult-educators who argued during public hearings this summer about who will control the program. At stake are millions of dollars, hundreds of jobs and control of a work force initiative that has piqued the interest of Ryan.
“Since that (1996) agreement, adult educators have enjoyed a period of harmony that allowed us to focus on improving services for adults and their families,” said John Muirhead, president of the Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association. “The current re-examination of governance has caused considerable disruption.”
The question of who will control adult education has been a volatile one for more than a decade. Twice since 1988 the General Assembly defeated legislation that would have transferred control to the college board.
The current imbroglio began last spring when the Illinois House passed a resolution directing the State Board of Education, the Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education to determine the “most appropriate venue and agenda” for adult education. Sponsors of the bill want the three agencies to deliver a comprehensive proposal by the end of the year.
Rep. Judy Erwin (D-Chicago) said she sponsored the resolution after employers across the state complained about a shortage of trained workers. She hoped the measure would prompt a frank discussion about how state agencies could better prepare Illinois adults for an array of careers. She said she is dismayed the dialogue has centered on control.
“This debate should be focused on the adult students and how we can better meet their needs and help them get the skills they need to lead happy and fruitful lives,” Erwin said.
The State Board of Education has administered the adult ed program since it was developed in World War II for soldiers re-entering the civilian work force. Since then, adult ed has grown into a $37 million enterprise that provides more than 100 programs in literacy, adult basic education, English as a second language and vocational training, among others.
The board of education doles out money to community colleges, local school districts, community organizations and correctional institutions that, together, serve more than 200,000 students each year.
When adult ed was born, the state’s community college system did not exist. But since that time, junior colleges have played an increasingly significant role. Today, about 70 percent of adult education students take their classes through community colleges.
College officials argue that because they provide the bulk of the services, they should administer the program. They also contend they are better equipped to meet the educational and work-force training needs of the adult students. Most important, they contend, educating adults is the central mission of community colleges and has never been a priority for the board of education.
“Right now, our customers, the students, are speaking with their feet. Most of them are filling their adult education needs at the community college,” said Joe Cipfl, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board. “The future of our state is in the ability to have an educated populace. We’ve got businesses clamoring for people with skills and we have the resource, the desire and the priority to deliver.”
While community college officials are on the same page, adult education seems a more prickly issue at the state board of education. McGee recommended moving the program last month, but in June he sent a three-page memo to Hazel Loucks, deputy governor for education, expressing his uneasiness about a shift and enumerating his concerns.
“I know that Gov. Ryan is committed to education, to families and to high-performing organizations and programs. I firmly believe . . . that we have this type of adult education system in Illinois under the stewardship” of the State Board of Education, according to the memo obtained by the Tribune.
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McGee now says he trusts that all of his concerns will be addressed in the proposal that will be delivered to legislators next month. But in his recommendation, McGee wants the family literacy program, which helps the adult learners’ children, left with his agency.
“I don’t have anything in writing yet, but I feel confident the panel is looking into the issues I brought up,” McGee said.
Meanwhile, Diana Robinson and Dan Miller, who oversee adult ed for McGee’s office, argued in a paper prepared for the three boards looking into the issue that the program should remain where it is.
“With no conclusive evidence that transferring adult education would improve service delivery, improve performance or streamline administration . . . adult education must remain with the Illinois State Board of Education,” they wrote.
Robinson, Miller and a host of adult educators argue that mastery of English and citizenship is the primary goal of most adult ed students, not post-secondary education. Moreover, they contend, more than 43 percent of the students are employed and are not seeking job training. The State Board of Education, they contend, has delivered and can continue delivering what students need.
“What’s the reason for trying to change it?” asks Richard Chierico, director of community education for Arlington Heights School District 214. “Pure and simple, it’s about money and a grasp for power. There is not one shred of evidence to justify moving this highly respected program.”