The Indiana General Assembly’s Interim Study Committee on Adult Education met for the second time on Wednesday as it continues to explore funding options for adult ed programs.

State Senator Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, a member of the study committee, said the need for reform and increased funding for adult education is clear.

“We have over half of a million Hoosier adults without a high school diploma, yet only 40,000 are receiving training,” Tallian said in a statement. “With a high school diploma as the bare minimum for most living wage jobs, too many Hoosiers are being left behind in this economy.”

Tallian said state funding for adult education has not increased in nearly a decade. The state provides $14 million annually, with another $10 million from the federal government.

Tallian sponsored a bill in the 2008 session that created the legislative study commission. The bill was prompted by a funding crisis that hit the Portage Township Schools, which operates a multi-county adult education program serving about 2,500 adults. The Portage Schools have absorbed an annual loss of about $140,000, but school officials say that a projected shortfall of $1.2 million in 2010 could further stress the program.

Tallian said the state needs to recognize the value of adult education and not expect school systems like Portage to provide the program at the expense of their regular K-12 budget.

The interim study committee is expected to report its findings to the General Assembly by Nov.1 for consideration during the 2009 legislative session. Agendas and meeting minutes from the committee are available online at www.in.gov/legislative/interim.

Posted 9/4/2008