For Staff:

[Background info: ABE funding in the state budget, line item 7035-0002, has been eliminated for the rest of the year (through at least June 2002). This will shut down almost all publicly funded adult literacy, GED and ESOL classes -- in fact, it could shut down your program entirely! There is only enough funding to continue services through January before we have to lock the doors on 25,000 students and over 2,000 staff. This funding cut will dismantle the effective ABE service delivery system we have been struggling to develop for over a decade. The doors will be shut to over 1 million potential future students (the MassINC report cites 1.1 million under-educated and limited English proficient members of the Massachusetts workforce who need our services). To stop this from happening, you will need to call, write and visit your elected officials, particularly your state Senator and state Representatives. Calls are fast and helpful, letters take more time but are very helpful, also. The most important thing you can do is visit face-to-face with your legislators and/or their staff at the state house or their district office -- no matter how hard that is to schedule!

When you call and visit your legislators, remember that they will already be prepared to respond to many constituencies that don't like the budget cuts. They will tell you that they support adult education, but that they had no choice but to cut the funding. They will give reasons that sound reasonable and inevitable. You will need to be firm and tell them why THESE CUTS TO LITERACY, GED AND ENGLISH CLASSES are NOT OK with you. It is always best to say what you have in your own mind and in your own heart. You need them to make a firm commitment to restore the funding for your classes -- don't accept anything less! You might want to make some of the following points and have some notes in front of you since these discussions can be stressful.]

Make sure you write down the name of the legislator and/or the staff person before you start talking.

Tell them your name, the program you work in and what community you live in. Tell them how dedicated you are to adult education and what you do to make that program work.

Tell them they MUST restore the $13 million they took from all adult education programs so that tens of thousands of under-educated and limited English proficient adults can continue to learn. Relate a success story you know about and something about one or two students you have who haven't succeeded yet. Tell them the $13 million must go back into the Department of Education line item: 7035-0002.

[If they give you reasons why they had to cut the adult education budget and many other parts of the budget, do not give up -- even if they sound reasonable and sincere. You need to tell them that you know some cuts are necessary, but that what they did to the adult education budget is unacceptable. If they say it's OK, you'll get the money back, skip to the last paragraph.]

Tell them that you know the state budget was cut by 3%. Tell them that cutting the adult education budget by 50% is unacceptable -- that it destroys the whole program and eliminates the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of adults to learn and accomplish more with their own future, their families, their work and their communities. That we will lose another $10,500,000 in federal funding because of this cut to our state funding.

Tell them you want their PROMISE to restore the $13 million. If you do not hear a firm promise, ask again -- and again, if necessary. If you get the promise, thank them. If there is no promise, tell them you and many of your friends and family will be back until they do make this promise.

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Source: Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education (MCAE), 800-339-2498.