For Adult Literacy Students:

[Background information: The funding that supports your classes has been eliminated for the rest of the year (through at least June 2002). This will shut down your classes -- in fact, it could shut down your school entirely! This will stop your education as well as the education that many of your neighbors, friends, and relatives need. To stop this from happening, you will need to call, write and visit your elected officials, particularly your "legislators" -- that is, 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 with your legislators and/or their staff.

When you call and visit your legislators, remember that they will already be prepared to respond to the many people who 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. You will need to be strong 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! But it can be hard to speak up with people who appear to be powerful. You might want to make some of the following points.]

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

Tell them your name and what community you live in.

Tell them what you are studying and why this is important to you.

Tell them they MUST restore the $13 million they took from all adult education programs so that you can continue to learn. Tell them about other people you know who also need to learn from these classes. Tell them the $13 million must go back into the Department of Education budget called: 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. They may say, "Don't worry, we will put the money back into the budget." If they do, skip to the last paragraph below.]

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 (ten-and-a-half million dollars) 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.