Red Letter Day 2015

Tuesday, September 30th, is Red Letter Day 2015.

When money for Adult Schools was cut in 2008, we took action.  We wrote letters to the Governor and the Legislature.  We spoke up.  We said, "Save our schools!Adult Schools help people! Adult Education matters!" 

You can click this link to see our first Red Letter Day.

We took many actions.  We had rallies. We went to Sacramento.  We told everyone, "Adult Education Matters!  Strong Adult Schools make strong communities!"

Our effort brought good result.

Together with people around the state, we kept Adult Schools open.



Now we need to continue our effort.  Adult Schools need stable money. 

On Tuesday, September 30th, the whole school will work together.

We will write Governor Brown to ask for our own wallet.
 

These slides from Teacher David give you more information:

1.  Everyone in California pays taxes.  We pay sales tax when we buy things.  We pay property taxes.  We pay many kinds of taxes.

2.  Some tax money goes to the Federal Government - for the whole United States.  Some tax money goes to the State Government - for California.  The money pays for schools, the post office, the military, roads, safety for drugs, safety for communications, environmental protection, the justice system, police, healthcare, firefighters, and many more things.

3.   California uses the money for schools, healthcare, courts, roads, and many more things.  California is a big state with many people.  It has some big problems.  It also has a lot of money.  It has one of the 10 biggest economies in the world.

4.  Before the cuts, money for education was separate.  Children's schools, Adult Schools, and Colleges each had their own wallet.  They each had their own stable funds.

We had a big economic depression in 2007.  Around the world, markets crashed.  There were big financial problems for everyone. 

 

 

 5.  Governor Schwartzenegger made decisions during the economic depression.  He decided that children's schools could use Adult School money until 2015.  This decision helped children's schools.  But it hurt Adult Schools.  Many closed.  All of them got smaller.

We began to take action.  We had rallies.  We had a press conference.  We sent letters to the Legislature and the Governor and newspapers. 

The Governor and the Legislature listened.  They understood Adult Education matters.

They wanted to save Adult Education, too.  But the Governor wanted to put all Adult Education inside Community Colleges.  We said, "No!  Keep Adult Schools open!  They are great!"

We took more actions.  We sent more letters.  We started the Red for Adult Ed on Tuesdays campaign.

 The Governor listened.  He created a new system.  The Regional Consortia system. 

The name of our Regional Consortium is ACCEL.

Mr. T and Tim and Patricia and Lisa and many others are working hard to make ACCEL very good.

 We can work in the new system. 

But we still have a problem:  Money!

Community Colleges have their own wallet.

But we do not.

Adult Schools do not have money after June 2015.

Governor Brown promised to give the new Regional Consortia system some money in 2015.

But we don't know what will happen.

His promise did not have details. 

Who will be the banker in charge of the money?

Will Adult Schools get their own separate wallet?

Both Community Colleges and Adult Schools must work together in the new Regional Consortia system.  They are partners.  But only one partner has money.  This can make problems.

On Red Letter Day 2015, we are asking Governor Brown to give Adult Schools their own money.

He promised to give some money to Adult Education in 2015. 

We need him to understand:  Adult Schools need their own money.  Their own wallet. 


With our own money, we can be equal partners in the new Regional Consortia system.

Adult Schools do a great job.  They help people learn English, become citizens, get new jobs, get better jobs, be good parents and family members, stay healthy, and contribute to the community.

To continue to do these good things, Adult Schools need money.   They need their own wallet.

Adult Schools need to know what is their own wallet so they can make a budget and plan for the future.  Our future.  The future of California.

This is why we are writing letters to Governor Brown on Red Letter Day 2015.

Here are two sample letters:

You can use your own words to express your ideas, experience, facts, and feelings.   

You can talk about how the Adult School helps you, your family, your community.

It is okay if your letter is short.

Long or short, your opinion matters.

If you want more information, you can ask any teacher at school or Mr. T or Tim or Mr. Saavedra.

Together, we have done so much.

Together, we have come so far.

Together, we can finish the job.  We can save Adult Schools. 

We can be sure Adult Schools have secure money so they build great programs for our communities.

In this way, we help everyone

                           because Adult Education matters!