Thursday, February 4th, 2010...12:16 pm
Save Adult Education Rally
A rally will be held today at 5:00 at El Rio Neighborhood Center to support adult education and GED testing, both of which are eliminated in Jan Brewer’s budget. The El Rio Neighborhood Center is at 1390 W Speedway, between Grande and Silverbell.
It would surprise many people to know about the number of people who recieve GEDs in Arizona. Nearly one fifth of the High School Diplomas issued last year were actually GEDs (1,812 right here in Pima County). Even with that, we are still left with 800,000 people in Arizona without a diploma.
We allocate $4.5 million to these programs, but we are giving up a match of $11 million in federal money by defunding them. Also, think about this: a person without a diploma makes $8,000 less per year than someone with one. Because of the hand up we offer, GED recipients generate an additional $8 million in revenue for the state annually.
Think about this: Arizona has consistently had one of the highest dropout rates in the country. If this portion of the budget passes, we will be the only state that offers dropouts no alternatives. I guess we can’t wonder why we don’t hear the phrase “compassionate conservative” these days.
9 Comments
February 4th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
HI – do you have the links to the AZ statistics you used on GED (i.e. 1/5 of high school diplomas and $8,000 less in earnings).
Thanks,
MaryLee
February 4th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Some statistics:
http://www.ade.state.az.us/adult-ed/Documents/AnnualOverviewPY08-09.pdf
From the report:
Through Adult Education Services, Arizona adults can break the cycle of poverty while simultaneously increasing the safety and well-being of Arizona communities. Twenty-eight programs statewide met rigorous requirements to receive funding. They served over 21,000 learners with over 1,850,000 instructional hours in classrooms located throughout Arizona.
February 4th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
This is clearly a plot by Russell Pearce to prevent undocumented workers from coming to Arizona by creating an oversupply of unskilled workers with no hope of being anything else.
February 4th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
I attended the rally this evening. I think the quote from GED recipient, Vic Williams, needs to be repeated over and over and over again. And from my perspective, this funding cut appears to be legislative racism at its worst, class warfare at its best.
February 4th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
The AZ GOP continues to execute its master plan. Welcome to the new Alabama.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Will Brewer be required to relinquish her GED? Yes, it is amazing that we have such a well educated Governor.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:47 am
I totally agree with AZMAMA Governor Brewer is just going crazy cutting all educational programs for the GED, Kindergarden, developmental disabilities programs, what next? What she needs to do is cut all employee pay that make over $100,000 a year this is for all in the state of Arizona who make over $100,00 a year. I work my behind off and with my husband’s income and myself we come home with 70,000 a year and it is amazing to know that we are making it, but barely we do not own a home but at least we have a job, with some college and jr. college education and even this is not enough. The GED program gives all people a chance to advance and make themselves a better people and be able to support their families and it has been proven by all who have taken the GED and passed it. I too think this is racism against the poor, Hispanics, Afro Americans, Anglo, and Native Americans this is why people have difficulties in getting employment you need a GED or High school diploma to even get a job like at a retail store. To me it seems that some people do not want the minority to advance and become more educated you can smell the fear in the White man already Hispanics are becoming the biggest population and they have relized that education is the key to making it, working in the political arena to make the changes in this world, but it will take much more than the hispanics to do this all we also need the Native Americans and Afro Americans so that we can all become one minority and make the changes within the government and improve all the mess that was left over from the Bush administration. Good example Obama he is trying to clean up a big mess from the Bush administration, but the republicans are trying to stop this, why because he is Afro American that’s why. RACISM is here and always has been and we minorities have to stop this.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Susan:
Even in Alabama they fund education.
Some years back there was a GOP legislator (though I forget who it was, Ted probably knows) who, when confronted with the fact that Arizona teachers were underpaid compared to the national average pointed out that test scores were pretty good in Asia and suggested comparing their pay to what teachers made there. So I guess unless you are a teacher or other state employee living in a cardboard box like they do in Bangladesh, you’re still overpaid.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Below is a copy of the letter to the editor that I sent to the Daily Star. Not sure if they will publish it.
Letter to the Editor in response to Cutting GED money will ‘cut our dreams’ by Becky Pallack
I attended Thursday’s rally to save the GED and Adult Basic Education at El Rio Neighborhood Center. I learned that almost 800,000 adults in AZ do not have a high school diploma, this which makes it nearly impossible to get a job or go on to further training. Did you know that on average GED graduates earn $5,000 more pay per year resulting in approximately $70 million additional tax dollars. GED instruction and testing costs an average of only $186 per student, this is much less welfare or prison would cost.
We might save money first year or two but eliminating adult education in Arizona to reduce the budget deficit will not only reduce taxable revenue but it would also increase the number of families receiving welfare. This would be a very short sighted and costly remedy. If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance!
Gene Chewning