Starting today, school systems will be required to charge for adult basic education, GED and classes for English Language Learners. I heard NPR report this morning that students would be charged $30 and no more than $90 a year. Ronda Cooper, the Leon County Library LVA program director, told me that she expected this will feed more students into the free volunteer literacy programs.
This change was one of many passed by the Florida Legislature this spring. School systems were one of many institutions that got hit. NPR also noted that schools would also be laying off teachers this fall as state funding cuts are realized.
This will likely mean volunteer programs may have longer waiting lists or face turning away students. Waiting lists have been a hot topic on the ProLiteracy Listserve. Programs have been sharing how many students they have on the list. They also describing learning alternatives for students while waiting for a tutor. Some programs have a policy to keep their waiting lists short. What do you do? Put your comments below.
Sandy Newell, President, VALF
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