WHEREAS, The mission of adult education in California’s public schools is to provide lifelong educational opportunities and services to address the needs of a society impacted by rapid technological, economic, and social change; and

WHEREAS, Adult education, as delivered by school districts, has been a permanent and valued service to millions of Californians seeking a second chance for a high school education, occupational training, and other education services; and

WHEREAS, More than 2,000,000 adults and 230,000 high school pupils are served each year by adult education programs in 380 school districts throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, Adult education in the public schools has a 150-year history of being the primary educational provider for immigrant and minority adults seeking to become more productive members of a new society; and

WHEREAS, Adult education in public schools contributes significantly to the reduction of vandalism and other crimes by providing day and evening academic and vocational training programs for a segment of the public that does not aspire to higher education; and

WHEREAS, Every year more than 500,000 immigrants from numerous countries seek out adult education classes to learn the English language and to gain an understanding of the political, economic, and social systems that direct our democratic form of government; and

WHEREAS, Adult education is the segment of public education assigned the historic mission of serving disadvantaged adults seeking to become economically self-sufficient; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of persons trapped by circumstances in the welfare cycle have found self-sufficiency through basic education classes, job-entry skill training, and job placement through attendance in adult education classes; and

WHEREAS, During the last 13 years, more than 2,800,000 adult education students in California obtained job skills by attending adult education vocational training programs; and

WHEREAS, More than 50 percent of primary wage earners in California find it necessary to change careers four or more times during their lifetimes, and need retraining to remain employable; and

WHEREAS, More than 933,000 adults with physical and mental disabilities obtained job skills training and basic education in classes for developmentally disabled adults offered by adult education in public schools between 1981 and 1992; and

WHEREAS, The California State Legislature supports adult education in public schools by finding and declaring in Section 8500 of the Education Code “that adult continuing education is essential to the needs of society in an era of rapid technological, economic, and social change and that all adults in California are entitled to quality publicly supported continuing education opportunity”; now, therefore, be it