chaffey regional adult education consortium
Legislation
The Status of California’s Adult Education Program in 2021
The California Adult Education Program (CAEP) provides adult education state funding to regional consortia, county offices of education, school districts, community colleges, and joint powers authorities consisting of community colleges, school districts, or a combination of these, to support the following programs:
CAEP Program Areas
- Adult Basic Education (ABE)
- Adult Secondary Education (ASE)
- English as a Second Language and English Language Civics Education (ESL; EL Civics)
- Short Term Career Technical Education (CTE)
- Adults with Disabilities (AWD)
- Adults Entering or Re-Entering the Workforce
- Adults in Training Programs to Support K-12 Child School Success
More than a million students enroll in adult education programs funded by the CAEP each year. The CAEP delivery system is aligned along California community college district boundaries. The amount of funding for the CAEP program allocated by the Legislature in 2019-20 and 2020-21 was $538.5 million per year. Funds allocated for the 2021-22 year are expected to increase.
With the 2020-21 school year, California’s new adult education program is now in its sixth year of operation. The provisions governing the program were set forth in AB 104 (2015,) and these are reflected in the California Education Code sections 84900 to 84920.
Since the enactment of AB 104 in 2015, a number of changes to the program have been enacted through state budget provisions or legislation.
These changes are as follows:
- The name of the program was changed from the Adult Education Block Grant (AEBG) to the California Adult Education Program (CAEP.) This change represents an effort to present the program as an ongoing state effort and funding stream.
- Where fiscal agents have been selected for consortium fiscal management, the annual funds shall now be transmitted to individual districts within 45 days. This change assists in ensuring that school districts receive their funding in a timely manner.
- State level program planning and evaluation of this program shall now include the participation of the Governor’s Office of Immigration Integration. This change assists in ensuring that immigrant education opportunities are incorporated within the delivery and assessment of the program.
The state of California has now dedicated more than $3 billion to its adult education efforts since the initial funding of the new model. It should be noted that this far exceeds what other states are directing to adult literacy and workforce training, regardless of proportionality.
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