Legislation to make the switch was authored by state Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston and sponsored by state Rep. Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City during this year?s regular legislative session. The legislation, Senate Bill 307, passed and Gov. Rick Perry is set to ceremonially sign it into law in South Texas in the coming weeks.
The legislation carries out a key recommendation made by the Sunset Commission during the interim that ABE be moved from TEA to TWC. The legislation requires TWC to provide adequate staffing, including the hiring of a director, to ?develop, administer, and support a comprehensive statewide adult education program and coordinate related federal and state programs for the education and training of adults.?
The Texas Border Coalition represents cities, counties and economic development groups from Brownsville to El Paso. It has made Adult Basic Education one of its top legislative priorities for many years. On Wednesday, Blas Casta?eda, chair of the TBC?s workforce development committee, testified in favor of ABE?s move to TWC at a TWC Stakeholder's meeting in San Antonio. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Tex-BEST Summit being held at the Grand Hyatt hotel.
Casta?eda is a former external affairs/economic development officer at Laredo Community College. He now consults on workforce training and economic development. He has chaired the TBC's workforce development committee for many years.
?We worked intensively to get this major change during the regular session since we need this type of delivery process for our higher education institutions to deliver critical and wide open access to the folks that are looking to us for such services. They want to get back into the workforce,? Casta?eda said.
?Business and industry is in dire need of a trained workforce and having this process within the workforce system facilitates a major opportunity for both participants and the industry employers in Texas.?
Casta?eda said TBC must work hand in hand with border communities and the industries that provide the economic impacts for all of our cities and counties in Texas. ?The result is the creation of competitive business developments and the state with the highest job creation in the country. Our Texas is on roll,? Casta?eda said.
Here, in full, is the letter Casta?eda delivered to the TWC Stakeholder meeting in San Antonio:
I am proud to testify today on behalf of the Texas Border Coalition (TBC) in support of transferring the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program from the Texas Education Agency to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect more than 2.5 million people along the Texas-Mexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville.
As Chair of TBC?s Workforce Development Committee, and during my 37 years at Laredo Community College, I have had the opportunity to work closely with state and local organizations that are dedicated to providing adults with the basic reading, writing and math skills they need to participate in our state?s 21st Century economy and provide for their families. The adult education program is absolutely crucial to decreasing unemployment, increasing literacy and putting Texas on a path to continued economic success in the 21st Century.
TBC strongly supports this move, and believes that ABE aligns well with TWC?s mission to develop our state?s workforce. TBC believes that TWC will provide good direction to make the ABE program even more impactful for Texans who need basic skills to enter the workforce and contribute to our state?s economy. TBC is excited to work with the Workforce Commission members and staff to make the ABE transition smooth and effective.
TBC strongly supported SB 307 by Senator Huffman and Rep. Guillen, which mandates this move. In 2012, TBC testified in support of the Sunset Advisory Commission recommendation to transfer the adult education programs from the TEA (Texas Education Agency) to the Workforce Commission and create an Adult Education and Literacy Advisory Committee.
TBC supported this move with the understanding that the current funding and resources for the program stay intact and are allocated to the areas of greatest need. In particular, TBC would like to draw the Commission?s attention to several points that TBC believes are crucial for ABE?s success in its new home at the Workforce Commission:
? All funds under the current ABE program should be transferred as well for program activities at TWC;
? A state ABE program director should be created and assigned at the TWC to administer, manage and oversee all daily activities of the ABE program. The Skills Development Fund (SDF) at TWC provides an excellent model for this program;
? TWC must maintain transparent decision-making in the allocation of ABE funding;
? All ABE funding should be allocated by county, so that all communities have a fair and equitable opportunity to access funding. Again, the SDF provides a well-functioning model;
? All ABE funds should be allocated in accordance with US Department of Education?s formula, which is based on the latest U.S. Census count of the individuals by county who are 16 and older, not enrolled in school and lack a high school diploma or GED; and
? TBC looks forward to working with TWC and other stakeholders to develop ABE plans with involvement from local employers, workforce boards, community colleges and other stakeholders to maximize industry involvement and participation.
On behalf of the members of the Texas Border Coalition, I offer our support to TWC as it takes over the ABE program. We have enjoyed working with the Workforce Commission members and staff on other issues that affect the workforce in the border region, and we look forward to working with the Commission and staff to carry forward the great work of the Adult Basic Education program as it moves to TWC.
Thank you for considering our views on this important subject. I am happy to answer questions or assist the Commission members and staff in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Blas Casta?eda
Chair, TBC Workforce Development Committee
Source: http://www.riograndeguardian.com/business_story.asp?story_no=26
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