Adult Education in Limbo with PUSD Budget Pinch

The Pomona Unified School District's adult education program could see severe cuts this year, but district officials are still unsure how deeply those cuts may go.

The district initially gave preliminary layoff notices to 272 full-time teachers and 159 others —including all of the adult education program — in anticipation of state budget cuts.

Late into the summer, most adult education teachers are still holding pink slips, and the district is now waiting to see how its spending on K-12 education might cut into its adult education programs.

Superintendent Richard Martinez said at an Aug. 16 meeting that the district will need to first complete negotiations with the Associated Pomona Teachers union to determine what remains in the adult education budget.

For months, as the union and district negotiate, public comment at the district's board meetings have been stacked with pleas from members of the adult education program, like machine shop teacher Joe Martinez.

At the Aug. 16, meeting, Martinez was one of a select group to win back a spot in the program, but other programs and classes — ranging from parenting classes to anger management training — may still hang in the balance.

Teresa Liang, who teaches two district-funded memory-training classes for seniors at the Well and Fit Adult Day Health Care Center in North Diamond Bar, is one of those hoping that her classes will remain.

Liang is the only teacher in the program fluent in Chinese and was hired specifically to work with older adults in the district.

"It's really helpful to older adults," Liang said. "Most (students) tell me that they have friends here and are better because of that. Without that, they might just stay home and be in danger or may go to the hospital because of worse health."

Liang's sessions focus on interaction and engagement with storylines and history lessons that students follow along with.

For one session, Liang created a unique version of the game "jingo" using Chinese history and mythology to add a question-and-answer component to the classic game, bingo.

"This social interaction and memory training is a means of preventive care," Liang said.

The facility's director, Michelle Lee, said the class has helped many older adults stay active.

"The participants all come in here and are smiling," Lee said.

Currently, the district provides full support for the classes, which Lee said is critical to their success.

"Most of the participants are low-income," Lee said. "I would believe that about 50 percent of the class would have to stop if there were a fee for the class."

Lee said her facility would likely not have any funds to support Liang's classes should they ultimately be cut.

"Because our industry is also seeing hardship, we can't guarantee that we could continue this class in the future without support from the district," Lee said.

For older adult programs, Superintendent Martinez said the district will make full funding a priority while other enrichment classes may see new fees in place.

School board member Jason Rothman reiterated at an Aug. 16 meeting that public pleas to keep adult education programs intact "are not falling on deaf ears."

"We strive to keep programs open whenever and wherever we can," Rothman said.

The district's next board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the district offices at 800 S. Garey Avenue in Pomona.