Hundreds gathered today at the Blue Room of the Thompson Center, advocates of adult education, English classes and job training along with elected officials, adult educators and learners, led by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) are calling for Governor Quinn and the General Assembly to act responsibly to save adult education funding.

The new state budget sets adult education funding for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) below last year’s level of $34.8 million, lumping adult education with career and technical education and GED testing and cutting the overall appropriation to $24.1 million. Even worse, because of this cut, ICCB stands to lose more than $20 million in federal matching funds. These losses combined would cut total state support for ICCB adult education programs by more than two-thirds. More than 80,000 students will lose out on classes they need to find better jobs, provide more for their families, become citizens, and further contribute to the state.

Illinois’ adult education system is already struggling to meet the need. ICCB-funded adult education programs served fewer than 120,000 students last year—only a fraction of the more than one million Illinois adults (age 18-64) who lack a high school diploma or GED. Although more than 575,000 adults speak English poorly or not at all, ICCB programs offered fewer than 70,000 ESL slots.

Participants called on Governor Quinn to dedicate a small part of the $3.5 billion in discretionary funds the budget gives him to fill this funding gap and avoid this calamity.

Following the press conference, a delegation of children pulling a red wagon, teens, adult learners, and seniors delivered thousands of letters to the Governor Quinn’s office urging him to take action to save adult education.