The Portage Township School Board will be asked at its meeting tonight to continue serving as the fiscal agent for the region’s adult education, keeping the struggling program intact for at least one more year.

Portage Township School Superintendent Michael Berta said he will recommend at today’s school board meeting that the board commit to another year of overseeing the program. If the board agrees, that would give more time for adult education backers to find a stable, long-term funding source, he said.

In late 2007, the Portage School Board opted to cease serving as the fiscal agent for the program, a move that has since put the program in limbo. Legislative efforts have been made to shore up funding, and various entities, including Porter County government, have contributed funds to keep the program going.

As the fiscal agent for the multi-county program, the Portage Schools absorb any operating loss. Berta said that on average, the program eats up $165,000 to $200,000 yearly from the school system’s K-12 funding.

State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, has said that one of her budget priorities for the 2009 legislative session is to increase state funding for adult education. Tallian earlier this session sought a $6 million increase, from the current $14 million, in the state budget for adult education statewide. Gov. Mitch Daniels’ proposed budget cut the funding to $13 million, and Tallian said she was able to boost the state funding to $15 million in the Senate version of the budget.

The budget, however, stalled in the House, and lawmakers must now convene a special session sometime in June to adopt a new state budget. Tallian said recently that she will try to secure the increased adult education funding in the final budget version.

Berta noted that no other organization has expressed an interest in overseeing the adult ed program. Under the worst case scenario, the program would likely come to an end this summer, if the Portage School Board opts to withdraw as the fiscal agent and if no additional state funding is secured, he said.