State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, is making a last-minute push for increased state funding for adult education.

On Monday, Tallian proposed an amendment to the state budget bill for a $3 million increase for adult education statewide. The amendment was defeated along party lines, but Tallian said she’ll keep up the push for the increase as the current special session of the General Assembly winds to a close.

Tallian is one of three Senate Democrat advisors to the conference committee that will hash out the final state budget bill. The conferees were to begin meeting today, following the State Senate’s 33-17 vote on its version of the budget on Monday. Lawmakers have until the end of the month to finalize a new state budget.

Tallian said she voted against the Senate bill because of its funding cuts for K-12 schools and other programs, including adult education and food banks

“Cutting adult education when we need to be investing in Hoosier workers is incredibly short-sighted. The budget plan now before us cuts adult education funding to a level that is inadequate and detrimental,” Tallian said in a press release.

Governor Mitch Daniels recommended an annual appropriation of $13 million for adult education, a cut of $1 million annually. Earlier this month, the House approved a budget with adult education funding maintained at the current level, $14 million, and that amount was left in the latest Senate version.

Tallian noted that the General Assembly authorized a special study committee on the status and funding of adult education last year. Tallian, a member of that committee, recommended an additional $6 million, which would have brought the annual appropriation to $20 million.

“In the context of a $13 billion annual state budget, $3 million is a small amount that can have a big impact on so many Hoosiers who want to improve their lives through education and improved job opportunities,” Tallian said.

The Portage Adult Education program, meanwhile, remains in limbo. Earlier threatened with a shutdown, the Portage Township Schools recently agreed to keep the program afloat for at least one more year in the hopes that an alternative funding solution can be found. Portage Schools serve as the fiscal agent for the multi-county program and as a result, must absorb the annual deficits.

Tallian noted that the total appropriation for all adult education programs in Indiana has been flat-lined at $14 million for a decade, forcing programs to cut services as inflation drives up costs and demands for the program increase.

According to the Indiana Institute for Working Families, more than 500,000 adults in Indiana lack a high school diploma, but the state’s adult education programs have the resources to serve only about 40,000 each year. Adult education in Indiana provides a variety of programs, including GED preparation, adult secondary credits, adult basic education, English as a second language, workplace education and family literacy.

Posted 6/24/2009