ACPS Moves to Allay Community Concerns Over Adult Education

Officials from the Alexandria Public School system hosted a spirited discussion Saturday morning to allay citizen concerns that they do not plan to dissolve adult learning and related programs, but conceded they mismanaged the communications process.

“Why are you making changes for adult education when you do not possess experience with adult education,” educator David Miller asked Deputy Superintendent Madye Henson at the event. He pointed to the table where he sat and said “People at this table have experience with adult education. Why haven’t you included us in the process of change?”

The audience clapped.

That summed up a lot of the concerns expressed during the meeting—the community was not in large part vehemently opposed to the proposal but was incensed that no one from ACPS had bothered to solicit the opinions of adult educators when putting together the plan.

“I am certified in adult education and program management. Do you know me? ... I serve 600 students per year. I have never met you. You’ve never come down to the centers and say ‘Hey, what do the experts say is a good idea?,” said Sharon Solarizana. “I slave for the school system. I’ve worked here for five years at $20 an hour for 37 hours a week. We love our students. We love our jobs. I was told a week and a half ago I didn’t have a job in January….Thank you for getting my job back and ”

Superintendent Morton Sherman said there was never any intention to let go of any employee, although ensuing discussion made it unclear if that applied to those teachers who don’t have contracts.

“Our primary responsibility as a school division is for students ages 15-22 to get diplomas,” said Sherman, who added that the other parts of education, including adult education, are very important as well.

“We talked to hundreds of teachers” about changes in the education system, “but not to adult ed teachers. They will be part of the process,” Sherman said.

Alexandria City Public Schools had issued a proposal earlier this month for flexible and extended satellite learning sites “to expand the suite of learning opportunities for ACPS students.”

The proposal, put together by Henson and PreK-12 Initiatives Director Gregory Hutchings, includes recommendations to reduce GED opportunities “as we focus on helping students achieve a high school diploma,” according to the document. The GED plan includes offering access to online GED prep courses, but not teacher instruction.

The Pathways to Graduation program at would continue through the end of this school year “with proposed changes for 2012-2013 school year.”

Additionally, interim education at the Stonewall Jackson Building will continue until the end of the school year but likely change after that.

One audience member asked if the plan was to eliminate the adult learning center at Stonewall to which Henson replied it “will not be housed at the Stonewall building.”

Sherman said the cost for annual rental at the Stonewall building is $250,000.

One woman who identified herself as an English Language Learner said closing the center "is like putting a bucket of ice water on us. Where are we going to go? What about me? I’m 60. There are a lot of older students.”

The draft proposal says the adult ELL courses housed at Stonewall, William Ramsey Elementary and T.C. Williams will be transitions to other sites around the city on Jan. 30. However, at the meeting, the officials said that was a typo and the transition will happen as of July 1.

“I was offended by you saying that was a typo. That mistake is life-changing for hundreds of people,” said one audience member.

A speaker who identified himself as a member of the NAACP said there would be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Mount Jezreel Church to continue this discussion and he invited members of ACPS and the public to attend.