Ohio's Adult Basic Literacy Education program might have its budget slashed by 75 percent when President Bush releases the final version of his proposed budget.
The Athens County program could lose up to 50 percent of its funding, said Joe McGowan, director of the county ABLE program. The county's program helps people prepare for the General Education Development, improve reading skills and gain basic job and computer skills.
The county program would be restricted severely with the funding cut, but it will probably not be as much as 75 percent, said Tracy Galway, spokeswoman for Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.
We'll just have to find funding somewhere else
Galway said.
The program is tailored to the specific goals of each student. Attaining a GED is students' most common goal.
In 2004, about 56,600 Ohio students participate in the program, McGowan said.
More than 7,000 students of about 11,500 students who enrolled in the program to earn their GED reached their goal. More than 3,000 students got a job out of almost 5,000 students who set the goal of getting a job. Despite these success rates, adult education is cut large and cut often, said Jeff Grove, a consultant in the Ohio Department of Education.
Adult education has always been an easy target Grove said.
Department lobbyists could influence legislators to keep the funding. Past lobbying efforts have kept program funding, he said.
We're hoping that our lobbyists can help said McGowan, but if we did get cuts
we'll start looking for other grants.
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