DuPage United Discovers $1 Million in Grants Diverted from Continuing Education Programs (August 2011) and Program Improvements Follow
Since 2008 DuPage United has taken a special interest in the Adult Ed program at COD (especially the free ESL part), because many of our member institutions believe it is an effective way to strengthen our community through the use of tax money—federal, state, AND local tax money – to increase basic skills and promote a common language. A common language benefits all parts of our community—employers, retailers, educators, public safety officers, and medical workers.
Our work from 2008 through 2010 is detailed in a link on this page.
By spring 2011 there was a significant decline in the enrollment in ESL, GED and other Adult Ed programs. This prompted DuPage United leaders to meet with Joe Cassidy, Dean of Continuing Education, in April 2011 to explore how we could work together to improve access and enrollment for the summer and fall sessions. We were told that space on campus was an issue, so we found a number of free classrooms in facilities nearby, but our offer of space was refused.
The scheduling changes for the rest of 2011 were alarming. For example: (1) There were 183 ESL instruction hours offered per week in Glen Ellyn in summer 2010 compared to only 28 hours in summer 2011, and (2) the very popular intense double classes called Quick Start were eliminated for summer and fall 2011. Such course cuts and declining enrollment made no sense when our demographics indicate a growing need. Of great concern was the fact that state grants for these programs are based on enrollments, and are lagged two years. Lower enrollment now could mean less grant money later.
Several leaders wrote letters of support for the continued use of local tax money to supplement the grants from state and federal sources. The letters they received in return assured them that ESL and the rest of the Adult Ed program were still drawing $1 million from local property taxes.
We knew the cost of the programs had been a concern of Dr. Breuder and the COD Board of Trustees in the past, so we sought answers to financial questions about program. We did not receive the details we were pursuing in time for the August 18 Board meeting, where three DuPage United leaders voiced our growing concerns publicly. We were told we did not have our facts straight and that there would be a presentation at the September meeting.
In the meantime, we asked for and received detailed information from the Illinois Community College Board about the state and federal funding that is generated for COD by the Adult Ed students (the grants are based on credit hours studied). ICCB data showed that COD had received $1 million MORE than it spent on the program in the last year! We shared our information with Dean Cassidy on August 30 in order to highlight that in this year and the last, the program generated huge surpluses, even as representatives of COD were writing letters to residents saying the program was drawing a million dollars of local tax money from the Ed Fund. More state grant money went into the Ed Fund for Adult Ed than was taken out to run the program. The “extra” money left behind in the Ed Fund more than covered program overhead, and left money for other departments at COD, and maybe even added to the very large Reserve.
At our Aug. 30 meeting with Dean Cassidy we asked that he present this information at the September meeting, which he did.
Since September 2011, several significant improvements to the progra.m have taken place The Spring 2012 schedule had more on-campus classes, including a good amount of intense classes that are set at times that are accessible to people with kids. In addition, COD is now offering free text books for ESL students.
If the current changes to Adult Ed eventually result in higher enrollments next year, the expense of that higher enrollment may be paired with a state grant that will be based on last year’s very low enrollment, because the grants are lagged by two years. The current “profitability” of the Adult Ed program, which is based on the opposite scenario—higher funding and lower expenses due to declining enrollment, may disappear, at least temporarily.
IF this happens, we all need to be prepared to once again insist on the use of local tax money to bridge the lean years. Knowing this might happen should make it less of a surprise a year or two from now, and may keep the program on a more even keel.
Since 2008 DuPage United has taken a special interest in the Adult Ed program at COD (especially the free ESL part), because many of our member institutions believe it is an effective way to strengthen our community through the use of tax money—federal, state, AND local tax money – to increase basic skills and promote a common language. A common language benefits all parts of our community—employers, retailers, educators, public safety officers, and medical workers.
Our work from 2008 through 2010 is detailed in a link on this page.
By spring 2011 there was a significant decline in the enrollment in ESL, GED and other Adult Ed programs. This prompted DuPage United leaders to meet with Joe Cassidy, Dean of Continuing Education, in April 2011 to explore how we could work together to improve access and enrollment for the summer and fall sessions. We were told that space on campus was an issue, so we found a number of free classrooms in facilities nearby, but our offer of space was refused.
The scheduling changes for the rest of 2011 were alarming. For example: (1) There were 183 ESL instruction hours offered per week in Glen Ellyn in summer 2010 compared to only 28 hours in summer 2011, and (2) the very popular intense double classes called Quick Start were eliminated for summer and fall 2011. Such course cuts and declining enrollment made no sense when our demographics indicate a growing need. Of great concern was the fact that state grants for these programs are based on enrollments, and are lagged two years. Lower enrollment now could mean less grant money later.
Several leaders wrote letters of support for the continued use of local tax money to supplement the grants from state and federal sources. The letters they received in return assured them that ESL and the rest of the Adult Ed program were still drawing $1 million from local property taxes.
We knew the cost of the programs had been a concern of Dr. Breuder and the COD Board of Trustees in the past, so we sought answers to financial questions about program. We did not receive the details we were pursuing in time for the August 18 Board meeting, where three DuPage United leaders voiced our growing concerns publicly. We were told we did not have our facts straight and that there would be a presentation at the September meeting.
In the meantime, we asked for and received detailed information from the Illinois Community College Board about the state and federal funding that is generated for COD by the Adult Ed students (the grants are based on credit hours studied). ICCB data showed that COD had received $1 million MORE than it spent on the program in the last year! We shared our information with Dean Cassidy on August 30 in order to highlight that in this year and the last, the program generated huge surpluses, even as representatives of COD were writing letters to residents saying the program was drawing a million dollars of local tax money from the Ed Fund. More state grant money went into the Ed Fund for Adult Ed than was taken out to run the program. The “extra” money left behind in the Ed Fund more than covered program overhead, and left money for other departments at COD, and maybe even added to the very large Reserve.
At our Aug. 30 meeting with Dean Cassidy we asked that he present this information at the September meeting, which he did.
Since September 2011, several significant improvements to the progra.m have taken place The Spring 2012 schedule had more on-campus classes, including a good amount of intense classes that are set at times that are accessible to people with kids. In addition, COD is now offering free text books for ESL students.
If the current changes to Adult Ed eventually result in higher enrollments next year, the expense of that higher enrollment may be paired with a state grant that will be based on last year’s very low enrollment, because the grants are lagged by two years. The current “profitability” of the Adult Ed program, which is based on the opposite scenario—higher funding and lower expenses due to declining enrollment, may disappear, at least temporarily.
IF this happens, we all need to be prepared to once again insist on the use of local tax money to bridge the lean years. Knowing this might happen should make it less of a surprise a year or two from now, and may keep the program on a more even keel.
