OLR Bill Analysis
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ADULT LITERACY BOARD.
This bill creates a 19-member Adult Literacy Leadership Board within the Office of Workforce Competitiveness (OWC) and requires the board, among other things, to (1) develop a three-year strategic plan for an adult literacy system, (2) prepare an annual report card on the status of adult literacy in the state, and (3) report annually to the governor and legislature on its activities. The board terminates on July 1, 2012.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2008
ADULT LITERACY LEADERSHIP BOARD
Board Membership
The board consists of 10 voting members and nine ex-officio nonvoting members. The governor appoints four, and legislative leaders appoint six, voting members based on the bill's criteria. Table 1 shows the board's members and their appointing authorities.
Table 1: Adult Literacy Leadership Board Membership
Appointing Authority |
Appointee |
Voting Member |
Governor |
● Local adult education program director |
Yes |
● Regional adult education program director |
Yes | |
● Public library representative |
Yes | |
● Representative of a business whose employees lack basic literacy skills or proficiency in the English language |
Yes | |
House speaker |
Regional workforce development board representative |
Yes |
Senate president pro tempore |
Organized labor representative |
Yes |
House majority leader |
Voluntary literacy organization representative |
Yes |
Senate majority leader |
Adult literacy advocacy group representative |
Yes |
House minority leader |
Person representing the interests of adult literacy service recipients at the community-technical colleges |
Yes |
Senate minority leader |
Representative of a community organization operating an adult literacy program |
Yes |
Statutory, ex-officio |
● Correction commissioner |
No |
● Education commissioner |
No | |
● Higher education commissioner |
No | |
● Economic and community development commissioner |
No | |
● Social services commissioner |
No | |
● Labor commissioner |
No | |
● Office of Workforce Competitiveness director |
No | |
● Office of Policy and Management secretary |
No | |
● regional community-technical colleges chancellor |
No |
The voting members serve four-year terms. Members serve without compensation but must be reimbursed within available appropriations for any necessary expenses incurred while performing their duties. The governor appoints the board's chairperson from among its voting members. The board may (1) create other positions and for its members and (2) solicit and receive funds from public or private sources to carry out its activities. Any five members of the board constitute a quorum and can exercise the board's powers. (The bill does not specify whether they must be voting members. )
Strategic Plan
The bill requires the board to develop a three-year strategic plan for an adult literacy system in the state by January 1, 2009. The plan must:
1. include goals for an adult literacy system, including reducing the number of adults in the state lacking a high school diploma or English proficiency by a certain percentage each year for a specified time;
2. define the roles of adult literacy service providers in the state, particularly the (a) governance responsibility for adult education, (b) discrepancies in service delivery and ways to promote regionalized service delivery and community partnerships, and (c) resources for system-wide administration, management, research, and coordination;
3. prioritize services that improve quality of instruction, access, and retention, and identify target populations for services;
4. analyze funding requirements and identify (a) estimated resources needed to implement the plan's goals, (b) current funding sources and reallocation possibilities, and (c) alternatives and new sources of funding; and
5. outline funding policies that provide (a) financial support and incentives supporting collaborative delivery of services, and (b) adequate resources for state-funded agencies with adult literacy responsibilities, including public libraries, to perform data collection, analysis, and program effectiveness and best practices evaluation and research.
The board must annually review and revise the implementation of the plan and update it every three years. It must also designate regional planning workgroups consisting of adult literacy service provider representatives and recipients of adult literacy services to help develop and review the plan.
State Report Card
The bill requires the board to prepare a annual state report card on the status of adult literacy in the state. The report must identify the major components of the adult literacy system, including adult education, family, and workplace literacy, and provide for each (1) the number and demographics of people served, (2) a description of its sources of funding, and (3) performance measures.
Annual Report
The board must annually report, by January 1, 2009, to the governor and the Judiciary, Education, Higher Education, Commerce, Labor, and Human Services committees on (1) progress in developing and implementing the strategic plan, (2) recommendations for sources and funding levels to meet the strategic plan's goals, and (3) the report card.
Other Requirements
The bill also requires the leadership board to:
1. create a vision and mission statement by January 1, 2009;
2. establish system performance measures and use them to track progress towards the strategic plan's goals and objectives;
3. develop and maintain an online inventory of all adult literacy programs and services offered in the state, including a description of the type of service, the time and place it is offered, and any eligibility requirements or fees;
4. establish standards for adult literacy service providers, including waiting list requirements;
5. require each adult literacy service provider to maintain a waiting list and report it to the board, according to the standards the board develops; and
6. promote coordination and collaboration among service providers through regionalized service delivery and community partnerships.
The board may ask state agencies for information, reports, and assistance it needs to carry out its duties.
Definitions
The bill defines “adult literacy services” as services aimed at improving the ability of people age 16 or over who are not enrolled in secondary school to (1) read, write, and speak English, and (2) compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family, and in society. It defines “vision statement” as a written projected overview of the state's adult literacy programs and services at a specified future date. It defines “mission statement” as a written declaration of the purpose of the state's adult literacy programs and services, including those that address the goals of helping adults develop reading, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills necessary to be self-sufficient, active citizens, effective parents, and qualified, competitive workers.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference
Yea |
18 |
Nay |
0 |
(03/06/2008) |
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea |
54 |
Nay |
0 |
(03/28/2008) |