Adult Education Offers New Hope for Students

FRESNO, Calif.–After graduating high school, many people plan to attend college, but sometimes life gets in the way.

For years, adult education has lacked in resources. In 2008-2009, much of the adult education budget was shifted to give more money to K-12 operations.

“Pretty much 60% of all adult school throughout the state were, programs were closed pretty much cut in half or even more,” says Sherri Watkins, Executive Director of the State Center Adult Education Consortium.

But in 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown approved a $25 million adult education block grant to help fund new programs for adult schools throughout the state.

For adults like Yesenia Quintanilla, this grant offers a second chance at finishing a dream.

“I’m trying to learn more about computers,” Quintanilla says. “How to work, how to make formatted letters, so I’m going for office assistant.”

Adult schools in the Fresno are now able to allocate about $500,000 a year to different programs and certifications for adult education, giving these students several different options.

Vice Principal of Adult Secondary Education at Fresno Adult School, Keda Buttles, is excited about the new pathways students can choose.

“From just ESL, students trying to learn English, practice English, to getting their high school diploma or their equivalent and we also have the CTE career paths and we also have citizenship pathway for our ESL programs,” Buttles says.

Helping students like Quintanilla find a pathway to a new journey is the biggest goal for adult schools in the Fresno area.

“For me it means a lot because it gives you a chance to educate yourself and to succeed in life, so it means a lot to me,” Quintanilla says.

For Quintanilla and the other students at Fresno Adult School, the opportunity to go back to school is one they will forever be grateful for.