In response to Brandon's "Oakland: Cutting Adult Education in Local Schools"

This issue is very close to my heart. Growing up, my parents heavily depended on adult education courses such as Family Literacy and ESL to build their communication skills and improve their job prospects. I remember the struggles my father encountered coming to America without a strong command of the English language, always flustered and unable to express his qualifications and abilities in English for a job that he clearly had the skills for. Programs like these provided him with a support system to have the confidence to be able to provide for his family and become more involved in my life and with my education process.

It is very sad and devastating to see programs that promote literacy so that parents can be more involved in their child's education lose funding and fall to budget cuts. The communication training that Family Literacy programs give parents is essential and builds confidence not only in the individual but also for the child. To cut these programs, Oakland will be targeting an already vulnerable population and putting their families at even more risk of poverty and hardship, limiting their educational and economic prospects. Even more important is the fact that these effects may even beyond to all levels of the community.

Budget cuts are only a short fix to our national problem. While deficits may occur time and time again, the wrong decisions and their effects on the people and their families could potentially lead to permanent damage to a thriving community. Educational programs that support parents and families help reduce poverty and expand opportunities; they have the potential to improve our economic future.