Margaret - always down to the concrete hard specifics of the literacy
system - I like it!  It's so important to be able to support and expand
the pilot projects that always get favor and funding but no long term
implementation once they've met their goals.  Anyway, this is a long
conversation (soon!) but here are a few comments related to yours below.

 

1.  WIA Title 2 funding was hard to follow as there were extensions for
unspent funds for the hurricane years, a waiver of the minimum state
match for one year, and money was returned to the state by one of the
school systems that did not reopen adult education classes.  We've been
protesting that last one.  Don't know about this year - the programs
haven't received their official notices yet, however two programs have
been told that their funding will be cut because they didn't meet their
NRS numbers.  Both of these are operating in severely flooded areas with
brand new administration and instructors and with a late start in the
year.  It's frustrating.

 

2.  I'll let Karla talk about her discussions with DOE and WIB for
English language funding.  Her program is listed as EL/Civics - a
whopping $20,000 from DOE there and no way to access extra funds that
came through for the Title 2 programs.  One big problem is data - the
people here are very new and the data collection is happening but
spotty.  Our Even Start program was invited to apply for the recent
Toyota Family Literacy program to work with new immigrants and was told
lack of data was a main reason for not being accepted.

 

3.  Workforce development in growing in fits and spurts and we're right
in the middle of it.  Some good things happening on the ground level in
working with people who are interested in a job, but don't have the
basic skills or the knowledge about and access to the family sustaining
jobs.  I can go on at length about this work as it is the majority of my
work these days as well as the rest of our staff.  It is still a
struggle at the public policy level - my literacy voice feels so small
against all the institutions - but I'm yelling just the same.

 

4. The private funders like most everything else have mostly put their
resources in disaster relief services (versus recovery).  The exceptions
that I know of in our arena are the few connecting to the workforce
development issue.  

 

I know it may be hard for many of you to think that there still needs to
be disaster relief, but just as a concrete example - I still have 3
co-workers who are not living in their homes yet.  It takes a really
really long time to recover.  Close your eyes and imagine your house,
then imagine your block, then your neighborhood, then your city.  If
everything was destroyed, imagine how long it takes to rebuild just the
buildings - electricity, qualified contractors, water, furniture
(cabinets!), garbage, fences, city permits... and everyone is trying to
do it at the same time.

 

That's all for this email for now - thanks, Margaret - Rachel

________________________________

From: povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of
DoughtyHRC at aol.com
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 6:29 AM
To: povertyracewomen at nifl.gov
Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 1047] Re: Action Steps-Literacy Post Katrina

 

Daphne - It is hard to come up with specifics for an advocacy effort
when the people on the ground know the situation the best.  But here's a
go!  In all probability New Orleans is not receiving the same level of
WIA Title 2 funding as it was before Katrina.  Perhaps the folks in New
Orleans can tell us about the allocation. What is the opportunity for
the Louisiana Department of Education to increase the allocation in
light of the increased ESOL population?  Can state staff development or
leadership dollars cover the cost of bringing in the one or two ESOL
planning experts that are needed and cover the costs of  implementation
activities the experts develop with those on the ground?  Can funding
for VESOL programs come from the local WIB funding - it is clearly an
eligible activity for core services?  Other workforce development
funding flows through the state technical colleges and those funds have
been tied to a screening process that denies services to those with
limited skills to cream for better results. Building the pipeline of
skilled workers requires personalized support to people needing help not
denying education and training through some pre-imposed 'eligibility
test'. Please, let me know if I'm wrong here because I know some very
good work is taking place.

 

Local private funders have always been important to New Orleans literacy
efforts especially with linking economic development and literacy.  They
have supported family literacy and workplace literacy.  Some of these
projects have had excellent results.  What are the opportunities for
bringing them to scale?  What is the plan to bring the Casey Foundation
and other national funders back to New Orleans?

 

The new coalition and the providers in Baton Rouge are revisiting the
ways that funding comes to the area.  What are the other funding streams
that may have been reduced because the 'client base was diminished'?
What are the regional activities like creative marketing, neighborhood
outreach and fund development that could be approached regionally?

 

Could the panelists let us know the wording around adult literacy action
steps from the planning committees that have been structuring the plans
for the new New Orleans?  What are the goals that have been identified
and the resources suggested to accomplish the goals.  Then perhaps we
could pick a couple to work on together to provide some additional
support to the important local efforts?

 

Margaret

 

 

 





________________________________

Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com
<http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982>
.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/povertyracewomen/attachments/20070828/1709f632/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 4878 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/povertyracewomen/attachments/20070828/1709f632/attachment.jpe