General tips for when you call your state representative and state senator:

  • Call the state representative and state senator who represents you where you live. Concerns from constituents are given more weight.
  • Speak with an aide if your legislator is not available. A conversation with an aide is just as valuable. They are the eyes and ears for your legislator and convey the concerns of constituents.
  • If you are a registered voter, say you are a constituent and registered voter. If you are a constituent and not registered, identify yourself as a constituent. Concerns from registered voters in the legislator’s district carry more weight than calls from constituents who are not registered voters.
  • Ask your legislators to take a specific action. It is much more effective to ask the legislator to support the $2 million increase than it is to generally ask for “support for ABE”. They want to know exactly why you’re calling and what you want from them. Use the talking points below and keep them in front of you during your telephone call.
  • Accountability is everything. Ask your legislators for a specific commitment. It’s important to ask your legislators if they will ask for the $2 million increase. General support is not enough. If the aide is unable to provide a definite commitment, ask when you can call back to find out what the legislator has decided to do. Remember, you may feel uncomfortable pushing for a definite commitment, but they are working for your vote.

Specific talking points:

  • Give your name and home address. Legislative offices keep track of how many calls they receive on a particular issue. Some offices will even send you a reply letter.
  • Say that you are calling regarding ABE line item #7035-0002 and you are requesting a $2 million increase in the FY18 budget to $31,468,517. It is important to provide the line item number, the specific increase and the FY18 total so they don’t have to look it up.
  • The demand and need for ABE is great while funding has remained flat.
  • 1 in 9 MA adults doesn’t have sufficient English language skills.
  • 1 in 10 MA adults doesn’t have sufficient literacy skills.
  • Nearly 17,000 adults are currently on a waiting list for an ABE program.
  • ABE received $30.2 million in FY2001 and $29.5 million in FY 2017
  • When adjusted for inflation, this represents a 40% loss in real dollars from FY2001 to FY2017.
  • I am asking that you ask for a $2 million increase for ABE line item #7035-0002 on your FY18 budget wish list when you meet with legislative leadership. Will you do that?
  • If you cannot make a commitment until after you review all your budget requests from constituents, when can I call you back to check on your decision?
  • Thank you very much.

Background on MCAE’s request:

The need and the demand for Adult Basic Education services remains great. Employers, educators, policymakers, and the public acknowledge an on-going and increasing need for our state’s adults to achieve higher levels of literacy and basic skills, and for our ever-growing immigrant population to learn English. And yet some twenty thousand people continue on the waiting list to attend classes around the state, many needy communities continue to lack available ABE programs, the teaching and learning expectations of students and teachers grow increasingly challenging, and the turnover of teachers and other staff at ABE programs remains quite high due to low pay and poor benefits.

Over the past fifteen years, unlike in other sectors of the state’s education system that have seen increases in funding, the amounts allocated for adult basic education in our state’s budget have remained flat in dollars appropriated ($30.2 million in FY01; $29.5 in FY17) and have eroded tremendously in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars. Since 2001, this level funding of ABE has resulted in a 40% loss, allowing for inflation, in the value of the line item appropriation, resulting in fewer classes, fewer students served, higher turnover of staff, and fewer program resources for teaching and learning.

Offsetting the effects of inflation and restoring the ABE appropriation to its 2001 value would best be accomplished through an increase to the ABE line item of $4 million over each of the next three years. However, the Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education recognizes that until the resources available for education and other crucial investments in our future are increased through approval of the income tax amendment to be voted on in 2018 or other such remedies, our state continues to face a shortfall in available resources and difficult choices in crafting each budget year after year.

MCAE, therefore, recognizing both the tremendous need for additional adult basic education services and funding and the difficult fiscal situation that the state continues to face, respectfully requests that the appropriation for adult basic education line item (7035-0002) in the state budget for FY18 be increased by $2 million, from $29.5 million to $31.5 million.

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