(New York, NY) – In Governor Cuomo’s 2016-2017 Executive Budget, funding for adult literacy education was included at $6.3 million, an amount that has remained flat for the past three years despite the fact that this amount is significantly short of meeting the needs of nearly 3.5 million adult New Yorkers who lack English proficiency, a high school diploma or both.
Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, stated, “The Coalition calls on Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to stop leaving adult learners behind, and to truly make a meaningful investment in Adult Literacy Education (ALE) by including $17.2 million for these critical services in the final budget. The proposed funding level of $6.3 million for ALE in the Executive Budget does not do enough to make a dent in this goal.”
“For low-income adults, education is the key to securing employment and building a foothold in the job market. But for the 2.17 million adult New Yorkers without a high school diploma and the 2.23 million who lack English proficiency, this opportunity is woefully out of reach. In fact, less than three percent of those in need of English language development are able to receive support through state-funded programs.”
Photo Credit: New York State
