Newsletter - November 2020
The Voice of Adult Education
Dear MCAE Community,

It's already been an exciting November nationally, and here in Massachusetts we are seeing plans come together for the delayed state budget, a continued push for the emergency legislation needed to help the Commonwealth's most vulnerable populations, and events and tools to help us make sense of it all. As ever, MCAE is here as your voice for adult education. Reach out to me if there’s something you need or want to share – a challenge, a question, or a success story! Stay safe and be well.
Rachel Gwaltney, MCAE Director
MCAE News and Updates
State Budget Process Moving Quickly
During the past week, the House began debate on its budget proposal for FY21, and the Senate will release its own draft Thursday with debate scheduled to begin next week. Both chambers aim to come to consensus quickly, and deliver a final budget bill for Governor Baker's signature by Thanksgiving.

Read the latest MCAE Action Alerts for more details on this rapidly evolving budget process, and make sure your legislators know to support the $5 million increase for ABE funding proposed by the House.
Looking further ahead, at a recent event Governor Charlie Baker forecasted a "pretty decent" spending plan for fiscal year 2022, saying "I really do think that for me, the big thing is we have a big rainy day fund that can help us this year and next year, and I do think the feds will get around eventually to at least agreeing on the things they all agreed on previously and just couldn't pass, and if they just do that and our economy continues to get modestly better, I think we'll be OK.” Current spending proposals being debated for this year would leave more than half the state’s rainy day fund in reserve for use in FY22 and future years.
ICYMI: MCAE releases report on COVID-19 and ABE Programs in Massachusetts
In October, MCAE released a new report The COVID-19 Pandemic and Adult Education in Massachusetts. sharing thoughts and findings from our survey of ABE program directors on the challenges and opportunities brought on the COVID-19 pandemic for programs, students, and teachers. Read the full report here.
Massachusetts News and Updates
Immigrants Unmute: Voices from Boston's Adult ESOL Pandemic Response
English for New Bostonians published a new report with outcomes and recommendations gleaned from a student survey exploring how adult ESOL students are faring during the pandemic. This report includes key findings and recommendations, characteristics of students and programs that fared better and less well, what was lost and gained, and what is needed to help adult ESOL students and programs succeed going forward.
Fall Speaker Series on Immigrant Community Issues
MIRA is holding a Fall Speaker Series, which includes four virtual conversations on the issues that matter most to our immigrant communities and friends of MIRA.
Join the Campaign to Invest in Our Recovery
Across the state, Raise Up Massachusetts and partners are holding community briefings for a just recovery, featuring state legislators representing districts across the state, and powerful testimonials by working people. To fight COVID-19, relieve the economic damage it is causing for workers, families, and businesses, and tackle racial inequities, we need a government response that rises to the needs of our communities, which are greater than ever. That requires new state revenue, and the best and most popular way to raise it is by taxing profitable corporations and their wealthy investors. Let your legislators know that you support this campaign and that you want them to support it as well! Sign up here to support the Invest in our Recovery campaign. 
Financial Assistance for Vulnerable Tenants and Homeowners
Did you have students who may be in need of rental assistance? Even with the end of the eviction moratorium, there is assistance that could protect them from an eviction and enable them to get up to $10,000 to pay rent or mortgage if they could not pay because of unemployment during the pandemic – this also applies to tenants who are undocumented immigrants. Find more information about Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) here, and further information about getting help with housing costs here. Tenants and Homeowners can also call for help on this hot line run by the community group City Life at (617) 934-5006 (English) and (617) 397-3773 (Spanish). This document summarizes the available assistance. These resources are part of a $171 million plan announced by the Baker administration to keep tenants in their homes and support landlords after the state's eviction moratorium expired in mid-October.
National News and Updates
Federal funding
Congressional leaders have largely acknowledged that passing a COVID-19 relief package will be very challenging to do until the election dust settles. The timing and scope of the next COVID-19 package are uncertain at this point, and we will keep you updated as we learn more. In the meantime, we must continue to advocate for $1 billion in Adult Education funding to be included in any final package.

Meanwhile, the federal fiscal year officially ended on September 30, 2020. Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government level-funded through December 11, 2020, and President Trump signed the CR to avoid a government shutdown. The Senate Appropriations Committee on November 10 released its FY21 proposed funding bill, with level-funding for Adult Education ($656.955 million). We urge you to call on federal legislators to support Adult Education programs in the final FY21 bill.
Making Sense of the Election Results
Join the National Skills Coalition November 12 for a web event Breaking Down the Election: Prospects for Skills and Inclusive Recovery, discussing the release of NSC’s federal policy agenda for achieving the 8 goals in our Skills for An Inclusive Economic Recovery; and analysis of how skills training weighed with voters and what the election results mean for opportunities to advance this agenda.
MA Programs To Be Honored at National Literacy Conference
The Library of Congress is hosting a Best Practices in Literacy conference November 19 and 20. Registration is free and it is open to the public. During the conference, The Immigrant Learning Center in Malden will be recognized as the American Program Award Winner, and The Literacy Center in Attleboro is an honoree. Congratulations to these Massachusetts programs leading the nation in great literacy work!
New Toolkit for ABE Advocates
A new Advocacy Toolkit from ProLiteracy describes how adult education and literacy (AEL) programs can use the latest skills data, program activity and success, and student impact stories to advocate with stakeholders at state and local levels.
Literacy Resources to Empower Female ABE Students
ProLiteracy and Lancôme USA have partnered to develop the Write Her Future Institute to empower women through literacy by providing the opportunities and tools for women to improve their lives. Through the Write Her Future Institute, adult education programs can apply for free one-year Voxy licenses for women adult learners. Please visit the Write Her Future Institute site for more information and directions for applying.
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