Tell Chicago City Colleges administration:

A) Expand availability of adult education classes and strengthen the program's capacity to serve students

B) Strengthen the public workforce of teachers and coordinators, providing a fair contract and necessary support for delivering quality education

C) Work toward the common good, and strengthen the Adult Education program's capacity to meet the educational and human needs of Chicago's minority, immigrant, and working-class residents.

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The Adult Education Program at City Colleges of Chicago provides crucial educational resources for hundreds of thousands, especially those economically disadvantaged immigrants and working-class residents in Chicago.

The Adult Education program offers free classes to Chicagoans in high school equivalency (G.E.D.-A.H.S.D.), English as a Second Language (E.S.L.), job readiness, career preparation, digital literacy and transition to college. Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Immigrant, and multiracial students who are overrepresented in dropout statistics, people with disabilities, and those in and returning from the carceral system need access to Adult Education.

In 2023, the remaining 300 instructors, from the 500 when Chancellor Salgado started, impacted 26% of all students enrolled in the C.C.C. and 32% of all Adult Education students in Illinois. Despite their invaluable contributions, many C.C.C. Adult Educators face challenges such as part-time status despite working full-time hours, job insecurity, and inadequate access to affordable health insurance and sick days while working without a contract for the last nine months.

Use this form to call upon the C.C.C. Board of Trustees and Administration to:

A) Expand the availability of adult education classes and strengthen the program's capacity to serve our students

Create full-time Adult Educators and Coordinators positions to provide services to underserved areas. Streamline the registration process to address the current issues stemming from administrative mismanagement.

Increase outreach, recruitment and retention programs for Black and other marginalized students

Reinstate Adult Education classes at Harold Washington College. Administrative practices that exclude minority students and working people from downtown are racist and against the mission of C.C.C.

Provide better learning conditions that benefit students: smaller class sizes, adequate classroom resources, and educational materials.

Accessible support services for adult education students, such as counseling, tutoring, and career services, are available when they are convenient for them, not to the administration.

A teacher-designed and student-centered curriculum that includes a broader range of perspectives, especially those that highlight the histories, cultures, and contributions of Black/Latinx minority and working people.

Place eligible students in free Adult Education programs and stop their unnecessary placement in tuition and fees-based programs. These policies both foreclose and prohibit access to careers and college for those most in need.

Enforce ICCB regulations that allow students to repeat classes more than four times when appropriate. Arbitrary and discriminatory administrative restrictions that exclude and discourage students are against the mission of the C.C.C.

Reinstate fair assessment practices that focus on student needs, and are rooted in the professionals in the Adult Education faculty.

Mandate cultural competency, training in disability awareness, and anti-racism training for all faculty and staff

B) Strengthen the public workforce of teachers and coordinators, providing a fair contract and the necessary support for delivering quality education

Return to a pay system that recognizes years of hard work by reinstating seniority and steps, remuneration of hours worked outside the classroom, and salaries commensurate with credit faculty.

Provide full-time teaching positions for A.E faculty, the only unit of C.C.C. without any full-time positions, and with reasonable class sizes, job security, more substantial professional development, and upward mobility.

Offer paid sick days, health benefits at a reasonable price, and comprehensive health benefits and robust retirement plans to ensure that adult educators have the necessary support for their well-being and financial security

Fill vacant teacher and coordinator positions focusing on equity, hiring practices prioritizing diversity, staff development and promoting from within.

Enable access to conferences, workshops, training sessions, and advanced degree programs, which is essential for educators to stay current with educational trends and methodologies.

Establish policies that support work-life balance, such as flexible working hours, feasible remote work options, and adequate paid leave for personal matters, including family care and health-related issues.

C) Work towards the common good and strengthen the Adult Education program's capacity to meet the educational and human needs of Chicago's minority, immigrant, and working-class residents.

Collaborate with city, county, and state sister agencies in bringing public resources into CCC and work with A.E. Faculty to bring A.E. training into other programs, including additional support for asylum-seekers

Engage in shared governance and activate the consultative role that the Adult Education Union (AFSCME3506) should play within CCC, as with credit faculty.

Partner with local minority, Black-led, and working families centered organizations specializing in services and advocacy for African --Americans, people with disabilities, and migrant and immigrant communities to enhance the educational experience and opportunity for all students, including people in the carceral system and persons in long term care facilities

Develop initiatives that facilitate integrating migrant and immigrant students into the community.

Ensure students have the technological means and support to continue their education remotely or in person.