Travis County Commssioners Court
Ferbuary 24, 2004
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Item 14
Number 14, is to approve modification number 4 no. Il000273ef with Austin independent school district to provide adult basic education services. Commissioner Daugherty has a question.
>> how many dollars that Travis County outlays for this? Is it all grant? Is it all --
>> it says 50,000 comes from the general fund and 50,000 from the title.
>> yes. We have traditionally funded this contract as well as an a.c.c. Contract at least partially with both general fund dollars and as well as grant dollars. This contract has been in existence for a number of years.
>> and the general fund dollars are kind of leveraged for the grant.
>> actually, we get a reimbursement from 4 a and we just complete the contract through the utilization of grant dollars.
>> but we spend $50,000 out of our general fund for it.
>> yes, we do.
>> we have done it for how many years?
>> I don't know the number of years.
>> what kind of performance measures do -- do we have? I mean -- obviously I mean my big situ with this is that it's $100,000 even though part of it is grant funds. English as a second language and then child care for the english as a second language. I mean, it's all kind of wrapped up in one, right.
>> yes, that's what we are buying.
>> has anybody ever asked the question about how you spent $100,000 on english as a second language I mean -- this is the united stateeak thi.
>> that is a terrible argument. That's terrible. That's old fashioned, old time.
>> well, I don't --
>> this is teaching spanish speaking people how to speak english.
>> I understand that, judge. I mean I just have a hard time spending dollars on -- on -- how do the people that speak, that spoke spanish speak english now before $100,000.
>> obviously these are recently arrived.
>> I think there was an eyeful last Friday when -- when present did a from your office -- brenda and nan and I went to visit literacy Austin. That was one of our social service agencies. There was actually a group of folks, 22 people, I remember that because it was lottery day. That were going through the orientation. And you could see that it was folks that were very young and they were also folks that were very elderly. There are unintended consequences when somebody does not speak the language. For example, if you do not know on your medicine how to read the instructions, you can wind up in the emergency room because you have taken the wrong medicine or worse, you pull your child out of school that day to be the translator to take grandma or grandpa or mom or dad to the health clinic that particular day. They miss out on school. You would see a great variety of folks not just spanish speaking, but there are a great deal of immigrants from the asian community as well. It was very much an eye-opening experience about you cannot get into workforce training, folks that want to do better for themselves, if you do not have that basis in the language. And things like literacy Austin, working with aisd, it is not only to get you those basic language skills, they take folks less than third grade level in terms of reading. The citizenship classes are intended for folks to continue on to become citizens of the united states of america. And I think those are all good things. There are things that will wind up on our plate related to social services by not doing these pieces.
>> we hope that they are able to read their tax bill real accurately.
>> they are paying taxes. They are absolutely paying taxes.
>> stephen [indiscernible], get a lot more details about the program.
>> and the child care is just that piece because some folks do not have the luxury of being able to find child care alternatives and to be able to do this. The folks that are going to things like this, that are going to literacy Austin are folks that are trying to do second jobs, third jobs to squeeze in whatever time they can to do better for themselves so that they will not be a burden on county government as the safety net. These folks are the safety net to the safety net.
>> I move approval.
>> second.
>> second.
>> before we move and vote on this, can you -- I know this is one of the social service programs that we do -- are there any other governmental entities that are involved in what Travis County is doing here?
>> yes.
>> could you name who they are?
>> of course this is a --
>> sorry.
>> this is aisd, leveraged resources within aisd, they also have a contract within a.c.c. They are -- there are also non-profit that's provide a similar service.
>> as we further reach out to the community to provide adequate social services, I'm in full support of this. Of course we must continue to provide social services to this community. So I'm going to support this.
>> I think what we are finding is kind of a three-teared system. Unfortunately or fortunately, there are millions of dollars coming into this community through work source. But what we are finding is a good number of those alternatives in terms of trying to find people meaningful training so that they can be reemployed, it's [indiscernible], they are taking the easy fixes in terms of somebody needed to update an resume and get on with their lives f. You do not have a third grade level, if and you have third grade level or beyond, you can get into i'll put in a plug for them the Austin academy when I visited last week. But if you do not even have a third grade reading level, there are things such as literacy Austin and this contract with aisd to get you to that point. Unfortunately not everybody is entering the system at the same place. So there's folks to get you to third grade, to fifth grade and then there are things beyond that and then where all of the money is really going which is work source.
>> any more discussion? All in favor of the motion? Show Commissioners Gomez, Davis, Sonleitner, excuse me, yours truly voting in favor. Voting against Commissioner Daugherty.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 6:44 AM