STATEHOUSE (Sept. 2) - Members of the Interim Study Committee on Education will begin analyzing Indiana's adult education programs, including accessibility, funding and enrollment on Thursday, Sept. 3, State Sen. Carlin Yoder (R-Middlebury) said.

Thursday's meeting will be at 1 p.m. in Room 233 of the Statehouse, said Yoder, a member of the study panel.

"Indiana's adult education programs help to retrain Hoosiers and better prepare them for the workforce," Yoder said. "This bipartisan committee is tasked with reviewing the state's current adult education system and gathering information on how to properly provide accessibility, address funding and enact fair enrollment practices."

According to the Indiana Institute for Working Families, nearly 40,000 adults attend federal and state-funded education programs every year in Indiana, yet more than 500,000 adult Hoosiers lack a high school diploma.

"Although many counties in the state currently provide adult education resources, there is a growing demand for these programs," Yoder said. "In this economy, more Hoosiers are discovering that they need a high school diploma to be competitive in the workforce."

Yoder, a school administrator, said lawmakers will be evaluating the Indiana Adult Education Funding Formula and addressing the financial strains placed on programs meeting the needs of students living outside the county in which the provider operates.

"While state funding has been maintained, federal funding has decreased slightly over the past ten years," Yoder said. "Supporting these programs is an investment because better educated adults who have access to higher paying jobs can contribute more to the economy and expand the tax base. I am dedicated to improving Indiana's adult education system in order to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled workers."

To watch proceedings online, visit http://mediaserver.ihets.org/senate233 .

Sen. Yoder represents Senate District 12, which includes portions of Elkhart County.

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