ACE committee touts marketing‑driven enrollment gains and urges funding to meet demand for apprenticeships and workforce training

Colleen Hauser, chair of the Community Education/Adult & Community Education (ACE) committee, presented ACE’s FY25 report and urged the board to view adult education as core infrastructure for county economic mobility.

Hauser summarized ACE’s program lines — workforce development, adult high‑school/GED pathways and community lifelong learning — and highlighted an independent economic impact estimate the committee commissioned. The report cited an estimated local return of about "$3.10 to an estimated local economic activity for every dollar invested," an analysis the committee used to justify investment and outreach expansion.

Marketing subcommittee chair Aliah credited new, targeted outreach channels — notably the division’s student information system and school newsletters — with reaching more than 45,000 English‑language‑learning households and driving immediate spikes in website traffic and low‑cost enrollment. “Every posting produced a spike in direct enrollment,” the committee reported.

Staff told the board tuition revenue and enrollment rose year‑over‑year, but so did costs: recent contract wage and benefit increases have tightened margins. Committee recommendations to the board included exploring collection of additional employment/wage data (to better quantify long‑term economic impact), continued investment in communications and marketing staff, pursuing state workforce development grants and directing a sustainability review to evaluate ACE’s mix of workforce versus community‑oriented offerings.

Board members asked when ACE could be self‑sustaining, how ACE would recruit instructors for hands‑on CTE/apprenticeship offerings, and whether facility space limits (for welding, HVAC, other shop classes) restrict growth. Staff said many ACE classes require specialized facilities and that instructor availability is the primary near‑term constraint; they also noted apprenticeship programs already obtain employer support in many cases and that ACE is pursuing grant opportunities and employer partnerships to scale capacity.

ACE agreed to share visual summaries and marketing assets for board communications and to continue follow‑up on legislative asks, partnerships and space strategies as the program pursues sustainable growth.