Adult-education program sees minor subsidy drop; staffing and catalog changes planned

Adult Education Director Josh Farr told the board his program expects a slight reduction in state subsidy—"not a huge fluctuation, $2,000"—which is close to the amount the program is requesting in additional local funding. Farr said the program will use unallocated funds from prior years for some items and adjust staffing by reducing one full-time administrative assistant to 0.5 time and increasing instructor hours.

Farr said the program will also invest in small software subscriptions (email and graphic tools) to support communications and catalog production; this year the program will produce three smaller catalogs instead of two. HiSET graduation levels remain steady, with Farr estimating about eight to 11 graduates in a typical year. Board members asked how unallocated funds are used and whether the program would request local funding later; Farr said they keep unallocated funds for occasional needs such as renovations or painting at adult-education facilities and will budget conservatively.

The board did not vote on adult-education funding at this meeting; Farr’s presentation framed modest adjustments intended to maintain program services with minimal new local funding.