View: Senior Classes in El Cerrito Threatened

The Older Adult program funded by the West Contra Costa Unified School District Adult Education program is in serious jeopardy. It includes three long-standing, vital programs in El Cerrito, and the City Council joint meeting with the WCCUSD Board of Education Tuesday (tonight, April 3) presents a great opportunity to speak out to keep senior programs going. The meeting at City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, begins at 7 p.m., with time allotted for three-minute public comments following Board President Charles Ramsey’s report.

Nonprofit programs directed by District faculty serve nearly 200 El Cerrito seniors at three locations: Christ Lutheran Church Senior Center on Mondays; St. John the Baptist Church Senior Center on Tuesdays; and El Cerrito Senior Center, for Japanese-speaking seniors, two Saturdays each month.

West Contra Costa’s adult school has seen its money halved in the three years since the state legislature changed adult education funding to allow school districts to take money previously paid directly to adult schools. Through constant presence at school board meetings, Communities Organized to Save Adult School (COSAS), an ad-hoc organization of students, teachers and community partners, has worked to save the program. In the meantime, adult schools up and down the state have closed their doors.

Adult school classes for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities have been hit particularly hard by the budget crisis. Many Bay Area adult schools have eliminated their Older Adult and Adults with Disabilities departments completely, while they have only reduced other programs. A state Strategic Plan for Adult Education, still under revision, may have influenced the decision to close Older Adult programs. While the plan does not specifically call for the elimination of Older Adult programs, it appears to limit the focus of adult education to job training and preparation to enter higher education.

Tuesday night’s Council meeting is another chance to underscore the value of the adult school’s Older Adult program. Its impact is disproportionately great in El Cerrito: Nearly 18% of El Cerrito residents are 65 and older, a greater percentage than any surrounding community except Kensington.

The Older Adult program helps participating seniors stay involved, stimulated, and engaged. Many feel that the classes improve their physical health; moreover, their minds stay active and sharp, and they have an outlet to give back to the community.

During German class at Christ Lutheran on Monday, Susan Messina explained, “We’re taking on something to keep our brains active. It’s why I take this class.” “We come with canes, we come with walkers, but we come,” Spanish class student Florence Brown added. “We feel we’re in the ‘in’ group.”

Barbara Schaeffer, wife of former pastor Marty Schaeffer, who launched the church’s seniors program 35 years ago, noted, “The idea is to get seniors out with other people. It’s about keeping you in the community.”

“It’s the company,” confirmed Renate Valencia, who had just walked two miles from Albany’s senior center for the German class and boasted of her commitment to fitness. “This center is free of charge,” observed Sylvia Gott, the volunteer German teacher. “The only person compensated is the director, Carol.” Carol Kehoe, a district teacher for 20 years, has served as Christ Lutheran program coordinator for 14 years.

Most importantly, senior centers provide a sanctuary where they can avoid isolation and loneliness: A woman in her 90s at the St. John the Baptist Senior Center once remarked to Director Jan Duckart, “This is the only place I belong anymore.”
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For more information, contact Marjorie Fujioka (mfujioka@ix.netcom.com), or Kimi Honda (kiakiho@yahoo.com).

Janet Scoll Johnson lives in the Richmond Annex and teaches ESL and pronunciation in the West Contra Costa Adult Education program.

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