Santa Maria Library - Governor’s budget plan putting literacy on the line

Governor’s budget plan putting literacy on the line
Santa Maria Times: February 10, 2011 by Brian Bullock

When Eduardo Leyva moved to Santa Maria from Guadalajara a year and a half ago, he had never heard of Gov. Jerry Brown. But now he has a message for the newly elected governor: “Leave library programs alone.”

The governor’s 2011-12 budget proposal could completely eliminate state spending on public libraries, which could eliminate adult literacy programs.

Leyva, 25, is just one example of how such programs improve the lives of its residents.

When he arrived in town, the ambitious Leyva found a job washing dishes at a local restaurant, but he wanted more. He wanted to become a server at the restaurant, but his English wasn’t good enough to get him the job.

So Leyva went to the Central Coast Literacy Council, which provides tutoring services at the Santa Maria Public Library and several other study centers around the valley. Since then, he has worked two days a week with tutor Debbi Barclay to smooth out his rough, choppy English.

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According to the California Library Association, Leyva is one of more than 20,000 adults who participate in similar programs throughout the state. They are new immigrants or people who never finished their education.

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), last conducted in 2003, claims there are 11 million adults in the country who aren’t literate.

In that assessment, 22 percent of adults in Santa Barbara County were classified as below basic, meaning they could not perform such simple tasks as signing a form or adding numbers on a bank deposit slip.

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Leyva’s success is the perfect example of that. Emboldened by his success in the program, Leyva joined thousands of students across the state in writing letters to the governor supporting adult literacy programs, something he would have never considered before working with Barclay.

Now that Leyva has achieved his first goal of becoming a server, his next is to help others.

“We feel very happy having this kind of program here,” he said. “Next I want to become a tutor, like Debbi, helping people who need a little hand. I remember that once I was one of those people who needed help.” READ MORE !