OXFORD – Adult education officials say the Oxford Hills/Buckfield Adult Education program has seen a huge enrollment increase particularly in job-skills courses just as state and possibly federal program funds are being dramatically cut.

“We’re expanding job-skills courses as best we can, but funding is the issue,” said Jane Courcy, director of Oxford Hills/Buckfield Adult Education.

The local program has a $384,000 annual budget including a $117,000 state subsidy that targets GED and high school diploma classes, academic-skill classes rather than work-skills courses, which have seen an increase from 300 to about 400 people this year, Courcy said.

Enrollment overall echoes the statewide increase of 30 percent more than last year. Oxford Hills/Buckfield Adult Education enrollment has increased from 581 last year to 750 this year, many enrolling in the work-skills area and other classes that will enhance their job opportunities, Courcy said.

Note to Legislature

Now the program, which has eight staff people and 20 part-time teachers, is looking at not only state funding cuts, but possible federal cuts as well, said Cathy Newell, executive director of the Maine Adult Education Association in Greenwood.

In a letter dated Jan. 6 from Newell to the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, Newell asked lawmakers to consider reducing the $278,789 state cut in the supplemental budget to $98,000 to avoid what she called a “double cut” and to keep services available.

Newell said the state budget for adult education can only be reduced by $98,000 before it triggers a cut in federal funding because of maintenance of effort requirements. If the $278,789 curtailment to the adult education state subsidy stands, it would mean an additional cut of more than $229,229 for Maine Adult Education in federal funding. If the state reduces its cutback to $98,000 or less, there would be no curtailment in federal funding, she said.

“I’m feeling mildly hopeful the Legislature will help us,” Newell said Thursday.

Courcy said the local impact on budget cutbacks is hurting the areas in which they have seen an increased enrollment.

“We’ve seen a 57 percent (participation) increase in GED and diploma classes since last year and 50 percent in the job-skills classes. It’s big,” Courcy said.

Courcy said that as they interview incoming participants they are finding many people are enrolling in courses to find a way to improve their economic situation. “They are telling us they know they need to come back for refresher courses for job skills and for the GED and diploma in some cases.”

Courcy said that improving job skills is particularly important in the Oxford Hills area where hundreds of home manufacturing jobs have been lost in the past few years. Many people who sign up for adult education started working in home manufacturing right out of high school, so they are now seeing people in their 20s as well as in their 60s.

“It’s across the board,” she said.

Courcy added that by state statute, the program can’t charge for high school diploma and GED classes aside from a small fee for books and lab work. The rest of the money must come from the program’s overall budget.

Eight towns split the approximate $180,000 adult education cost from the local budget, she said.

“That shows our community really strongly supports adult education. We didn’t ask for additional revenue. We’re just trying to toe the line and do more with less,” Courcy said.

Enrollment is now open for the winter and spring courses. More information is available at www.maineadulted.org, Newell said.