CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Garcia Arts and Education Center, a vital resource for the West Side community, has put a pause on its GED program due to significant funding cuts from state and federal sources.
Dr. Jose Cervantes, field service agent with Crossroads Education Service Center 2, explained the dramatic reduction in funding that led to this decision.
"We were receiving $2.5 million and last year it went down to $1.1 million and this year we're at less than $600,000 so you could see the drastic cuts that the state and federal government has given us," Cervantes said.
The GED program has been operating since 2019 and has served as a crucial educational resource for Coastal Bend residents. Last year alone, the program helped 900 students pursue their educational goals.
The need for adult education programs extends far beyond the local community. According to Literacy Texas, 4.8 million Texans are in need of adult education programs, yet federal funds serve only about 3% of that need.
Cervantes emphasized that other agencies are facing similar challenges with funding reductions.
"We're not the only agency out there that have received bad news as far as the reduction in funding. We're there for them and anything they need, we'll work with them," Cervantes said.
I reached out to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, which provided a statement saying they hope the program will continue in the future.
Meanwhile, Cervantes says they are in talks with the Garcia Center to explore other ways to continue serving the West Side community. Along funding, he also emphasizes a need for a math instructor.
"Our classes are growing so that's if there was one thing that I could say that we would that would really help our program right now is if we could find that one instructor," he said.
To help with the search of a math instructor or to find other GED classes in the community, go here.
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