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RESOLUTION NO. 2007 172 R A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS, SUPPORTING LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO INCREASE THE APPROPRIATION OF STATE GENERAL REVENUE FOR ADULT EDUCATION WHEREAS twenty percent of Americans are considered to be literacy deficient and one in ten adults are non-literate in English; and, WHEREAS the City Council of San Marcos, Texas finds that universal English literacy for all residents regardless of age, ethnicity, native language, or level of formal education is desirable and attainable; and WHEREAS a literate populace is necessary for economic and workforce development, civic engagement, healthy families, and overall quality of civic life; and WHEREAS 119,000 young Texans drop out of school annually and the 2007 class of high school dropouts cost taxpayers $377 million this year and every year after; and WHEREAS during the time from 1984 through 2004 reading scores among teenagers remained flat; and, WHEREAS on in four adults in Texas reads below the fifth grade level; and WHEREAS, Texas is last in state literacy levels; and, WHEREAS three in ten Texans speak a language other than English; and WHEREAS Texas ranks last in the amount of money spent in remediation; and, WHEREAS Texas matches the federal government's investment in adult literacy education at the lowest permissible rate of 25% ($15,427,628) and that less than half of that amount ($6,886,000) is actual state general revenue dollars NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS: PART 1. The City Council supports legislative action that would result in tripling the appropriation of State General Revenue for adult literacy education from just under $7 million per year to $21 million per year. PART 2. This Resolution is in full force and effect from and after its passage.