2020 Annual Report

Johnny Baker, director of Gadsden State’s Adult Education Services, was appointed co-chairman of the local Complete Count Committee to bring awareness to the importance of completing the Census. 

“Completing the Census is so important to ensuring that our state and communities receive our fair share of funding,” he said. 

The Complete Count Committee worked with Gadsden State’s Public Relations and Marketing Department in publicizing the importance of the Census. 

“Census data drives funding that is used for assistance programs that support children, education, health care, rural development and more,” Baker said. 

A few of the programs in Alabama supported by federal dollars include school lunch programs, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Section 8 housing, community services block grants and dislocated worker grants. 

“If funding for those services and programs is not reallocated by the federal government, our local and state governments will have to find the money elsewhere or discontinue important programs,” he said. 

Posters, newspaper advertisements, digital posts, radio ads and press releases were produced to tout Census 2020. Yard signs were designed and posted throughout Gadsden State’s service area. The Teaching and Learning Center produced an awareness video encouraging students, faculty and staff to stand up and be counted. Awareness events were planned for April but were cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus. 

In October, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 99 percent of all housing units and addresses in the U.S. were accounted for through self-response and field data collection operations. Below are the self-response rates for the state and the counties in Gadsden State’s service area: 

• Alabama – 64.6% 
• Etowah County – 67.6% 
• Calhoun County – 65.6% 
• Cleburne County – 59.4% 
• Cherokee County – 47.1% 

Click here for more information about Census 2020.