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Marisol Valdez can read English and write English, but she still can’t speak it. She has trouble with pronunciation. The mother of two came from Mexico City 15 years ago and lived in Grand Rapids until a year ago, when she moved to Holland.

She’s taking English as a second language classes to help her overcome the language obstacles she faces at her job, her children’s school and even at the grocery store. States are slashing budgets for adult literacy classes — an important lifeline in immigrant communities. Local agencies providing adult language classes say they feel the economic pinch but are still functioning and plan to offer classes in the summer and fall. Many groups are compensating during these tough economic times.