California Budget Crisis Slams Community Colleges
Each day the news media bombards us with dire
financial news, on both the state and national levels.
Its toll on our educational system continues to unfold,
but it is clear that the impact will be significant. The
current California budget crisis is having a profound
effect on planning and programming at both the community
college and the university level. Unfortunately, Santa
Ana College is not immune to the crisis.
On December 3, the Associated Press observed, “As
public colleges grapple with reductions in state
funding, the prospect of reduced access to higher
education is looking more likely. The mammoth California
State University system, with 450,000 students has
announced plans to reduce its head count by up to 10,000
students for the next school year. The University of
California system has warned of a similar reduction.” It
continued to speculate that tuition increases are also
on the drawing board. “Together the pressures are
threatening to restrict access to higher education at a
time when the economic crisis is driving more Americans
to seek new degrees or additional training, a common
reaction in a downturn.”
“Everybody is worried,” observed Santa Ana College
(SAC) President Erlinda Martinez, in a December 7 Orange
County Register story. “The uncertainty is palpable
across the campus.” The matriculation policy at Santa
Ana College has always been to stretch its capacity to
welcome as many students as possible, with or without
state reimbursement which allows for 1% growth. Last
year SAC’s growth was significantly higher, according
the Vice President of Academic Affairs Norm Fujimoto.
“This year we can no longer accommodate unfunded
students,” he said, “and the school had to make the
uncomfortable decision to cancel its popular
intersession classes, which many students relied upon to
pick up a needed requirement for graduation.” Student
body president Alex Flores says that this will force
many students to stay in school an additional quarter in
order to earn their degrees.
Fujimoto pointed to other cost-saving measures SAC is
turning to. Cutting back on supplies, not replacing
equipment, reducing the number of classes, cutting 10%
of the spring schedule and reducing the use of part-time
instructors are some of the strategies the school is
putting into play. The impact on students and faculty
will be profound, he projects. Full-time students won’t
be able to get the number of hours or the classes that
they need, because they will be full. The variety of
classes offered will diminish. Full-time teachers will
not be allowed to teach additional classes for extra
compensation.
Flores says that the proposed tuition increase from
$20 per unit to $26 or $30 will present a hardship to
many students. Also, the reduction in the number of
classes will keep students in school longer and will not
allow them the luxury of exploring new subjects—perhaps
finding that surprise, ideal career fit. They will need
to approach their education in a much focused, planned
manner.
“We’re trained as educators, and that is where our
hearts and passion are,” says Fujimoto, “but we now have
to make very challenging business decisions. Everyone is
discouraged, but trying to stay positive. I’m proud of
our faculty and staff. People are taking on extra jobs,
trying to make this situation work for our students.”
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