Thursday, November 19, 2009

COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO GET BACK TO BASICS

KCBS’ (SF Bay Area) Barbara Taylor Reports:

 

18 Nov 2009 -- SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)  -- With an expanded enrollment and funds decreasing, the Chancellor of California's community college system is calling for changes.

Student enrollment grew over 3 percent this year with almost 1.9 million students enrolled this fall.

The increase came as the state cut community college funding by 8 percent.

Because of this, Chancellor Jack Scott is recommending that the state's 110 community colleges get rid of classes that don't fulfill the core mission of offering transfer classes, career technical programs and basic skills.

"It doesn't help to just moan and complain. We have to pick ourselves up and we have to say okay, we're going to prioritize," Scott said.

Scott said 95 percent of the classes were full this year and some students gave up and left when they realized they couldn't get the classes they needed.

"A class that maybe had 25 in it and had a capacity of 30 is now at 30 with 5 people standing in the doorway," said Scott.

Other ideas floated by the chancellor include fundraising, renting out unused space on campuses and consolidating assessment testing for transfer students.

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