Since nobody has mentioned it: Vote Yes on 92!

[Xithras]

The disinformation about this proposition is ridiculous, and the arguments against it are based on the fact that the average person doesn't know how our educational system works.

Fact: Prop 98, which we passed to improve school funding in this state, guaranteed minimum funding levels for K-14 education. People seem to have forgotten that, not all that long ago, community colleges in this state were completely free and were simply looked upon as the next step in public education after high school. Prop 98 recognized that fact and redefined "public education" as K-14, not K-12. Prop 98 guarantees all K-14 education a minimum amount of funding, which is then divided into two chunks. The Prop 98 budget numbers are based on the amount of taxes taken in AND the number of students enrolled in K-12.

Community colleges, since they're legally considered to be public education, can't turn anyone away. They serve 2.5 million people in this state, and yet they still only get a small portion of the Prop 98 funds, which itself is based on K-12 attendance and not CC attendance. The CC's are legally required to serve every graduating K-12 student, and yet only receive a fraction of the per-pupil spending that goes into K-12. Their 2.5 million students dwarf the roughly 500,000 enrolled in the UC's and CSU's, and yet again, their per student spending is only a fraction of that sent to the universities. Every year hundreds of thousands of students drop out of the CC's NOT because they're too expensive, but because there isn't enough classroom space and aren't enough classes offered. I know an instructor right now who teaches 55 students a section in a classroom originally built for 25 students. He's teaching SIX sections this semester. And you thought K-12 teachers had it bad...imagine grading 990 homework assignments a week. With such poor funding, the Community Colleges can't afford to pay instructors at levels that compare with the CSU's, UC's, and private colleges and universities in this state. The average K-12 teacher makes more than a CC teacher with a larger workload. This makes hiring difficult, retaining instructors harder, and reduces the number of classes offered. That's pretty shoddy for a system that was originally intended to provide a gateway to higher education and job skills to every Californian at no charge.

Prop 92, in spite of the misleading ad's against it, really only makes one change. It uncouples the community colleges from K-12 enrollment and instead simply bases it on the number of adults under the age of 25 (its potential student body). It also increases funding when the states unemployment numbers go up so that colleges can offer additional courses to accommodate adult re-entry students (which again, it's legally required to accept).

Is it expensive? Yes, but I have been shocked at the venom spread its way by supposedly liberal groups like the K-12 teachers unions. They allege that it will hurt "public education", while ignoring the fact that the CC's ARE public education and that they've been hurting for a long time. I fully expected to see business groups and tax groups oppose it because they oppose ALL educational spending and want to see our higher ed system privatized, but the reaction and turf-covering from other educational groups has been shocking. The California Community Colleges are the most open, liberal educational institutions in the nation. They accept anyone willing to enter. No entrance tests, no SAT's, no minimum requirements. You simply need a desire to better yourself. They were designed as the ultimate incarnation of the concept of open, public higher education and should be supported by ANYONE who considers themselves a liberal.

The CC's have received the short end of the funding stick ever since Prop 98 coupled them to the K-12 schools. 92 is a chance to fix that. It does not remove funding from K-12, but instead simply says that CC funding is no longer based on K-12 enrollment. Since only a part of the CC student body comes from the K-12 schools, this change is equitable and fair.

[Kajsa]

1. A 'Yes' vote from me

coming up within the hour.

Community colleges have been the step child
of public education for too long!

I received a great education at Santa Monica College,
back in the early 70's.

The classes were small, the instruction was one on one
( no publish or perish here!) and I could AFFORD IT!

I'm heading to my polling place shortly.

:)

92- Yes