GILROY
– New data shows Gavilan College is not alone in its struggle to
enroll more students and avoid cutting classes during tough
economic times.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – New data shows Gavilan College is not alone in its struggle to enroll more students and avoid cutting classes during tough economic times.
According to California Community Colleges Chancellor Thomas J. Nussbaum, student enrollment and course offerings declined for the second straight semester at community colleges across the state.
“This is not good for the state of California,” Nussbaum said. “Access to the community college system is absolutely essential to keep California working. After 15 continuous semesters of growth, these two consecutive declines clearly establish the connection between the loss in funding and a loss in access.”
Statewide, colleges reported a more than 5 percent decrease in enrollment from last fall to this fall, representing an estimated 90,000 students.
Enrollment at Gavilan has declined 10 percent, a total of about 40 full-time students, since last fall, said Marty Johnson, vice president of instructional services.
To keep students enrolling in higher education during a period of education cutbacks, representatives of the state’s 108-campus community college system are calling on state Legislators and Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger to provide funding promised by the state constitution.
Community colleges should receive nearly 11 percent of education funds, as stated by Proposition 98, a provision in the Education Code that sets minimum public school funding levels for kindergarten through community college. A loophole in the wording of Proposition 98 has allowed the government to shortchange colleges for years, said Aiden Ely, interim public information officer for the chancellor’s office.
“Other than one year since Proposition 98 passed, we’ve never … gotten full funding,” Ely said.
In the state’s 2003-04 budget, community colleges were shortchanged nearly $700 million as Proposition 98 funding fell to record-low levels, Ely said. Gavilan College could have received an estimated $2 million.
Because 90,000 students were turned away from the state’s community colleges this spring, either due to increased enrollment fees or fewer class sections, the chancellor’s office predicts that enrollment this fall decreased by 175,000 students. When community college enrollment falls, campuses receive less money in later semesters.
“We have already seen the impact of last year’s budget reductions on our course offerings and the subsequent loss of access for 90,000 students,” Nussbaum said. “It’s wrong for these students and it’s wrong for California if the state abandons its long-standing promise that its people will have access to higher education.”
Gavilan College lost 523 interested students this fall because it could not find room in available courses.
“Every student we turn away represents a lost opportunity and a broken promise to the people of California,” Nussbaum said. “The community college system is ready, willing and able to fuel California’s recovery by helping every motivated person gain the education and skills they need to be as productive as they can be. But we can only accomplish that if we are given the resources to hire the faculty and provide the services students need.”
