Community colleges, like all other California public school
systems, are haunted by the same somber spectre: Gov. Gray Davis
and his red pen. Like the University of California, they are not
immune to massive state budget cuts; they are suffering some of the
worst.
Now Los Angeles voters have the opportunity to stall this
deterioration ““ and maybe even help reverse it ““ by
passing a proposition that would charge homeowners $11.45 per
$100,000 of their property’s value.
Though the money would not directly fund operational costs such
as teachers’ salaries, it would go toward tangible
improvements such as remodeling and building new classrooms,
upgrading laboratories, installing technology centers and buying
new computers. A productive educational environment is, after all,
necessary for teaching to succeed.
Bringing technology to Los Angeles classrooms is important in
our heavily wired society. Jobs ranging from police work to nursing
increasingly demand technologically savvy employees. Los Angeles
students deserve to learn the essential skills for these jobs by
having the necessary technology in their learning environment.
Critics of the bond question why Proposition AA is needed when a
similar measure, Proposition A, was passed in 2001, providing over
a billion dollars for similar facilities reparation. Their concerns
are misplaced, though. Unlike Proposition A, which was largely
designed to fund urgently needed repairs, Proposition AA is
designed not only to improve community college campuses, but also
to help them expand because the system is growing (by about 14
percent in just the last two years). Proposition AA advocates hope
to make Los Angeles’ community colleges excellent, rather
than just borderline acceptable.
Community colleges are important institutions in our city. They
can give students who performed poorly in high school a second
chance at academics and a career. Moreover, with rising fees, more
students ““ from those from low income communities to those
with middle class backgrounds ““ will be unable to afford four
years at a UC school. Many may choose to attend a community college
with the goal of transferring to a UC after two years, because
it’s more fiscally sound for their families during this bad
economy.
Fifty years ago, when many of the current community college
facilities were built, a high school education was adequate for a
vast range of jobs. Today, partly because of the poor condition of
the K-12 system in California, a high school diploma is nearly
worthless. Community colleges help fill the crucial gap between
nominally unskilled workers and those who have marketable,
middle-income jobs.
Young people are not the only ones to utilize the community
college system. Teachers, city workers and various professionals
turn to local colleges for adult education and refresher courses
““ in general, community colleges increase the level of
education in the city. A more educated populace is always a good
thing.
As the population of California grows, state and city
governments must keep up. Delaying necessary improvements and
expansion, especially in the area of education, will only defer
costs rather than erase problems. The bond method of taxation is
fair: those with the least income pay lower homeowner fees, and
thus lower amounts for the bond measures. Those with the most
““ that is, those who can afford it ““ pay higher fees.
Critics who say community colleges should spend the Proposition A
money before receiving more funds completely ignore the
embarrassing, dilapidated condition of the state’s
educational system. Every penny has a home in California’s
schools.