BUSINESS JOURNAL EVENT

2008 Health Care Conference: Frontiers of Health Care

Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa, Santa Rosa

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California’s 2-year colleges deserve funding they can rely on

It was only a matter of time before one group that managed to secure guaranteed levels of state funding would try to keep others from doing the same.

That is precisely what is happening to Proposition 92, the community college funding measure on the Feb. 5 ballot. The California Teachers Association is opposing Proposition 92 because it fears it might take away funding for K-12 education protected by law.

This is an unfortunate row given that the financial stability and affordability of the state’s community colleges will be especially critical to the state’s economy in the coming decades.

Proposition 92 would set minimum funding levels for community colleges and lower student fees from $20 to $15 a unit. For the North Bay, the region’s three community colleges would receive about $10 million in additional funding under the measure.

Supermajorities in the Legislature would be required to change funding levels. That’s protection from the kinds of meddling that sent student fees up and enrollment down in the state budget battle of 2003-2004.

Now, $15 a unit may not sound like much. But for a full-time student, add in fees and books and he or she is still looking at $500 a semester.

And while the state’s two university systems – which also are opposing Proposition 92 – play a vital role in the California economy and quality of life, community colleges provide the most affordable access to college and mid-career education.

This access is particularly important for the economic future of the state’s growing Latino population.

Study after study has found that California will require more and more college graduates if the state is to sustain one of the world’s largest and most prosperous economies.

Today, according to a study by the Campaign for College Opportunity, one in four jobs in California requires a college degree. In 2022, it will be one in three. At its current level, college enrollment will not meet that demand.

A yes vote on Proposition 92 will help ensure that it does meet that demand.