California community colleges’ per unit fee will be rising $10, moving the fees to $36 starting July 1 to help the 112-school system offset budget reductions.
“It is about time they raise the fees, [students] can’t expect fees to stay low in such a tough time,” undecided major Angelica Achondo said. “I just wish they would raise them enough so I can actually get the classes I need.”
The probability of fees going even higher before the next school year is a real one, according to Cerritos College President Linda Lacy. “I would say it is about a 50 percent chance that there will be more increases before next year.”
Currently, 32 percent of students at Cerritos pay for their classes and will actually feel the increase.
“If a fee increase means students can get more classes, I am for it. Maybe raising fees would qualify more students for financial aid,” business major David Davila said.
Cerritos College President Linda Lacy stresses the importance of students valuing classes they get into and believes student success will aid the situation. “Seats are very valuable now; once [students] get that important class, they should take advantage of it and pass the class, not drop it. When you drop a class, another student lost the opportunity.”
Political science major Jasmin Ramirez said, ” I think it’s sad that students drop their classes, but at the same time, students are learning to value their education. It is just sad that it had to come to this.”
The $10 rise in fees is estimated to reduce budget reductions by $110 million statewide and in turn allow 50,000 students to attend one of the 112 California community colleges.
After breakdowns of budget talks in Sacramento, the original expectation of reducing the California community colleges’ funding by $400 million has now become a best-case scenario that Lacy said “is not going to happen.”
New predicted figures reach as high as $800 million, leaving the colleges to absorb the reduction in the coming school year.
As of right now, Cerritos College is planning on following the plan for a $620 million reduction to the California community college system. This will leave Cerritos to implement reductions to its budget by $7,445,000 next year.
These figures will result in the loss of 550 course offerings and 3,434 students, or 1,651 full-time equivalent students. However, Cerritos plans on dipping into saved funds to limit the reduction of full-time equivalent students to 1,500.
Facing a state-funding cut of up to 10 percent, California’s community colleges will enroll 400,000 fewer students next fall and slash thousands of classes to contend with budget shortcomings.
California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott said in a statement, “This is a tremendous tragedy, and a very deep blow to the economy of California.”
He described the budget cuts as setting off a chain reaction throughout the California higher education system.
“Students seeking to transfer to Cal State and the University of California will be denied access, those students unable to get into Cal State and UC and who desperately need to get into a community college will be denied, as well as those who are out of work and are coming to us for retraining,” he said.
Compared to other schools, Lacy believes that Cerritos is handling the tough situation well.
Long Beach City College is expected to lose at least 30 staff positions. “Maintaining jobs is the most important thing. If you rip away those people, you rip away students’ education and that is the absolute last resort,” Lacy said.
With a stalemate in Sacramento, colleges in California are still unsure what they are facing. One thing is sure: the longer the wait, the more colleges will be asked to carry the load.
Scott said, “We will do the best we can, but we will not be serving the needs of students or meeting our education goals.”
Students that benefit from priority enrollment and fee waivers may not feel the effects, but for students like Anchondo, time may be running out.
