For years, we here at the paper, as well as countless students, faculty, and administrators have lamented that Cerritos College has been getting the proverbial short end of the stick. On the ballot this March, however, is a proposition that may allow the community to take the future of its college into its own hands.

This gleaming ray of hope for our beloved institution has come in the form of a General Obligation Bond Measure. Basically, this entails 210 million dollars in bonds to be given to Cerritos College for the purposes of repairs, upgrades, equipment, parking, to pay off existing debt (for the science building, for instance), and more.

The money to pay for the bond will be drawn from the property taxes of only the taxpayers living within the Cerritos College District.

Furthermore, it is dog-eared specifically for one-time improvement expenses, and cannot be used for continual expenses, such as paying salaries.

Opponents of the measure will argue that this is simply not a good time. With the economic problems this state is facing already, who wants to add to the mess by funding Community College, right? We do.

While we concede that no one likes to be parted from their hard-earned dollar, one could look long and hard to find a more worthy recipient.

While one could easily argue that Cerritos should be granted the G.O. Bond solely on the basis of need, as evidence of necessary repairs is prevalent, bringing buildings up to current earthquake codes for instance, perhaps more important to emphasize is this college’s relationship with the community.

Cerritos College is an investment. It serves the surrounding community by providing affordable, quality college education to virtually anyone who wishes to take advantage of it. It prepares individuals to gain productive employment, and enables people to transfer to four-year schools who otherwise never would have attended.

In short, Cerritos College betters the surrounding area, and therefore deserves our attention come the March ballot. The actual increase in your property tax will likely be noticeable but negligible, and the benefits of a 210 million dollar G.O. Bond for the school is astronomical.

We, the Editorial Board, strongly encourage all residence within the Cerritos College School District to vote in favor of the G.O. Bond. Whether your interests lie here at Cerritos, or in the neighboring communities, it is a smart investment that will not go to waste