Challenges facing the L.A.C.C.D.

By Mark Gonzaga

My interpretation of the facts

The community colleges are losing 10.3% of their budget and they haven't received their fair shair of Proposition 98 funding. The Los Angeles Community Colleges already have a chronic under funding factor. The budget cuts will further devastate students and staff.

The community colleges employ 70,000 people statewide adding 3 billion to the California economy. As the Los Angeles Community Colleges represent 11.7% of the total community college system which is 128,013 full equivalent students (FES) in LA compared to 1,094,006 FES statewide, a 10.3% cut means a loss of 844 jobs in LA County (7,210 jobs statewide) and $36,153,000 in our economy ($309,000,000 statewide).

Finally, Proposition 98 funds for the Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act was passed by voters to ensure the community colleges receive 11% of the money spent on education but the colleges have been routinely denied their fair share of Proposition 98 funds by a funding formula and legislature. In the last ten years, except for the years 1990 to 1991, California community colleges have been under funded by 2.7 billion under Proposition 98. The community colleges will lose 1,500 students this fall as a result of the budget cuts and the misappropriation of Proposition 98 funds.