Two-dozen community colleges are in danger of closing down because those campuses were not accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
The accreditation is developed to evaluate overall educational quality and institutional effectiveness.
Lucky for us, Delta College is not part of the two dozen community colleges in which the accreditation is looking at for potentially closing down.
On the other hand, our neighbors at other community colleges such as Modesto, San Jose, Oakland and Merced just to name a few, have been added to the warning list.
Why are these colleges all in danger?
Many students at Delta College have seen, heard, felt and even experienced major changes in order to stay in school.
Students working two jobs to pay for education, having to wait another semester for an English class that was too full, or even worse, dropping out of college because one simply can’t afford a higher education.
State funding for community colleges has dropped 12 percent in the last couple of years according to Jack Scott, state senator who retired this week after three years as chancellor of California’s community college system.
New academic standards were put in place prior to the drastic cutbacks, meaning campuses are required to now do more with less money.
An extra seven percent will fall in funding if voters for the 2012 ballots do not vote for higher taxes in Proposition 30 which is said to help schools in providing more funding.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax measure, Proposition 30, would increase California’s sales tax by one-quarter of a cent for four years and an increase in state income tax on taxpayers who earn more than $250,000 a year for the next seven years.
It’s no surprise that our state is suffering financially, more importantly our schools.
Voting for Proposition 30 sounds like the right thing to do.
Lack of funding only leads to a lack of schools, no schools, no students, and no degrees.
An opportunity for a brighter future is now lost.
Here at Delta College, summer school for 2013 has already said to be cut, while tuition fees, parking permits and books prices have gone up.
The Accrediting Commissions have set high standards for students who attend community colleges in order to not fall into the “warning” list. But meeting these standards is unreasonable if the money isn’t there to make it happen.
It is now every student’s responsibility to make decisions towards the future of education in order to keep community colleges alive.
