Winter session 2013 was saved from the chopping block, but the board of trustees eliminated winter session 2014 last week due to state budget cuts that have created uncertainty about the college’s future funding.
During a 4.5 hour meeting, the board heard from students and faculty who urged that the 2013 and 2014 winter sessions continue.
“By maintaining winter session in both 2013 and 2014, the board would be issuing its support for one cost-neutral way for EC to better serve its current students,” Academic Senate President Christina Gold said.
“Winter session allows for quicker student pathways to completion, thereby, opening up spaces for new students and helping the campus begin to work towards the vision created by student task force recommendations,” Gold added.
Yet President Tom Fallo said that the state’s current budget crisis has forced the college to take severe funding cuts; these cuts could continue for the foreseeable future.
He said that during the current calendar year, the college has lost $10 million from the state, or 10 percent of EC’s overall budget. In addition, just last month, the college took an unanticipated cut of $2.6 million from the state.
“My major concern is not putting the district in a position of uncertain times,” Fallo said. “It is clear the state budget situation has deteriorated and we heard that there is a possibility of another cut.”
Students like Whitney Blakeman, 19, undeclared major, attended the meeting to express her concern about winter session. She led a group of OccupyECC students who said that they were upset with public education being neglected due to what they believe is greed from corporate America.
“We will not ignore the blatant disregard for student welfare, the trembling of teachers, the corporate coup d’état and the attack on public education by corporate America,” Blakeman said.
Jo Ann Higdon, vice president of administrative services, said that the state’s budget crisis is not yet over, so there is still a possibility of more financial cuts later this year.
Gov. Jerry Brown is preparing a measure for the November ballot that would help provide a stable source of funding for the state and potentially end California’s continual budget woes. In its current form, this ballot proposal would raise the state sales tax slightly as well as raise taxes for California’s wealthiest taxpayers to provide additional state revenue.
If voters fail to pass these proposals, the community college system, as well as the entire state educational system, would likely be facing more budget cuts.
“If the tax increases don’t pass, we are then looking at a minimum of another $7 million hit,” Higdon said.
Despite the fact that winter session has the highest student success rate of any other sessions, the state’s looming fiscal crisis had board members concerned about the college’s overall budget health.
“Thanks to the students who do understand that our funding comes from the state of California and we are getting $10 million less than we got last year, so that’s why we have to face some of these difficulties,” William Beverly, board president, said.
All things considered, the board did the best it could in retaining the 2013 session, Joshua Casper, student board member, said.
“I think we as the board did our very best to be fair,” Casper said. “We really don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think we did the best we could to hear all the concerns of the students, faculty and staff.”
Fallo recommended that the board eliminate the 2013 winter session, move the start of spring semester to mid-January 2013 and then offer back-to-back summer sessions.
