Administrators are in the midst of preparing a contingency plan involving section cuts should Proposition 30 fail to pass this November, Board of Trustees member Ray Gen said.
Proposition 30 proposes raising money for California by increasing sales taxes and taxes on high-income groups. If it does not pass, the state will instead cut spending on primarily educational programs, such as the community college system. This would mean a $7.3 million budget cut for El Camino.
“Sections will be cut from both winter and spring sessions,” Gen said, “but we’re trying to be as fair as possible.”
Because it is yet unknown if Proposition 30 will pass, there is no exact plan that dictates which sections will be cut. “It’s a wait-and-see situation right now,” Vice President of Student and Community Advancement Jeanie Nishime said.
While students will have to wait until after the election to find out what will be cut, those relying on the winter session should be aware that “there are 80 classes in winter, and the last number I heard is that we would need to cut around 50 courses,” Gen said.
“The strategy is to try and protect the spring offerings as much as possible,” Gen said, “though it won’t be centered in one particular area.”
Both Gen and Nishime mentioned the administration’s consideration that many students may be relying on certain classes to transfer or graduate. However, students should be aware of the tenuous status of both part-time classes and classes that don’t count for transferrable credits.
“The cuts would be coming from part-time areas, full time faculty won’t be affected at all,” Nishime said.
“Classes that don’t transfer directly are going to take the brunt of it,” Gen added, “I really feel for students who want to take classes for fun.”
Despite the fact that much of the decision making process has been put on hold until after the vote on Nov. 6, students do not have to resign themselves to anticipating section cuts in their spring registration or transfer plans.
“As much as it doesn’t seem like your voice matters, it does,” Associated Student Organization President, Brooke Matson, said.
