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Proposed bill allowing community colleges to create extension programs can help ease the burden of budget cuts

By Kunal Patel

May 31, 2012 12:31 a.m.

Solutions to alleviate the effects of higher education cuts are a hot commodity for California lawmakers and college officials.

But as seen in higher education protests in all of California’s public education systems, it is sufficient to say that many of the proposed higher education solutions toward budget deficits have not been popular among students.

Unconventional solutions being introduced by policymakers that alleviate some of the effects of higher education cuts should be supported even if the benefits are minimal.

A bill proposed by California State Sen. Roderick D. Wright in February, if passed, would create a trial run of extension program courses at community colleges.

By itself, the bill provides many benefits to community college students. But if the policies in the bill are expanded into other courses, it would set the stage for possible income-based discrimination toward lower-income students.

Commonly known as the Community College Extension Course Pilot Program, the program would allow up to five community college districts to create extension programs focused on technical education and workforce development.

These courses would offer equivalent course credit without the approval of the state.

Wright said the vocational courses offered are aimed at providing alternatives to higher-cost courses offered at for-profit technical schools.

The cost of the courses would be set by the community college districts, which will likely be lower for vocational courses than their equivalents at for-profit colleges, said Donald Girard, senior director of government relations and institutional communications at Santa Monica College.

Girard estimates that the community college extension program courses would cost $5,000 to $10,000 less per semester as they would not include the premiums that are included in the for-profit schools.

In its current limited state, the bill provides students with specialized courses that are at a lower unit price than those offered at for-profit schools, but at a higher price per unit than the typical class at a community college.

The San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees has already seen the potential for unfair treatment of students by offering two different fees for units, according to a statement released in early May.

But as this is only a proposed trial run for five community college districts, the lack of support from the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees is the wrong response for a proposed bill that could provide its students with courses that were previously cut or now unavailable.

Extension program courses that simultaneously offer the same credit as similar community college courses will likely be priced higher because they receive no state funding.

The bill should be amended to only provide courses that are not simultaneously offered in the community college district, instead of allowing for the possibility of having the same course appear in both the community college and the extension program.

This would help avoid concerns wherein students find themselves at a disadvantage if they cannot afford to pay for the high-priced equivalent courses.

Creative solutions should be considered to alleviate some of the burden that cuts to public higher education place on students, but California should not abandon its values because of a tight budget.

Email Patel at

[email protected]. Send general comments to

[email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.

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