Solano Community College Planning for Cuts

Solano Community College will be cutting 200 classes from its 2011-2012 school year.

In a series of meetings and forums based on California’s budget and Governor Jerry Brown's proposed tax extension, the school presented estimates of the fiscal impact California community colleges, and SCC, itself, would endure under three different scenarios:

• California votes to extend a tax extension for an additional five years.
• California does not vote in a tax extension; Prop 98 allows for funding at minimal levels.
• California does not vote in a tax extension; Prop 98 is suspended.

“The best case scenario would be for there to be an extension on the taxes,” said Jowel Laguerre, SCC Superintendent-President. “They would reduce the community college budget by $400,000 and the worst case scenario is at least twice as much.”

Laguerre said that even in the best case scenario, SCC expects to make the class cuts. The reduction would span over the Summer, Fall and Spring semesters, and is expected to turn away at least 1000 of the more than 20,000 students the college services every year.

“The way that it works at a community college is when students register, and when the classes are full and we can’t offer anymore, then the students cannot get the classes they need,” said Laguerre. “So ultimately it results in students not being able to find classes that they need.”

Laguerre said the college will be closer to knowing what scenario will play out on Wednesday, when the California Legislature will decide whether or not to let the tax extension proposal be voted on by Californians in June.

“These scenarios were developed by the California Community College League in analyzing the Governor’s January budget,” said Yulian Ligioso, vice president of finance and administration.

Ligioso said in the case of the first scenario, where voters approve a tax extension, California community colleges still look to lose at least $400 million. This translates to a loss of almost $3.4 million at SCC. In the middle scenario, where a tax extension is not granted but Prop 98 stays active, which allows for a certain level of funding, $5.2 million is expected to be cut from the school’s budget. The last scenario allows for almost $6.7 million in cuts if Prop 98 is suspended. A fee increase from $26 per unit to $36 per unit is only expected to offset projections by roughly under $1 million.

“The numbers start to get very ugly very quick,” said Ligioso.

Based on what Ligioso is hearing from the state, the college is planning for the “mid range” case of events. Still, he encourages as many as possible to share their stories of how attending community colleges have positively impacted their life and community, hoping this will positively impact future votes.

“It’s something that we all need to support because as much as we’re trying to do this as a family, if you will, at the college, I think we have to also approach this as a family on the statewide level,” said Ligioso. “This will affect every Californian.”