Skyline’s new policy, known as Plan Ahead – Pay Ahead, is a painful but necessary change that is needed to ensure that colleges don’t sink deeper into a sea of debt.

California has come up with some initiatives to help fund community colleges. For example, proposition 1522 (Tax Oil to Fund Education Initiative) would give money to schools. Additionally, Skyline plans to raise the cost per unit to $46, and it has already implemented its new Plan Ahead, Pay Ahead system. But the fate of the former lies in the future, and the new Plan Ahead Pay Ahead policy is currently the more pressing matter.

It’s true that classes have already started, but the policy change still concerns students because if you are still adding classes, you are required to pay your school fees immediately after adding a class. Students who signed up for classes for this semester had to pay by Jan. 4 or they were dropped from all their classes. Of course, students who were not able to pay by the deadline had options such as enrolling in a payment plan, completing an electronic FAFSA application by a set date, or having a third party contract to pay for their classes.

Is it fair for the college to impose this policy upon its students? It all depends on your view because when you consider it, the Plan Ahead Pay Ahead plan is meant to ensure that students don’t end up in debt to the college, and in turn the college gets it money so that it can pay its own bills at the end of the month.

The state’s financial situation has forced Skyline to enact this plan, but we should be thankful that at least students have other options besides simply being cast out into the cold if they can’t make the deadline.

In the end, it’s a change that has been forced on both students and the college, but it is one of necessity and we must endure it if the community college system is to remain a resource for the people of San Mateo County.