The San Mateo County Community College District is gearing up for the huge financial blow it might receive if Governor Gray Davis’s proposed 2003-2004 state budget is passed, which includes raising community college unit fees from $11 per unit to $24 per unit.
     The proposed budget also suggests a 43 percent budget cut from the Disabled Students Services and Programs (DSPS) and the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs. The budget also suggests that the Partnership for Excellence program be permanently reduced by 45 percent.
     “There’s no way you could even have a program if they cut our budget by 43 percent,” said Linda Van Sciver, head of DSPS. “There’s going to be a lot of letter writing, campaigning, and marches to Sacramento. We’re really into getting in touch with our representatives.”
     According to Van Sciver, DSPS has already made cuts in an effort to lessen the potentially devastating loss of funds, including cutting the upcoming summer semester’s program.
     “We’re not going to have a learning disability program and that also means that we won’t be having testing over this summer,” Van Sciver said. “We’ve already made some decisions on how to cope with this year’s setback. The big cut is going to be next year.”
     According to Honors Transfer Program head, Connie Beringer, the SMCCCD is in the process of dealing with this news as quick and efficiently as they can.
     “They’re trying to lessen the impact on students–that’s what everybody has in mind,” Beringer said. “There are some proposals which will mainly affect the faculty, but will help reduce the deficit.”
     Another way the district has been cutting spending has been by canceling classes that have less than 20 students enrolled.
     “This semester, we cut 91 sessions/classes,” Beringer said. “I think we accomplished that fairly painlessly.
     “Most classes that got cut had fewer than 20 students, unless it was a class that contributed to a program a student needed to finish, for example, paralegal and respiratory tech, or a class that if it were cut, would have eliminated the program itself. We want to have a balanced curriculum, so we don’t want to cut off too many classes in any one area.”
     Sensing the growing uneasiness about the governor’s budget, SMCCCD Chancellor Ron Galatolo and Skyline College’s President Frances White will be hosting an all college forum on Tuesday Feb. 4, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. (room 2306), in order to explain the budget and how it will affect the district and Skyline College.
     As to the fee increase, there is a consensus that fees will most likely increase, though not necessarily to the recommended $24 per unit.
     “I can’t imagine that they’re going to double it,” said Van Sciver. “Some of the stuff (in the proposed budget) is so outlandish, that I just don’t see how that’s going to happen.”
     “We’re really in a ‘wait-and-see’ mode,” said Beringer. “If the legislature passes Davis’ recommendations, then next year we will see a 43 percent cut in matriculation. It remains to be seen.”