Colleges feel the budget strain

California’s community colleges are an excellent example of a locally

controlled government institution. Local boards of trustees preside

over policymaking to ensure that local community colleges are

providing the training and education appropriate to the needs of the

local workforce and students.

How ironic, then, that it is state partisan politics -- not local

boards or local politics -- that is causing the biggest crisis

community colleges have faced in decades.

That crisis is, of course, the state budget. And as we get closer

and closer to the constitutional deadline to pass a state budget, the

crisis for community colleges looms larger and larger. If the

Legislature and our governor cannot come to an agreement on a budget

by July 1, per-student apportionment funds owed to community colleges

to serve students will cease until a budget is signed. At the same

time, planning for the next academic year will halt, as we all wait

breathlessly to find out what we will be left with after yet another

round of budget cuts.

Even in the face of two years’ worth of unprecedented budget cuts,

community college boards at the local level have found ways to

continue to serve their students and their communities with less. As

a member of a local community college board for the last seven years,

I know firsthand that it is these local board members who know what

kind of educational programs are needed within their local

communities. At the Coast Community College District, our board is

squeezing every dollar we can into student education, but we need a

state budget that compensates us for this valuable service. We know

how to educate our students -- whether it is to prepare them for

transfer to a four-year university, retrain them for new technology

jobs or bring remedial education into our households.

The voters of this state recognized the job community colleges are

doing at the local level when they approved 13 of 14 community

college bond measures statewide. Our voters supported the development

of our physical facilities and chose to invest in new construction

that will provide greater capacity and efficiency and allow us to

incorporate new technologies into our classrooms. Our voters also

recognize that every dollar they pay in taxes as a result of a local

bond measure will be used to enhance the facilities within their own

local community. They are choosing to invest directly in their

community.

Community colleges in California have worked together to solve

common goals. We do not need more laws restricting our abilities or

transferring more power to the state. What we do need is the funding

to do the job the state has charged us with doing.

The voters recognized this need in voting for our bonds for

capital projects. Now we need the state politicians to pass a budget

giving us the operating funds to carry out our great mission to

educate students -- for advanced studies, for the jobs of tomorrow,

for new technology and for remedial studies to give new citizens an

even chance to become productive citizens and ensure our country can

compete in the world market.

What we need today is a state budget that also recognizes the

value of community colleges in education -- for economic survival,

quality of life and even national security. After all, most of our

firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel receive

their training from us.

Enough is enough. Partisan politics is embarrassing and now is

becoming dangerous to our survival as an educated and free society.

As a representative of my community on a college board, I say give us

the money, and we will educate and train the people who will be able

to do the jobs to get California -- and America -- moving again.

* Former Congressman JERRY PATTERSON was first elected to the

Coast Community College District Board of Trustees in 1996. He

resides in Trustee Area 2, which includes portions of Westminster,

Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley. Patterson served in the U.S. House

of Representatives, representing the 38th District of California from

1975 to 1985. Patterson is currently the principal of his own

government relations consulting firm along with his wife, Linda

Moulton Patterson, and is an associate professor/adjunct lecturer at

Cal State Long Beach and UC Irvine.