Fees may up at Golden West College

Andrew Edwards

Students may pay more in fees at Golden West College this fall as a

result of the state budget Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday.

The budget calls for an $8 per unit increase in fees at California

community colleges, hiking unit costs to $26. Golden West College

President Sharon Donoff’ said that the increase won’t be official

until a “trailer bill” setting fee levels becomes law, which is a

near certainty.

“I’m sure it’s going to go through,” Donoff said.

The bill was sent to Schwarzenegger’s desk on Friday after passing

both houses of the Legislature by wide margins.

Nearly $7 billion is budgeted for the state’s 109 community

colleges. The budget provides more than $148 million to cover the

costs of new students and more than $100 million in funding just to

cover the increased costs of running California’s junior colleges.

But there are budget cuts lurking among the funding increases,

Donoff said. Golden West will lose a little more than $300,000 in

funding provided by an agreement, drawn up in the 1998-99 budget,

that promised $100 million annually to junior colleges if the schools

met specific goals that included increasing transfers to four-year

schools and awarding more degrees and certificates.

“Three-hundred-thousand dollars doesn’t sound like a big pop, but

you can buy a lot of things with $300,000,” Donoff said.

Golden West administrators have not yet crunched the numbers to

figure out what the final effect of the state budget will be at

Golden West, though it appears the campus stands to lose money.

“We were all hoping for a slight increase, overall it’s status quo

or a slight decrease,” Donoff said.

Donoff expects to have to cut some programs at the school, though

it’s too early to tell which ones could end up on the chopping block.

There are no plans to reduce the amount of classes being offered, she

said.

“The students are clamoring for more sections,” she said.

On campus, the prospect of higher unit fees was greeted with

disappointment by students who anticipated working longer shifts or

cutting their class load so they could afford school.

“Work more hours, take a few less classes,” student Elina Pereira,

29, said summarizing her options. “You can only do what you can

afford to do.”

Corey Graham, 22, expects to pay for his classes by spending more

time at his full-time job waiting tables in Sunset Beach.

“Maybe if I had some gravy train it wouldn’t hurt me, I’d be like,

‘Hey, mom, write me a check,’” Graham said. “But I don’t have that

option.

“[I will] probably have to pick up anywhere from four to eight

days a month.”