Community Commentary:

By 2014, according to projections by the state Finance Department, there will be 640,000 more college applicants in California than colleges and universities have room to handle.

At the three colleges of the Coast Community College District — Coastline Community College, Golden West College and Orange Coast College — there are far more students than classes, and we are planning for further cuts that we will be forced to make for 2010-11.

The Public Policy Institute of California has estimated that 41% of California’s jobs will require college degrees, but only 35% of Californians will have any type of degree. The bottom line? A shortage of 1 million college-educated workers by 2025.

It seems counter-intuitive that California would continue to slash education when it needs it most, but that is the reality of our situation. I understand that Sacramento has some difficult decisions to make regarding funding, but education must be a priority. I will grant that public safety must remain a priority as well, but I hope you all realize that it is our community colleges that train the police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and nurses who serve to make our community safe.

Our three colleges are serving more students than ever while being asked to make deeper budget cuts. We’ve tightened our belts and continuously work to streamline operations — but the students keep coming.

Desperate for classes, these students have been rejected by Cal State and UC schools, and are willing to drive to two or three of our colleges to stay in school. It seems simple to me that with so many willing to learn and become tax-paying members of the economy — we should continue to provide these learning and training opportunities for them.

Simple as it seems, I am asking you to take a moment to consider what Coastline Community College, Golden West College and OCC have done for you, your family, and or your community.

Maybe you went there before transferring to a four-year university, or your child played water polo and earned an associate’s degree, or your neighbor was trained to be a police officer. I know that these colleges were the start of wonderful college experiences for my children, and I hope that my grandchildren will be able to take advantage of the state’s best educational deal.

I hope that when the budget talks are taking place that you can help remind our legislators that education needs to be a priority and that community colleges are helping put our neighbors back to work.

JIM MORENO is board president of Coast Community College District.