Have you noticed fewer students in California’s community colleges? Unfortunately we may not have noticed either. According to Governor Brown, there are roughly 500,000 fewer students in the California community college system compared to 2008.
According to a report of the Master Plan for Higher Education issued by California’s state legislature, “In order for California to compete in the global marketplace, replace the baby boomer generation and ensure a cohesive and democratic multicultural society, our State must keep… its commitment to universal access for every qualified student.”
This proclamation on behalf of our state’s legislature implies that the students denied access were not “qualified”.
A double standard lies in the cap on California resident enrollment for CCCCD; a system which they contribute to through local property and sales taxes. However, there is no cap on the number of out-of-state students and international students which may enter into the same system.
According to the DVC website, the current per-unit course enrollment fee is $46, while out-of-state students pay over $250 per unit.
Not only are California student residents being denied access to a system which they fund in part, but they are losing seats to those able to pay higher enrollment fees.
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) issued a report emphasizing the importance of college educated residents: “California will need to produce many more college graduates if it is to even partially meet its increasing economic demand for college graduates… The retirement of the large and relatively well-educated baby-boom cohort…and demographic shifts toward groups that have historically low rates of college attendance and graduation.”
With a reduction in college graduates, residents of California will have fewer career options causing them to take entry-level jobs.
As community college students are being denied access, California will find it increasingly difficult to compete with the world labor market. The recent dramatic reduction of community college students is a negative mark on the future of this once-flourishing state economy.