Copyright© 2000 by School Services of California, Inc.
By the Way . . .
Board of Governors Opposes Voucher Initiative. The California Community
College Board of Governors, at its September 12, 2000 meeting, adopted a
resolution in opposition to Proposition 38, the School Voucher Initiative
scheduled for the November 2000 election. The BOG noted several troubling
aspects associated with the voucher initiative that would have a negative
effect on community colleges. The initiative would replace the Proposition
98 funding guarantee for K-14 education with an alternative minimum guarantee
that requires California's spending per student to equal or exceed the national
average. The problem with this aspect of the initiative is the pace at which
this would be forced upon the system, which could create a much greater sense
of chaos and uncertainty in financial resource allocation. Also, the initiative
would in effect remove many of the standards currently governing K-14 education.
Without this level of accountability, community colleges may experience increased
difficulty in accommodating the projected Tidal Wave II enrollment growth
of 529,000 students. This would be particularly true, should many of these
new students originate from K-12 schools operating under disparate standards.