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School Services of California, Inc.
Community College Update
October 17, 1996
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BY THE WAY. . .

Survey of Legislators Give Community Colleges High Marks. A recent survey of California State Legislators conducted by the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges (FACCC) uncovered one area of consensus &emdash; strong support for community colleges as a "vital and neglected resource." The 18 legislators who responded to the survey were universal in their praise of the colleges for their accessibility, commitment to students and willingness to reach out to surrounding communities. However, they did not maintain that such strong moral support would translate into the ability to ensure additional revenue needed to accommodate the estimated 350,000 additional students who may attend the community colleges in the next decade.

FACCC asked legislators 8 questions, including whether they had ever attended or taught at community colleges, what they thought of community colleges as an educational resource and how the colleges can find the money to build new facilities to handle the crush of new students. One of the legislators who responded, Senator Mike Thompson (D-Napa), warned that community colleges "must look to alternative sources of revenue," including partnerships with private business. Others suggested that the colleges need to use more technology. Interestingly, half of the legislators who responded to the survey, have attended a California community college.

[Posted 10/15/96]