San Diego area residents attending programs of the San Diego Community College District are getting closer to their goals of college graduation, workforce preparation and university transfer, thanks to an infusion of state funds to expand educational opportunities.
Students attending San Diego City College, Mesa College, Miramar College and Continuing Education campuses likely have noticed that there are more classes in high demand areas such as English, science, math and workforce training. In addition, 100 new full-time faculty have been hired to teach the high-demand classes and to provide greater support to students before and after class.
Over the past two years, the three colleges of the San Diego Community College District have added more than 1,100 classes, including 320 in vocational occupations.
All of these improvements and more are a result of a three-year plan by Governor Schwarzenegger to eliminate an unfair funding system that created unequal access to community college programs and services throughout the state.
Before the fair funding plan, known as equalization, state funds varied widely at the 72 college districts in California, ranging from a low of $3,708 per full-time student to a high of $5,481. The San Diego Community College District was among the lower-revenue districts at $3,872 per full-time student.
The Governor has proposed a total of $130 million statewide in the 2006-07 budget to complete the third and final year of equalization for community colleges.
The equalization funds represent an important investment for all of San Diego. Yet the third and final year of equalization funding is not automatic. The governor’s proposal must be approved by the California Legislature.
As another example of the importance of these funds, equalization dollars have made it possible for City College to add a full-time professor to its mecomtronics engineering program to prepare students for the region’s large telecommunications manufacturing industry.
The telecommunications industry has a need for technical workers with skills between the levels of technician and engineer, and City College is filling this gap. The City College students who are recruited for these jobs are able to earn a living while also pursuing a university degree, since all of their community college course work is transferable. Professors in the program say there is such high demand for the City College students that some are recruited by industry before completing the program.
In addition to the engineering programs, the three colleges of the San Diego Community College District have added classes in areas that include health and safety occupations, the sciences, manufacturing technology, aviation and advanced transportation technology.
Last year when we were urging our representatives in the California Assembly and Senate to support the second year of community college equalization funds, a number of downtown area residents did their part by contacting their elected representatives. You can make a difference, again. Contact your representatives in the California Legislature and urge them to support community college equalization in the 2006-07 state budget.

Rich Grosch is on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.