For a number of years, students at California community colleges have been unable to take advantage of the summer months to get ahead in their studies by taking a few extra classes. Budget cuts in recent years have forced many schools in the state to cut their summer offerings to a bare minimum, while a few have had to cut summer classes completely. Now, thanks to the passage of Prop 30, community colleges in the state are finding the money to beef up their summer course schedules, much to delight of students who were hoping to spend their summer months deep in their studies.
Survey Shows More Classes on the Way
The Los Angeles Times reports on an informal survey conducted by the office of statewide Chancellor Brice W. Harris, which involved 70 California community colleges. The survey indicated 67 percent of the community colleges in the state plan to increase their course offerings for the summer semester. Another 23 percent said they would offer about the same number of classes they had on the schedule during the previous summer. Only 7 percent of community colleges in the state stated they planned to reduce the number of courses they were going to offer this summer.
Credit for the increases goes in large part to the passage of Proposition 30 last November, which granted a temporary increase in sales tax and income tax on the wealthiest residents in the state. The increase revenues