The Press-Enterprise

A ballot measure that would roll back student fees and guarantee funding for California's community colleges seems like it should be an easy sell to educators.

After all, community colleges help lower-income and working students learn skills that lead to higher-paying jobs and help train people to fill nursing and technical jobs key to the state's economy.

But that's not the case with Prop. 92, which is on the Feb. 5 ballot.

Powerful education groups such as the California Teachers Association, the University of California regents and California State University trustees oppose the measure, which is supported by a coalition of community-college associations and faculty groups.

The regents worry the initiative would cut funds for the UC and CSU systems. Both have raised fees in recent years, and an additional increase is expected next year in light of a projected $10 billion state budget deficit.

When asked about the concerns of other higher-education interests, Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the Yes on 92 campaign, said it's difficult to deal with hypothetical situations.

"The opposition has said a lot of coulds' and maybes.' We're dealing with the reality that higher tuition fees mean fewer students are going to community colleges," Acosta said.

The measure would reduce community-college fees, currently the lowest in the nation, from $20 a unit to $15 beginning in fall 2008 and would limit the Legislature's ability to increase fees in the future. It also would guarantee that community colleges receive a minimum amount of funding every year based on the number of young adults in the state instead of how many students are enrolled.

Currently, the state's community colleges are lumped in with K-12 districts under Prop. 98, which guarantees a minimum level of funding based on changes in the economy and K-12 enrollment. In recent years, community colleges have received from 10 percent to 11 percent of total Prop. 98 funds.

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office estimated that the minimum-funding guarantee in Prop. 92 would cost the state $300 million per year from 2007-08 to 2009-10. The additional money would be split evenly between K-12 districts and community-college districts in the first two years. In the third year, most of the funding is expected to go to community colleges. It is unclear what would happen after that.

The California Teachers Association, which primarily represents teachers in kindergarten through 12th grades, said the reduction in fees would have little impact on community-college affordability and would reduce state revenues by $71 million a year. That, combined with a projected budget deficit, could result in cuts to the UC and CSU systems and to public service programs such as healthcare and preschool.

"Students save maybe $65 or $70 taking a full course load, but in the big picture it creates a hole in income for the state and doesn't have any mechanism to fill that hole," said Dan Vaughn, California Teachers Association secretary-treasurer.

Even though Prop. 92 doesn't directly affect K-12 funding, Vaughn said it would almost make it impossible to get any additional funding beyond the level established by Prop. 98.

Fees make up only about one-tenth the cost of education paid by community-college students. Textbooks, transportation, child-care expenses and supplies make up the rest.

Theresa Tena, director of fiscal policy for the Community College League of California, which helped draft Prop. 92, called fee increases a "barrier to access."

She cited a study by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office that showed a direct correlation between previous student-fee increases and declining enrollment.

Vaughn said most of the neediest students qualify for fee waivers, so the fee reduction would not affect them. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimated about one-fourth of community-college students get fee waivers.

However, Tena said many community-college students do not apply for waivers because they are not savvy about the process or the steps necessary to apply for financial aid.

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a Los Angeles-based research organization that promotes political reform, said initiatives are having a tough time passing these days.

In 2005, all the initiatives on the ballot were defeated. Almost half of the measures failed to pass in 2006.

"Voters are much more skeptical these days of everything," Stern said.

Scripps Howard News Service