Students, faculty protest community college cuts

[Joanne98]

The cuts are starting to strike nerves in the Seattle Community Colleges district.

That's what the district's Board of Trustees found at their monthly meeting Thursday, when faculty members and students from Seattle Central Community College packed the room to protest the cancellation of several language classes that fell victim to budget slashing earlier this year.

The sudden cuts left some students reeling, scrambling for ways to complete their plans to transfer to four-year programs without credits they were counting on.

"We have committed both our time and our money," student Mindi Jones said. "We feel like we've been misled and betrayed."

Board members and college administrators seemed sympathetic to their complaints. But they didn't waste words when it came to the district's financial situation.

"There will be pain in this community college district," Chairman Thomas Malone said.

In other words, spring-quarter language classes with historically low enrollment are just some of the first things to go.

Community colleges, like the state's public universities, were ordered by Gov. Chris Gregoire late last year to slash budgets. The state's revenue deficit, expected to reach $6 billion, coupled with the governor's promise to abstain from raising taxes means funding for state programs likely will be severely slashed in the coming biennium.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399984_colleges13.html

The Gov of Washington could let out non-violent drug offenders. But the pols would rather shut the schools down than let anybody out of prison. They should all be fired.

[Buzz Clik]

1. Just wait until they get to their four-year institutions -- they are getting cut, too.

These are bad economic times, and everyone suffers.

[raccoon]

2. In my state, community college and 4-year colleges have taken big cuts

from the state budget.