MiraCosta College Governing Board Endorses Proposition 92

The MiraCosta College Governing Board has passed a resolution in support of Proposition 92, which will be on the California Presidential Primary ballot on February 5, 2008.

Proposition 92 would allow community college funding to increase with the growing student population without hurting K-12 schools. The initiative would also cut student enrollment fees from $20 to $15 per unit, bringing them more in line with students’ personal income and would prohibit the Legislature from increasing fees in the future by more than the change in per capita personal income.  Among other things, the initiative also promises to provide more predictable funding for community college programs.

MiraCosta’s governing board passed a resolution in support of the initiative with a 6-0 vote during the Tuesday, October 16 board meeting.  The resolution can be read on the following pages of this release.

MIRACOSTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

RESOLUTION NO. 1108

IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNANCE,

FUNDING STABILIZATION, AND STUDENT FEE REDUCTION ACT

WHEREAS, California Community Colleges serve 2.4 million students annually through a system of 72 locally-established and governed community college districts with 109 colleges within a statewide system;

WHEREAS, California Community Colleges need stable funding, predictable student fees, local control, and the ability to provide effective leadership for the system of 109 colleges;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative (officially known as the Community College Governance, Funding Stabilization, and Student Fee Reduction Act) would ratify the bilaterally-governed community college system by placing it in the State Constitution, thereby securing local governance while enhancing state leadership;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would provide the local community colleges with a secure, stable source of funds that is tied to community college enrollment growth, and thus stop the annual competition between K12

and community college districts for Proposition 98 funding without harming K12

schools;

WHEREAS, the use of the actual community college enrollment growth figure would avoid the artificial funding cap that would otherwise be imposed on community colleges over the next ten years because of declining K12 enrollment;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative has qualified for the February 5, 2008 statewide election;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would not threaten funding for K12 education in California because primary and secondary education would retain a separate funding mechanism tied to its growth;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would end the “zero-sum”

game of the Proposition 98 split, which has resulted in shifting funds from community colleges to K12 schools under the current provisions of Proposition 98;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would ensure that promises made by the Legislature are kept with a property tax guarantee;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative funds the increase to community colleges over the next ten years through natural growth in the state's general fund, without raising taxes;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative reduces student fees to $15 to make them stable and predictable as well as consistent with personal income, and prohibits the Legislature from increasing fees in the future by more than the change in per capita personal income;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would eliminate the possibility of mid-semester fee increases and guarantee that students will have at least 60 days’ notice before any fee increase takes effect;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative ensures that fee revenue stays with the community colleges for the improvement of education, instead of being diverted to other state programs;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative would allow the Board of Governors and Chancellor to hire the senior staff professionals currently appointed by the governor, and thus have the same authority as that provided to the UC President and CSU Chancellor;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative includes provisions in the state constitution for locally-elected governing boards accountable to voters and for a statewide chancellor hired by a board appointed by the governor;

WHEREAS, the California Community College Initiative allows locally-elected governing boards to overturn unreasonable and costly state regulations by a two-thirds vote; and

THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the Board of Trustees of the MiraCosta Community College District supports the Community College Governance, Funding Stability, and Student Fee Reduction Act.