2nd College District Seeks Public’s Aid in Fund Fight

A second community college district in Orange County is going public in its efforts to obtain more money for the two-year colleges.

The board of trustees of North Orange County Community College District voted unanimously Tuesday night to urge county residents to write Gov. George Deukmejian in support of more funds for community colleges.

The Legislature has approved about $99 million more for the community colleges than Deukmejian’s budget proposed. Deukmejian’s aides have said the governor would study the matter but might line-veto the added money if he is not convinced of its merit.

On Monday night, Bill Watts, president of Saddleback Community College District, also issued a plea for the public to write the governor in support of the extra community college money.

Programs Reduced

Saddleback District governs Saddleback College in Mission Viejo and Irvine Valley College in Irvine. North Orange County Community College District governs Cypress College and Fullerton College. All eight Orange County community colleges have had to cut program offerings in the past three years because of limitations in state funding.

The North Orange County District trustees, in addition to urging public support, sent a letter to Deukmejian. “We strongly urge that you concur with the judgments of the state Legislature that the community colleges need more money for next year than proposed in your budget last January,” said the letter.

The trustees’ letter said that the governor’s budget, among other things, “does not include funding for one of our most pressing needs--a system of advising and counseling students.” The letter also said more money is needed for community colleges than Deukmejian proposed in order for the colleges “to recover from the extreme financial losses we have sustained in our buying power during the past four six years.”