Community College Courses Unharmed by Fund Cuts

Community colleges in Orange County won’t be harmed by Gov. George Deukmejian’s veto of about $68 million in special funds for the state’s two-year institutions, college officials said Friday.

The officials said that no classes will be cut for budgetary reasons next fall in any of Orange County’s eight community colleges. By contrast, Deukmejian’s budget cuts in the previous two years resulted in reduced course offerings and layoffs of scores of part-time teachers at Orange County’s community colleges.

Representatives of three of the four community college districts in Orange County held a joint press conference to comment on their 1985-86 budgets Friday. Later, an official for the fourth district also confirmed that the governor’s veto would not hurt its two-year colleges.

Vetoed All But $31.3 Million

In late June, Deukmejian vetoed all but $31.3 million of an extra $99.2 million that the Legislature put in the governor’s proposed 1985-86 budget for community colleges.

The vetoed money would have been helpful, but Orange County districts didn’t count on it, the community college officials said Friday.

“We don’t bet on money on the come,” said Chancellor Robert Jensen of Rancho Santiago Community College District.

Jensen attended the press conference at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana with Vice Chancellor Albert Grafsky of Saddleback Community College District and Correllan Thompson, a consultant with Coast Community College District.

North Orange County Community College District was unable to send a representative, but later Vice Chancellor James S. Kellerman reported on that district’s budgetary picture.

Of the four college districts, only North Orange County will suffer a budget loss next year compared to last year. Kellerman said the district, which governs Fullerton and Cypress community colleges, will have a $61.8-million budget in 1985-86, compared to $64.8 million in 1984-85. The loss reflects a continued reduction in students at the two colleges, Kellerman said. He added that the lower budget next year will not translate into reduced course offerings.

$43-Million Budget

Rancho Santiago District governs the former Santa Ana College. Jensen said the district will have a $43-million budget next year, compared to $39.5 million last year.

Coast Community College District governs Coastline Community College, headquartered in Fountain Valley; Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Thompson, who is a former vice chancellor of the district, said that it will have a $91.3-million budget next year, compared to $90.8 million last year.

Saddleback Community College District governs Saddleback College in Mission Viejo and Irvine Valley College in Irvine. Its budget will be $38.6 million next year, compared to $38.1 million last year, Grafsky said.

Two of the college districts--North Orange County and Saddleback--had made public pleas earlier this year for citizens to write to Deukmejian, urging him not to veto any of the $99.2 million in extra money for community colleges proposed by the Legislature.

In his veto message, Deukmejian said that much of the extra money proposed by the Legislature was premature. He said he would wait for the outcome later this year of a study on the role and mission of California’s higher education system, including community colleges, before he would approve such expenditures.

Thompson predicted that the state study will vindicate the community college system and result in “a massive infusion of state money into the community colleges.”