Changes in Community Colleges
In her letter of Oct. 1, Gerry Braillo Spencer bets that not much has changed in the Los Angeles Community College District since 1979. I’ll accept her bet!
Ms. Spencer’s observations relate to the severe financial difficulty which has been imposed on community colleges by an insensitive state government. In order to cope with declining resources, the LACCD has, over a period of several years, been forced to make reductions in its operations. No area has been spared from these reductions. In the areas cited by Ms. Spencer, allow me to point out that during this period of retrenchment the full-time certificated staff has been reduced by 11.2%, certificated administrators have been reduced by 26% and classified personnel by 27.1%. Operational and programmatic reductions have likewise been severe.
There is no joy in making these reductions, but it is a necessary responsibility which we, as a public entity, must assume. It may be convenient to suggest that such actions are taken with no regard for the students and programs at our colleges. However, such is not the case. We consistently place an emphasis, within our limited resources, on providing the educational services our community demands. Given appropriate funding, and the continued support of our citizens, we will continue to address that mission.
LESLIE KOLTAI
Los Angeles
Koltai is chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District .
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
