Huntington Beach : Discussion to Focus on College Enrollment

Discussion of how community college enrollment can be increased will be the topic of a public “study session” Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Center Building at Golden West College.

District officials urged community residents to attend and offer their views.

The session will be the third such public forum this year sponsored by the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees. The trustees govern Golden West College, Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and Coastline Community College, which has its headquarters in Fountain Valley. Two previous public “study sessions” have focused on the district’s budget problems and its possible leasing of portions of vacant campus land.

The topic Monday will be “Enrollments--What Else Can We Do to Increase Them?”

District Chancellor David A. Brownell, in explaining the topic, said: “Community colleges are funded primarily through a complicated funding formula known as average daily attendance. Therefore, student enrollment is the most important revenue source, and it requires a concerted effort by the district staff to develop ways to maximize enrollment.”

All three community colleges in the district suffered enrollment drops in the past four years. Reduced state spending for all 106 community colleges in California also worsened the budget situation, Coast Community College District officials said.