‘Free-Flow’ Community College Bill Progresses

California students could attend any community college in the state under a “free-flow” bill approved Thursday by the state Assembly.

The bill by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) went to the Senate on a 48-20 vote.

“Students have a right to a voice in a decision affecting their life,” Hayden said. “We have been treating them like junior high students when they are mature adults.”

About 1.2 million students attend 106 colleges operated by 70 community college districts in the state. Those districts are run locally by elected trustees, similar to school districts.

Current law allows the districts to restrict admission only to students who live in the district and to form interdistrict attendance agreements to allow some students to go to other districts.

Hayden’s bill would prohibit such restrictions, allowing students to attend colleges in other districts than the one where they live. It would allow districts that are losing too many students or having financial problems to seek a two-year restriction from the state Board of Governors.

Dispute in L.A. District

The state community college chancellor’s staff says that 12% of all community college students now attend colleges outside their districts of residence.

Assemblyman Thomas M. Hannigan (D-Fairfield) said districts all over the state have agreements that allow students to attend other districts’ schools “for a variety of reasons,” such as specific athletic or academic programs.

But there has been a dispute in Los Angeles Community College District, which suffered heavy enrollment losses in 1982 and 1983. The district in 1984 tried to restrict students living within its boundaries from attending colleges in seven neighboring districts.

The Commission for the Review of the Master Plan, requested by the Legislature to examine the issue, recommended no restrictions on interdistrict attendance, saying it would reduce duplication of courses among districts and encourage districts to compete for students by offering better programs.

Hayden said the present law was “protectionism” that has led in the case of the Los Angeles Community College District “to a lack of accountability and arrogance of power.”

“The issue is, do we run community colleges on behalf of the students or the bureaucracy,” said Assemblyman Charles Bader (R-Pomona).