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College Cuts Children’s After-School Cultural Classes

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Times Staff Writer

Benita Alvarado, 45, had just finished practicing a Mexican folk dance in one of the few remaining classes in Cerritos College’s cultural arts program.

She was angry that her granddaughter and other neighborhood children probably will not be able to take similar classes during the 1989-90 school year. Cerritos College has cut after-school classes for elementary school students and others who are too young to attend the community college.

“If they’re interested in fighting against drugs and gangs, if they have this program, why are they going to stop it?” Alvarado asked in a recent interview. “(Youths are) learning something positive.”

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Mother Says Program Important

Another parent, Josefina Pena, said her children would miss the after-school program. “It’s important for them to learn something of their culture, of their roots,” she said.

The cultural arts program has been a growing success since it was introduced at the start of the 1987-88 school year, according to college officials and parents. Last semester, 60 adults attended classes in ethnic dance and music and 300 youths participated in the after-school segment of the program, college officials said.

But the after-school classes, which represent about 80% of the program, became an unaffordable luxury when the enrollment at Cerritos College grew an unexpected 2.5% last year, said Charles S. Tilghman , instructional dean of fine arts and communication. The state pays for enrollment growth of up to 1% a year, leaving the college to absorb the cost of any larger enrollment increases, he said.

The district spent about $150,000 in 1988-89 on the college classes and ethnic dance and music classes for youths, Tilghman said.

“That’s a fairly sizable chunk of money to be spending on a program that can be seen as not really a college program,” he said. “From the beginning there was some uncertainty as to whether we should be doing it at all.”

The district expects to spend about $16,700 to provide classes in ethnic dance and music for college students in 1989-90, college spokesman Mark Wallace said. The college is expected to operate on a $42.9-million balanced budget with a $2.5-million reserve in 1989-90, Wallace said. Last year’s budget totaled $40.1 million with a $2.5-million reserve, he said.

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The cultural arts program was established in the fall of 1987 with the support of community and civic leaders. Its purpose was to promote cultural education and awareness, and to attract more minority youths to Cerritos College, according to a statement of objectives prepared by Sally Morales, an English teacher at the college and one of the organizers.

At first there were mariachi and folkloric dance classes at the community college level. Students must be in at least the 11th grade to attend community colleges.

But the program quickly expanded to include the after-school classes at the former Excelsior High School site and at John Glenn and Norwalk high schools of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. After-school classes for youths also were provided at the Downey Unified School District’s Warren High, and at Furgeson Elementary of the ABC Unified School District.

Filipino dance was added last year, and will be continued at the college level, Morales said. There were plans, which are now uncertain, to offer Chinese dance, she said.

About 35 Staffers

The three school districts provided the facilities and some support services, while Cerritos College planned the program and provided instructors. There were about 35 coordinators, instructors and aides at the height of the program, Tilghman said.

Eligible students received college credit, Wallace said. Cerritos College received state funding for the courses until the school reached its growth cap last year, officials said.

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Morales, one of the program’s founders, has started meeting with local city and school officials to try to secure funding to maintain the after-school program. She also hopes to revive a booster club, which once raised money and bought instruments.

The one major effort to raise money for the program was a flop.

A June, 1988, benefit concert featuring several of Mexico’s most famous mariachi artists failed to generate any money for the cultural arts program. The college rented its stadium to concert organizers, who were later investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for alleged misuse of funds. Sheriff’s investigators found insufficient evidence to take further action.

Morales hopes that Norwalk officials will agree to help pay for part of the after-school program. The Norwalk City Council several months ago approved spending as much as $275,000 to implement an anti-gang program.

“It’s a very difficult thing in these times of no money because this is always considered a frills area, one of the things that has to be cut because the academics have to be continued,” said Morales, who grew up in Norwalk and now lives in Cerritos.

‘Take Care of Kids’

“We have to take care of our kids because we’re losing them,” she said.

A Norwalk official said he will meet in the next couple of weeks with Morales to discuss the cost of programs and other details.

“The city feels the program is a good program,” said Ernie Garcia, Norwalk’s deputy city manager for community services. “We’re waiting for information to see what we can do.”

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Spokesmen for the Downey and Norwalk-La Mirada School districts said funding is not available for the after-school program. The director of educational services for the ABC district, Helen Fried, said the Board of Education will consider whether to fund part of the after-school program later this month.

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