BILLS SEEK HELP FOR COLLEGES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MAY GET BETTER ACCESS TO COURSES.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Two education bills introduced last week could have an effect on California community colleges when it comes to classroom space and high school enrollment.

Both bills ask for more - more ways for community colleges to acquire facility space and more high school students taking summer classes in them.

``We must ensure that students have better access to courses, and community colleges are given all the tools necessary to acquire adequate classrooms and facilities,'' said state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster.

Runner, whose district covers much of the Santa Clarita Valley, introduced the community college bill package to the state Legislature on Thursday.

Current education code says that no more than 5 percent of summer courses at community colleges can be filled with juniors and seniors from most comprehensive high schools. This doesn't apply to students at middle college high schools, such as Academy of the Canyons at College of the Canyons in Valencia, or at early college high schools.

Advocates want to change the restriction, so more students can take vocational classes and other courses that are transferable to the California State University and University of California systems during the summer.

The law first came into effect during the 1980s when smaller community colleges found themselves flooded with teenagers seeking calculus, computer and physics courses that their tiny high schools didn't offer.

Dianne Van Hook, president of College of the Canyons, said the cap discriminates against students at comprehensive high schools, because only 5 percent of them can attend classes during the summer in comparison to 100 percent at Academy of the Canyons. College of the Canyons has sponsored this bill.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed about $20 million in this year's budget for collaborations between community colleges and high school districts for vocational education and has proposed another $30 million for next year.

At the same time, College of the Canyons is applying to the state for funding to have more vocational programs available on campus.

Van Hook said it only made sense for community colleges to clear the path for more high school students to attend and take these classes.

``If the governor has an initiative for collaborations between community colleges and high school districts to provide work-force education or vocational technical training, it makes no sense not to enable high school students beyond that 5 percent to attend community colleges during the summer,'' she said.

The second bill wants to change how schools pay for new facilities. Instead of using capital lay funds to buy bricks and mortar to construct new facilities, the bill seeks to allow community colleges to use this money to purchase buildings that have already been constructed whether they're government or privately owned.

The intent is to give more flexibility to community college districts to acquire already constructed buildings, said Deborah Harmon, legislative advocate from McCallum Group, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm.

It could apply in places where student enrollment in kindergarten through high school is dropping and school doors are closing. Community colleges could fill these vacant buildings with their students, instead of constructing new buildings from scratch.

``Community colleges are expected to educate the great bulk of students between now and about 2013,'' Harmon said. ``To the extent that we can be smart about how we house and accommodate the great number of students will be to the state's benefit.''

Runner last month introduced legislation that could ask voters to approve $38 billion worth of funding over the next 10 years to construct new schools, from elementary through higher education facilities.

Sue Doyle, [phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com