COLLEGES FACE CRISIS; L.A. DISTRICT'S FINANCIAL WOES BRING SCHOOLS TO POINT OF PAINFUL CHOICES.

Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer

Outside the Pierce College library, Lance Mead pored over his calculus book, studying for a test.

The computer science student joined nearly two dozen others in what has become a daily ritual since the Woodland Hills campus' spring semester started last month: waiting for the library doors to open at 10 a.m. - an hour and a half later than they opened last semester.

``I've see a lot of people studying in their cars in the parking lot,'' said Mead, 41, of Encino. ``This is a school. You're supposed to be able to study before classes.''

As part of continued cutbacks this school year, library hours were shortened at Mission College in Sylmar and Valley College in Van Nuys. Course offerings at the three San Fernando Valley-based campuses were slashed by as much as 20 percent.

Faced with one of the worst fiscal crises in years, eight of nine Los Angeles Community College District campuses have been hit with drastic belt-tightening measures and are facing an expected $13 million districtwide budget shortfall by the end of June. More cuts are expected next year.

The district's Board of Trustees met Saturday to discuss ways to close the projected deficit over the next four months.

Suggestions from college presidents, faculty and staff included creating successful summer sessions to boost student enrollment, unpaid faculty leaves during spring break, deferment of recently negotiated pay hikes, nixing all temporary workers and imposing hiring freezes.

``None of these options are painless,'' board member Kenneth S. Washington told the board.

As administrators and educators seek solutions, students at the cash-starved campuses are getting fed up.

That's why Mohammad Alavi, 23, a Pierce student leader, had no problem last week getting students to sign a petition demanding the college reinstate library hours for those who want to get a jump start on their day - and their education.

``Some of my friends think that the library would be a good place to meet and have a group study. But if the library opens at 10 a.m., it's too late,'' said Alavi, executive commissioner of social and cultural events for Pierce's Associated Students Organization.

While L.A. community colleges are fighting for their lives, suburban schools like the self-managed College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita are flourishing.

Enrollment and course offerings are up, new programs are being offered and the new library is open at 8 a.m.

Michael Ballestero, who transferred to the Santa Clarita campus from L.A.'s Valley College in Van Nuys two years ago, has found a friendlier atmosphere and better opportunities.

``It's not like I'm waiting to leave after classes so I can go study somewhere else here,'' Ballestero said. ``I wouldn't mind just spending some time on campus and studying on the lawn.''

The differences in the two districts - one the nation's largest, the other a single campus - are fueling a campaign for radical change in California community colleges.

Spend money on campus

The California Citizens Commission on Higher Education is proposing to eliminate central offices and elected boards of trustees so more money can get to classrooms.

The plan would:

Replace publicly elected district boards with advisory councils representing local businesses, civic groups, faculty, administrators, students and others.

Fund community colleges like four-year universities, rather than using the current formula, which resembles the funding model for the state's K-12 system.

Make each of the state's 107 community colleges autonomous.

Require campus administrators to report directly to state regulators.

Allow state administrators negotiate all labor contracts.

``There needs to be a stronger role by the state to ensure fiscal viability,'' said commission executive director William Pickens.

Supporters want to shed a tier of bureaucracy, especially in large, multicampus districts like LACCD.

``The present way is too expensive,'' Pickens said. ``We think that money should go to students.''

Surging enrollment in the Santa Clarita district is evidence that a one-campus district can serve its own community well, reformers said.

The college has benefited from population and business increases in the area. Campus officials also credit their success to smaller classes and a recent survey of students and residents aimed at catering curriculum and services to their needs.

Demands from employers looking for qualified workers or to train their own employees has risen. In response, College of the Canyons offers classes in hotel and motel management, fire-safety technology and hazardous materials handling, and the school is open nearly year-round to meet training needs.

``The benefits are similar to a company with one main office. Everyone works at the same site, and it's much easier to get appropriate parties together to resolve issues,'' said Dianne G. Van Hook, Santa Clarita Community College District Superintendent-President.

Valley district?

With all the talk of Valley secession and a Valley schools' breakaway, some are asking if the three Valley community colleges should split from the sprawling Los Angeles district. The district's northernmost campus, Mission College in Sylmar, is about 45 miles away from its southernmost campus, Harbor College in Wilmington.

``We do need to examine the size of the district,'' LACCD Board Trustee Gloria Romero said. ``I think we shouldn't be afraid to look at alternatives. What if we looked at regionalizing?''

But Van Hook and many others said that factors other than size affect a district's performance: management philosophy, trends in population, the number of new immigrants and welfare recipients in an area, and the amount of control wielded by unions and other groups.

``We're concerned about their financial condition, but the problem isn't about size per se,'' chancellor's spokesman Kyle Ohr said, noting that although the L.A. district is again on the state Chancellor's financial watchlist, so are 13 others. Nine of them are single-campus districts.

Still, the district has plenty of reasons to worry.

Last month, the Chancellor's office downgraded LACCD's fiscal status by moving it higher on the state financial watch list, causing many to question the district's ability to manage itself.

Charles Dirks, professor of political science at Mission College in Sylmar, said if larger districts weren't ``chronically underfunded by the state'' they could offer more by sharing resources.

``A lot of the smaller districts that are doing fine, it's because they're not offering nursing and agriculture and other kinds of expensive programs needed to serve the diverse community of Los Angeles,'' said Dirks, who has been with the district for 28 years.

The state funds community colleges based on the prior year's allocation and increases in full-time student enrollment. California's community colleges receive $3,500 per full-time student, about $2,500 below the national average.

Responding to needs

In the Los Angeles district, East Los Angeles College is responding to its community much as the College of the Canyons. After identifying its community's needs, the campus is offering more night classes and opening a satellite site in South Gate.

East L.A. was the only one of the L.A. district's nine campuses spared from budget cutbacks and the only one seeing an enrollment increase this semester - about 2 percent.

Those at the district's other campuses say they're working to turn things around.

``You walk into classes and talk to faculty who are doing exciting things,'' Tyree Wieder, president of Valley College in Van Nuys, said.

``Students say they're really learning and happy to be here and that's what keeps us going.''

LACCD faces another difficult year without a permanent leader in place. In December, Chancellor William Segura announced his resignation, citing frustrations with the lack of resources and excessive pressure groups.

This month, Segura began his new job as chancellor of the much smaller Texas State Technical College System in his home state. The nonunion Texas system enrolls 8,500 students, compared to LACCD's 100,000 students.

``He was the first person to keep us on budget,'' lamented Thomas Oliver, vice president of academic affairs at Mission College.

``I'm not sure anyone can do the job the way it's set up.''

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, chart

PHOTO (1) Students wait to get into the library at Pierce College.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News

(2) Debra Olson Tolar teaches storytelling techniques to other professors during a class at College of the Canyons.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News

(3) Students walk on the quad at Pierce College, where cutbacks keep the library closed until 10 a.m.

David R. Crane/Daily News

(4) Mohammad Alavi circulates a petition for more library hours as students wait for the Pierce College library to open.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News

Chart: Colleges' ups and downs