NEW BOND WOULD HIKE SCHOOL FUNDS COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN LINE TO GET SOME OF THE MONEY.Byline: CONNIE LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Staff Writer A bond measure on November's ballot would bring billions to public schools, with a chunk earmarked for the state's community colleges. If approved, Proposition 1D -- the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act -- would increase funds for community colleges -- from 40 percent to 50 percent -- in the hopes of revitalizing the decades-old campuses. The $10.4 billion bond would be shared among schools, two-year-colleges and four-year institutions. The state's 110 Community colleges, including College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. and Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. , would share $1.5 billion. Proponents of the bond measure say campuses need money to revitalize. Across the nation, two-year systems educate 10 percent of students and, in California, are leaders in vocational training. ``Community colleges are not equipped to service their students that are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a pathway to study careers in demanded fields,'' said Scott Lay, spokesman for the Community College League of California, noting that some campuses struggle to teach biotechnology in 50-year-old labs with dated equipment and materials. Some taxpayer watchdogs oppose the measure. ``Education is not going hungry in this state,'' said Kris Vosburgh, spokesman for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association helped sponsor Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978 which slashed property taxes by fifty-seven percent and initiated a national tax revolt. It was founded by California republican Howard Jarvis. . ``It is not that this money is for education, these bonds are becoming a bottomless pit A bottomless pit, as its name implies, is a pit that has no identifiable bottom. Such pits are known by a large variety of names, and are a common hazard in many computer games and video games. .'' The measure has been endorsed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Phil Angelides, his Democratic challenger on the Nov. 7 ballot. Most of the state's two-year colleges were built in the 1950s and '60s, during a public-education surge. And most have not aged well, college advocates said. Eyeing revenue from the bond, Antelope Valley College President Jackie Fischer Sr. has plans for a new 33-classroom health sciences building. ``Community colleges have been asking for this for so long,'' Fischer said. ``It is nice to finally get the recognition and support from the Legislature and the governor.'' ``They are helping us meet the academic needs of our communities and improving their economic development.'' State bond money usually is split between K through 12 and postsecondary education. Usually, the postsecondary education pot is then divided among the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). campuses, the California State University system California State University System, coordinating agency established in 1960 by the merger of individual California state colleges, now consisting of 23 campuses. and community colleges. ``Community college advocates have been working toward this for a long time,'' said Lay. connie.llanos(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 |
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