PIERCE SCHEDULES 194 FEWER SPRING COURSES.

Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer

Two weeks after budget shortfalls forced Pierce College to reduce spring course offerings, administrators have released final data on class cutbacks.

Pierce will offer 1,390 classes in the spring semester - 194 fewer than the number offered last spring, or a 12 percent drop, according to a written statement from school administrators.

The spring semester will offer 156 fewer classes than the number offered this semester. The spring semester will begin Jan. 12 and will end May 21.

Administrators distributed conflicting data to news outlets on three consecutive days in late October. Each set of figures differed from the latest version released by the college.

A correction statement dated Nov. 6 was prepared by Carlos Martinez, the dean of academic affairs. In it, he said that previous data was released before the spring course schedule was completed.

``Now that the class schedule has been finalized, we can accurately identify the number of classes that are available for student enrollment,'' Martinez wrote. ``And we can more accurately identify the number of classes that were not scheduled due to a reduction in the budget available to the college.''

Carmelita Thomas, vice president of academic affairs, said the college's curriculum still will allow students to meet general education requirements and transfer to four-year schools. Most cuts were to classes with low enrollment, she said.

``These are fluff that students do not have to take,'' she said, later adding, ``They are not essential for students to complete their programs, or (associate's degrees) or transfer requirements.''

Thomas said the actual percentage of reduced classes is closer to 11 percent, rather than 12 percent. She said some classes, such as independent study programs and combined subjects, should not have been counted as full classes.