Choices

Tonight, Tuesday, September 11th, the Board meets to decide if a special Trustee will be appointed for City College of San Francisco.

But larger changes are already in the works for all community colleges, decided yesterday, September 10th:

"On Monday (September 10, 2012) in San Diego, the Board of Governors' unanimous decision to ration college access officially shifted the system away from the practice of college for all that has been part of Californians' consciousness - and the state's Master Plan for Higher Education - for generations."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Community-colleges-No-room-for-lingerers-3854934.php#ixzz26B1mDJI1

This is a big deal.

And not a big deal well delved into in the San Francisco Chronicle article.

In terms of Adult Education, in cities like San Francisco where Adult Ed is funnelled through the Community College district, Adult Ed - except  ESL - will most likely be cut back.

The article does not mention GED or High School Diploma programs - both fall under the category of Adult Education and both are handled by CCSF in San Francisco and any other city where Adult Ed is funnelled through the Community College district.

It also does not mention Older Adults, Disabled Adults, Parent Education or any of the other many programs which are considered to be Adult Education classes.

The article also does not mention that ultimately, this is a question not for the Board of Governors but for the people of California.

We, the people of California, have a lot of money.  We have the 8th largest economy in the world.

Yes, that's right.

Say it with me:

We have the 8th largest economy in the world.

We, the buyers and the makers, the movers and the shakers, decide how the money is spent.

If we choose to.

We don't have to have the sort of educational system that allows adults to go to school.

It is a choice.

One can argue it is a good or bad choice.

But it is a choice that should be fully considered and made with care.

Is this what you want?

You, the reader... do you want to cut back community colleges in this way?

Do you want a college system that is strictly for academics and vocational training?

Really?

With no other public programs or schools to offer what community colleges don't...  because believe me, adult schools have been and will be cut far more than community colleges are or will be.

So far, no community colleges have been closed.  Whereas, adult schools have been.

While we the people of California are losing ourselves in important news stories like these and these,

other people are deciding how much access we have to education.

Perhaps that's the way we want it.

After all, making decisions about big things like money, values, and the future is hard.

Whereas, thinking about important matters such as these is easy...  Right?

 Reminder:  There is a special Board meeting to decide about limiting the mission of City College and appointing a Special Trustee tonight, Tuesday, Sept 11, from 6 to 10 pm.  Details here.