COC faces financial woes as budgets get reevaluated.

[view:node_ad=5]As the economic future continues to
look bleak and recession is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Santa Clarita
residents may be turned away from the very educational institution that could
help them.

College of the Canyons could be
facing a $3 million dollar decrease in funding if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's
current budget overhaul is passed.

COC has not been able to increase
the number of classes because of the deficit but it has been able to accommodate
a more than 17 percent increased enrollment of full time students by allowing
class sizes to grow.

“The college is doing everything it
can to lessen the impact on students,” Sue Bozman Public Information Officer
for COC.

Bozman says that the amount of
money to be cut is based on growth expectations as well a base allocation made
by the state.

She goes on to say that the base allocation
for a school is how much money the school is allotted based on the number of
students, and because of a recalculation of the base number in October of this year,
that number decreased for both the 07/08 school year as well as the 08/09. 

What this means for the school is
that they now owe roughly $450,000 from the last year’s budget and must return
another $450,000 from this year’s budget. 
 

On top of the base allocation cuts,
COC also faces cuts to their growth percent expectations.

College of the Canyons received funding
for a growth rate of only 8.5 percent based on last year’s enrollment but the
actual growth rate number was about 17 percent.

One common trend in an economic
downturn is that many people return to school, which could have COC seeing
higher numbers in months to come.

Another blow to higher learning
came from the Cal State University System, which is cutting enrollment by 10,000
students according to Charles Reed of the Cal State University System.

“We have been, for the last two
years, over enrolled by over 10,000 students that the legislature has not
funded,” Reed said in a prepared statement.

The Cal
State system and the California Community
College system make up more than 130 colleges
throughout the state and serve more than three million students according to
the Community College League of California.