SACRAMENTO – On Friday, California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott, along with California State University Chancellor Charles Reed and University of California President Mark Yudof held a briefing at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to discuss the impact of continued budget cuts on higher education in California.

“Crowded classrooms, waiting lists of thousands and fewer course offerings are some of the conditions students face as they arrive on campus ready to begin the fall semester,” said Chancellor Jack Scott. “You know things are bad when there are more students on our waiting lists than sitting in many of our classrooms.”

In the 2009-10 academic year, the California Community Colleges sustained $520 million in budget cuts which equates to roughly 8 percent of its overall budget.

The cuts forced campuses to reduce course offerings by as much as 20 percent at a time when more students than ever were seeking admission. This resulted in a greater number of students squeezing into fewer classes and wait-listed seats soaring in to the thousands.

While community college officials continue the struggle to meet student demand and do more with less, other budget issues are also causing concern. The 58-day delay in the California budget has resulted in a blockage of all state payments to the community colleges including $116 million that was due in July and $277 million due in August.

Deep budget cuts and more than $1 billion in funding deferrals have left the colleges vulnerable. The state’s September payment, scheduled to go out on Sept. 28, is one of the largest payments of the year at nearly $450 million.

If this payment is missed, it will bring the cumulative funding delay to $840 million, or roughly 15 percent of districts’ total annual funding.

As a direct result of the delayed and deferred payments, community colleges have been forced to borrow money at a system-wide cost estimated in excess of $5 million. This is money that the colleges could be using to educate students.

This fall, students are pouring on to community college campuses seeking many different types of services. The unemployed are in search of career training. Displaced students from the University of California and California State University are seeking general education courses to transfer. Returning veterans are hoping to supplement their skills with a college degree or certificate.

In 2010, California’s largest graduating class of high school seniors hit the streets. Many are turning to community colleges to begin their higher education plans. Data from fall 2009 indicates first-time community college student enrollments decreased by 12 percent. This means many recent high school graduates wanting to attend a community college will not be able to do so due to space constraints exacerbated by their lack of priority registration.

Community college leaders are encouraged by Chancellor Scott to protect core programs and preserve classes in the areas of career technical education, transfer and basic skills.

“Our colleges are doing the best they can to educate hundreds of thousands of students for which the state is providing no remuneration,” said Scott. “But the reality is with the delayed budget things are getting worse. The community colleges and California’s college students are at a greater risk than ever before.”

For more information about the community colleges, visit www.cccco.edu.