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Yahoo!Controversial plans to significantly raise fees for dozens of previously free Santa Barbara City College Adult Education classes mutated once again this week. The rate hikes, which were approved by the City College Board of Trustees early Thursday evening, bore little if no resemblance to the previous incarnation of the free-to-fee plan that has had Adult Ed students and teachers up in arms since news first broke of the proposal two weeks ago.
Paul Wellman
SBCC Adult Ed meeting.
All told — as per yesterday’s board action — 20 classes being offered for the upcoming spring quarter (the majority of which are cooking classes) will be assigned enrollment fees between $40 and $135 for the first time ever. Speaking to critics shortly before the fateful votes were cast, boardmember Des O’Neill opined, “Nobody on this board is out to get Continuing Education. We are members of the community. We are elected and we represent you … But in the present crunch, I think I have to go ahead and support the fees.”
There was no shortage of outrage earlier this month when City College trustees — their hands forced by nearly $10 million in required cuts from their General Fund over the past two years — discussed fast-developing plans to start charging money for 60 Adult Ed classes, most of them art courses or workshops. Feeling completely ignored in the decision-making process, shocked by the proposed amounts (in some cases, classes were going to be as much as $250), and generally leery of the logic behind what classes were picked for the rate hikes, instructors and students alike came out to cry foul and demand explanations.
Paul Wellman
Ofelia Arellano
In the time since that emotional February 11 hearing, the board been inundated by questions and concerns from the public. But, more importantly, chief Adult Education administrator Dr. Ofelia Arellano has since had face-to-face meetings with teachers and former City College administrators to further inform the proposals. Hence, a vastly different and less expensive package of fee-based classes — featuring 15 cooking, three glass working, and two literature courses — were proposed this week.
But still, skepticism and concern remained. Speaking during public comment, Sally Saenger, Continuing Education Instructors Association president, explained that she was “heartened” by the dialogue with administrators and the new version of proposed fees, but that the process — particularly because of this latest change — is still suspect. “There are still lots of questions and we just haven’t had those questions answered sufficiently,” said Saenger, before adding, “We were told there was extensive research done for the first list [of proposed rates], so it concerns me that there is now a third, entirely different list.”
Paul Wellman
Joe Dobbs
It was precisely this significant shuffling of proposed fee amounts and affected courses that prompted boardmember Luis Villegas to make a motion to table the discussion for another week or two in the spirit of further dialogue. “I thought I understood this last Friday, but at this point in time I don’t think I have a clear understanding anymore,” said Villegas, mere minutes after board president Dr. Joe Dobbs indicated that the board was ready to approve the fees. Much to the displeasure of the audience, there was no second for Villegas’s motion and a short time later the fees were approved with the condition that they, at this point in time, be assessed for the spring quarter only and that the matter be further evaluated in the coming months.
The classes approved for the rate hikes are as follows:
- The Best American Essays
- The Austen Mystique: Why Jane Rules
- Poetry, Prose, and Plays
- Intermediate and Advanced Glass Fusing
- Multi-Level Glass Fusing
- Jewelry, Dicronics, and Beyond
- BBQs and More
- Soup, Salad, and Desert
- Cake Decorating
- Chinese Cooking
- Salute to Sushi
- Indian Vegetarian
- 3rd Generation Italian Cooking
- Global Vegetarian Cuisine
- Spring, Light and Elegant
- Healthy Foods for Children
- Survival Cooking for Singles
- Whole Grains, the Good Carbs
- Simple, Sensational, Cooking for Spring
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What are the qualifications for being on the Board? Most of these people do not represent accurately those who are students at the adult/continuing ed section of SBCC - or, probably, the interests of the students on the main campus. Some of these trustees have been there since the 1970's! Do they get paid? What do they do? What about term limits? How about having an article, Indy, on these questions?
citti (anonymous profile)
February 27, 2010 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Similaryly, let's have a similar investigation into the backgrounds of the complainers who can't seem to understand that there is less money to support SBCC because of, oh let's see, a world-wide recession, a state that has spent itself into virtual bankruptcy, a county and city balancing its budget on the backs of private sector employees, etc. Sounds to me like adult education should start with a simple course in economics, finance, taxation, and government spending. And yes, the students should pay, lest the courses be considered of no value.
JohnLocke (anonymous profile)
February 27, 2010 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps one should sit and seriously consider which classes are not just free and frivolous but ESSENTIAL such as Basic Math, English and Spanish, Nursing and Computer Lab, all necessary to those entering the workplace. Career counselling could be in there too. People losing their long - term jobs are going to need to learn new skills in other areas. If one has regularly attended classes such as Music, Cooking, Jewellery, Art and Knitting one should have an idea what it's all about. Why not check out books and instructional DVDs from the Library ? If people are really interested they can have groups of hobbyists in their own homes to knit and natter, test recipes from cookbooks and practice their Musical and Horticultural skills. Retirees have plenty of time on their hands to be creative with their ideas. Stop complaining and be glad you do not have to face a future without the skills to provide a living for yourself and your family.
samuel (anonymous profile)
February 27, 2010 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey John Locke and Samuel - clearly neither of you has a clue about Adult Ed (Continuing Education) or what's offered there -- here's a hint -- it's not the place to go to get a nursing degree or take a class in taxation. For those things, you go to SBCC. Personal Enrichment in the form of Arts, Crafts, Humanities, Physical Education and Languages (ESPECIALLY English as a Second Language) are the types of things offered.
I don't believe that there is anyone opposed to paying a fee for this wonderful program. The confusion, outcry and demand for answers came when the board proposed to raise the fees of some 74 art classes to upwards of $250.00 and leave the other 2,000 classes free. Students and Educators alike wanted to know what the criteria was for chosing the specific classes and also what the formula was for coming up with the fee. They wanted honesty and transperancy, no more, no less.
This issue with the non state approved cooking classes is really a seperate thing having nothing to do with the first, unless the plan was to raise money to keep the cooking classes free by charging the Art students. Who knows?
Because you are so interested in the economics of it all, consider this - 10 units (3 classes) over the course of 16 weeks at SBCC is $260.00. Yet the board wanted to charge $250.00 for an 8 week jewelry class (no units involved) at Adult Ed. (this fee was arrived at without ANY input from the instructors or staff, btw) Perhaps that is something that seems quite logical to you, to others, it raised questions, and that's why we're all here today discussing it.
MigraineJane (anonymous profile)
February 27, 2010 at 1:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Three cheers for MigraineJane! For most serious academic endeavors, go to SBCC credit division for classes. For the majority of people, this issue has always been about the process: lack of clear data and criteria as to how the adminstration arrived at their decision(s). They have changed their minds so many times no one can keep up with them. Luis Villegas was the only smart person on the Board last Thursday. Shame on the rest of the Board for being bullied by Serban.
THANK YOU, Ethan, for another excellent article on an issue that affects many Santa Barbarians.
whatsername (anonymous profile)
February 28, 2010 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)