SMC Board Slashes Programs, Jobs

By Oliver Lukacs

March 11 -- Facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees Monday night slashed ten academic programs costing the jobs of 13 full-time instructors and eliminated 13 administrators, moves that will affect approximately 1,900 students.

The cutbacks come one week after the board postponed a decision to eliminate 43 classified employees -- including custodians, assistants and groundskeepers -- after more than 200 employees, students and community residents turned out in protest.

With the exception of Student Trustee Allison Sandera, the board unanimously made the "painful" decision to approve the reductions, to the dismay of some 200 members of the public, including faculty leaders disappointed they were excluded from the decision-making process.

"These decisions (are) painful for all of us," said Trustee Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison. "It's the hardest part of our job."

"This is an action we're forced to take because of the terrible conditions we're facing and the terrible time limit we've been given," said Trustee Chair Herb Roney,

Monday's decision leaves numerous SMC students in the eliminated programs -- which include architecture, fashion and interior design, public safety, recreation, tourism and transportation technology -- up in the air, delaying them from either obtaining their AA degree or transferring to a four-year university.

With her children in tow, Cynthia Nury Holquin begged the board to retain the program she hopes will train her for work as a legal assistant and eventually help her enter law school.

"That's why I came here, to try to get a better life for my kids," she said tearfully. Other speakers criticized the elimination of vocational programs as "elitist," arguing that the cuts favor transfer students to those preparing for careers.

"Not everybody transfers," said Richard Gire. "Some people go to work."

International students will especially be hard hit. After spending thousands of dollars on multi-semester vocational programs now cancelled, they will walk away empty handed without a diploma or a certificate of completion.

While Monday's decision to scale back the college's offerings seems final, as many as 10 members of the workforce slated to be eliminated could be retained, administrative officials said.

"Everything sounds tentative, but it's really decisive," said Barbara Baird, a member of the Academic Senate that is currently searching for outside funding -- including talking to three former SMC football-players-turned-pro -- in an attempt to rescue some of the programs on the chopping block.

The Academic Senate -- which is made of faculty elected from every department -- proposed a number of alternatives to firing employees. They include coaxing the 70 employees over the age of 55 to retire through incentives, enhancing revenues by creating fines for smoking outside buildings and encouraging faculty to "bank hours," teaching extra classes for extended vacation time instead of money.

Even with the cost-cutting reductions going into effect July 1, the move will only absorb $2 million of a historic $15 million blow the school is bracing for in the next fiscal year, according to Bruce Smith, SMC's public information officer.

Smith said further reductions could occur pending final decisions in Sacramento, where the state government faces a staggering $34.5 billion budget shortfall.

College officials project that thousands more students will be locked out of classes that will be eliminated in the fall semester as part of a 30 percent reduction of general services to tackle an anticipated $530 million state budget cut for community colleges in fiscal year 2003-04.

As it stands the community college has already chopped 7.5 percent of its spring semester course offerings (250 class sections) and eliminated 16 part-time counselors and most temporary employees to meet this year's $5 million midyear budget shortfall.

On Sunday, 150 students, faculty and administrators will board buses for an all night ride to the steps of the state Capitol. On Monday, they will join thousands of community college activists from across California in what is being billed as the "March in March," which could be the largest such protest in state history.

"Community colleges are facing the most devastating cuts in their history," said Luis Barrera, president of the SMC Associated Students in a press release. "With course reductions, deep cuts in counseling staffs, overcrowded classrooms, and the possibility of steep fee increases next year, many students are simply dropping out and giving up on their dreams.

"We cannot allow this to happen," Barrera said.