Back to the blackboard

"Super Tuesday," Feb. 5, was a day of anguish for some, and victory for others. For California Community Colleges, it was certainly a day of agony.

Proposition 92, which would separate community college funding from K-12 funding formula and lower student tuition fees to $15 was failing 42.7 percent to 57.3 percent as of 1:49 a.m.

With voters failing to support the proposition, the future may be grim for community colleges.

"Los Rios will be fine for the first year, but we'll all have to tighten our belts," said Diana Hicks, union president for American River College.

At the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento, leaders of the Los Rios College Federation of Teachers (LRCFT), the Faculty of Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC), the Community College League of California (CCLC) and the California Federation of Teachers rallied to show support for Proposition 92 and watch the results come in.

Among them, ARC President Dr. David Viar.

"Community colleges are the key for success for Californians, and [Proposition 92] allows for more students to be able to [attend] our schools, which enhances our workforce by providing more classes and more education to current and future students," he said.

Scott Lay, one of the creators and main endorsers of Proposition 92, says the battle doesn't end Tuesday.

"If the proposition fails, our coalition will not disband, and we will continue to fight for what the proposition stands for, no matter what," he said.

With no limits on tuition fees, many people say that community college students could see higher fees.

"It's very hard to predict if tuition fees will rise in the near future, but with no restrictions and with the condition of our budget, there's no telling what could happen," Chancellor Harris said.