The California State Legislature is calling for reforms to the community college system in order to save money and help students reach their educational goals.

Recent data have revealed that a vast number of community college students are not on track to finish their lower division studies within two years. In fact, only about one fourth of students who enter California community colleges are able to transfer within three years. The state government feels this is detrimental to its higher education budget and the success of the community college system.

About 85% of first-year California community college students are unprepared for college work. This causes a need for remedial classes so students can get up to speed. About 10% of instruction at California community colleges was at the pre-collegiate level in 2009-10, at a cost of $550 million dollars. Not only is this type of instruction expensive, but when students need to enroll in these classes, they are usually unable to get the credits they need to transfer within two years.

In 1960, the California Postsecondary Education Commission designed its Master Plan for Education, which outlines the purpose of the community college system. The plan has been amended over the years, but the main message is the same. The purpose of the California Community College System is to enable students to (1) earn credits in order to transfer to a four-year institution, (2) receive an associate degree or certificate, and (3) gain basic job or language skills.

Currently, the minimum number of units students need to transfer is 60. Once those credits are earned, it is the expectation of the state that students leave community college and enroll in a university. However, there are many students who have more than 60 units and remain at community college rather than move on. In 2009-10, there were about 120,000 students enrolled in California community colleges who had more than 90 units (which is the maximum many public universities will accept for transfer). There were about 9,000 students in the state with 150 units or more.

This can be problematic for a number of reasons. Foremost is the issue of open classes. With class options down and enrollment up, it is more critical than ever that students who intend to transfer are able to get the classes they need.

“I only need two more classes,” Jessica Candelaire said. “I can’t get into them, though, because they fill up so fast.”

The concern of the legislature is that long-time students have priority registration over students who haven’t been enrolled as many semesters. In theory, this is to make it easier for students who are closer to transferring to get the classes they need, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Many students, like those mentioned above with more than 90 units, may not intend to transfer.

The second issue is that of state funding. The state currently subsidizes community college fees so students only have to pay a fraction of the true cost, but this is putting a strain on state resources. This, along with the issue of class availability, has led to a number of recommendations from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Regarding the issue of open classes, the LAO recommends that colleges give the highest registration priority to those who are fully matriculated (defined as those who have “participated in assessment, orientation, and counseling, as well as completed an educational plan,” according to LAO’s report) and are making good progress toward their educational goals.

As far as the state budget goes, the legislature does have the power to require full (unsubsidized) fees for students who fall into certain categories. The LAO recommends a cap of 100 units, which would prevent those students with more units from receiving full government subsidies.

It is currently unknown how the legislature will act upon these recommendations. The state has recently passed legislation that requires the Board of Governors to put together a task force whose primary purpose is to create a plan for student success within the community college system. The plan is due next January and will subsequently be presented to the legislature.