Should Wealthier Students Get to Jump the Line For College Classes? [View all]

At one point, California State Assemblyman Das Williams was homeless, living in a Volkswagen van and getting pretty good grades at Santa Barbara City College.

“I was definitely a non-traditional student,” said the 38-year-old Democrat who now represents the 37th District, including Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, and chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

“I had dropped out of high school and I was low-income” and still, he said in a recent phone interview, “it was easier for me then, than it is for kids today.”

Within “two years and a summer” Williams had taken all of the required courses and transferred from the coastal community college to U.C. Berkeley.

That has become an increasingly difficult path for students to follow as severe statewide budget cuts have lead colleges to eliminate nearly 100,000 class sections. The reduction in class offerings has caused a bottleneck for basic courses required for transfer to four-year universities, leaving students stuck for years in a wait-listed limbo.

Williams said that’s why he’s authored AB 955—a bill that would allow community colleges to offer high-demand courses over winter and summer sessions for students willing to pay higher fees.

It would more than quadruple the cost of each unit from $46 to about $200, which means most students would pay about $600 for each “extension” course. Those who qualify for the Board of Governors fee waiver would be eligible for financial aid paid for by a portion of the revenue collected from the new fees.

“I freely admit it’s not the best option, but it’s the only option at this time for students who can’t afford to wait four years to get through community college,” said Williams.

The idea to relieve overcrowding and compensate for funding cuts through two-tier course pricing has been controversial since it was first floated in a similar bill in 2011.

Jonathan Lightman, executive director of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, contends the fees are equivalent to privatizing public education.

“It’s an unequivocal threat to the idea of fairness and academic democracy that the community college system has held since its inception.”


Opponents say the bill establishes a fast-track system that gives an extra advantage to those with money. It makes “access to core classes dependent on students’ capacity to pay.”

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http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/20/california-two-tier-college