The fees to attend California’s community colleges are by far the lowest in the United States — less than half the national average — yet at least 40 percent of the 2.4 million students in the largest U.S. system of higher education do not pay them. The reasons? An unusual financial aid program and a half-century-old vision that made affordability and open access the chief purpose of the two-year schools… As state funding declined by $1.5 billion over four years, lawmakers raised fees three times, to the current price of $46 per unit. But nearly all the anticipated revenue was eaten up by the waivers and colleges ended up cutting courses and enrollment anyway, said Boilard, who thinks the state needs to look hard at further restricting waivers and substantially raising the admission price.

Read full article [here].
by Lisa Leff, The Sacramento Bee.

Posted: November 9th, 2013, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.