Barry Burnett and Mona Field
In addition to the important City Council runoffs and the City Charter
amendment decision on April 10, Burbank voters will also have their
chance to elect members of the Los Angeles Community College District
Board of Trustees and to help pass Proposition A to rebuild our nine
community colleges.
Burbank residents use community colleges for the same reasons everyone
does: the range of courses and programs, the low fees, the convenience
and the open admissions policy.
Yet, when it comes time to choose which college to attend, both
traffic patterns and facilities come into play.
The closest Los Angeles colleges, Valley, Mission, Pierce, East Los
Angeles and City College, have suffered from lack of investment. This
deterioration can now be reversed. Plans are underway to address the most
urgently needed repair and construction projects at all nine colleges if
voters support Proposition A on April 10. LACCD also includes West L.A.,
Harbor, Trade Tech, and Southwest colleges.
Whether you attend a community college or simply know someone who has,
it is in everyone's interest to protect and enhance community college
education. Our regional economy requires more than a high school
education to master the skills and knowledge required by today's job
market.
Residents need opportunities for lifelong learning, and students
deserve a community college system that provides them with a quality
educational environment, an adequate technological infrastructure and a
safe and secure campus.
Proposition A would provide funding for the district to make real
improvements to the nine colleges that have not seen major repair or
construction efforts in more than 45 years.
The faculty and material are first-rate, but the facilities and
infrastructure do not meet what is required for a learning environment.
Annual enrollment at the community colleges speaks to their huge
success, but students are trying to master necessary skills in
overcrowded, "temporary" portable classrooms and bungalows that were put
on the campuses 20 years ago.
The state of the colleges demonstrates the neglect that all of our
education facilities have endured. Science laboratories and libraries are
sadly lacking updated facilities with the latest in technological
advances.
The buildings have plumbing and sewer systems that are in disrepair,
leaking roofs and decaying walls and ceilings. Campus passageways and
parking lots need better lighting, and the grounds and facilities are in
