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Health & Fitness

Blog: Proposition 30: A Wise Investment in California's Future

On behalf of the Citrus College community, Dr. Geraldine M. Perri thanks voters for the recent passage of Prop. 30.

By Geraldine M. Perri, Ph.D., Superintendent/President, Citrus College

Election Day 2012 will be remembered for its milestones in our country’s political history.  For Californians, especially those who aspire to attain a college education or enter the workforce, this Election Day will also be remembered as the day voters made a wise investment in California’s educational, social and economic future by voting “Yes” on Proposition 30.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, students, faculty and staff of Citrus College, it is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank the voters of our communities and our state for their efforts and votes in support of Proposition 30.  The outcome of your concerns about our state’s economic viability and its educational stability will soon provide students access to additional class sections offered at the state’s 112 community colleges.  This year alone, California’s community colleges will share $210 million in additional funds that enable the state to make good on its deferred funding commitments, and most importantly, serve an additional 20,000 students statewide.

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The Citrus College community welcomes the passage of Proposition 30, as it will enable the college to fulfill its institutional goal, A College of Completion.  This initiative, which was adopted at the beginning of the academic year, strives to equip students with the information and support that will help them complete their education at Citrus College in a timely manner and accomplish their future educational and career goals.  Faculty, students and staff have embraced A College of Completion and have begun to explore and implement strategies that will enable students to succeed.  Now, thanks to the passage of Proposition 30, the college will offer more of the classes needed for students to achieve successful outcomes on their educational journeys.

Proposition 30’s effects on Citrus College will be realized immediately, with current students as its primary beneficiaries.  Approximately 165 class sections are being added to the winter session and spring semester schedules.  These sections represent critical academic and high-demand disciplines such as mathematics, English, science, and fine and performing arts.

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These added sections will also enable students to fulfill general education requirements in a more timely manner, so that they can receive an associate degree in one of the college’s 35 programs of study; earn an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T, AS-T) in one of 13 disciplines that will provide students a pathway into the California State University system with junior standing;  earn a career/technical certificate of achievement from 31 areas of study from administration of justice to wildland resources and forestry—or a combination of these opportunities.   In addition, the college will ensure that students who first need to strengthen their academic skills will also have the classes necessary to expedite their completion. 

The aforementioned items align with the Student Success Act of 2012, which was signed into law in September 2012, the mission of the California Community Colleges, and Citrus College’s mission to “support successful completion of transfer, career/technical education, and basic skills development.”  The next seven years in which Proposition 30 will be in effect will undoubtedly be challenging.  I am confident, however, that what we will accomplish will be worthwhile. 

Once again, thank you for your vote in support of this important initiative.

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