Bakersfield College enrollment increased 12 percent during the fall semester, according to Sue Vaughn, director of enrollment services.
But the college will have to wait until next fall before finding out if it will be paid by the state for its growth.
While BC grew 12 percent, 6 percent of that was over its intended target.
Vaughn said that by exceeding that number, BC is entitled to more money next year because going over the target number shows the state BC has grown.
“We have added more sections and the demand for enrollment from students is higher than before,” she said. “The faculty has been generous and allowed more students to add.”
However, Steve Eso, faculty union president, said this is a double-edged sword.
“We try not to turn anyone away, but we are teaching more students not knowing if we are going to be paid for them,” he said. “We can only hope we’ll get a higher target next year.”
The state of California pays a certain amount of money per full-time student, also known as full-time equivalent student (FTES), enrolled at BC, which is, about $4,000 per student according to Vaughn.
Based on the target number, BC is entitled to “over $44 million” said Vaughn.
But Eso said that sometimes schools are not even given the money owed under the target number.
“The state does not turn out enough money and most of the money is not given at all,” he said. “So we are double dinged. We aren’t given all the money owed to us (under the target) and we don’t get all the growth money.”
If a school fails to reach its target, Vaughn said that the money planned for it is reassigned to schools who did meet their percentage.
“The state gives each school a target growth rate and if a school doesn’t meet it, we get reimbursed that money,” she said. “Our statement to the state is due July 15. That is when we ask for reimbursement for our growth.”
However, that money does not go to the current over-enrolled spring semester. It is planned by the state for the 2002 fall semester.
Eso said that California is one of the few states that caps enrollment and give their schools target growth money.
California also does not pay schools for their growth until the semester after growth is proven.
“We are educating students for nothing,” he said. “We never know when we hit the target until after we are fully enrolled for that semester. But we try not to turn anyone away.”