Kern Community College District Chancellor Sandra Serrano was at Bakersfield College in the Fireside Room on Oct. 5 to host an open forum for students and faculty members.
She highlighted a few of the district’s decisions concerning the primary goals of meeting the students’ needs and the needs of the local community.
Serrano also noted that many other community colleges are cutting their summer school programs and more classes during the regular semester than BC has. An issue concerning funding for remedial education was raised to which Serrano pointed out that approximately 65 percent of enrolled students are placed in basic skills education and said, “I think that is where most of our dollars are going.”
A question was asked regarding accommodations for disabled students, citing how some students are concerned that they may be losing out on services they have come accustomed to.
“There are some accommodations that are required and some accommodations that are nice to have if you can provide them,” said Serrano as she mentioned how services like a sign language interpreter is required but getting on a cart and riding across campus is not a service that is required.
“I personally think we need to help people with the minimum that is required, if we can do more than that I think that’s wonderful,” Serrano said as she described the non-essential, “miscellaneous” services in question.
The response by the audience member who asked the question was that students that are unable to walk to classes do need those services because they are essential necessities. Serrano did not have a reply.
Serrano believes that enrollment numbers are down about 100,000 community college students this year because of budget cuts.
Serrano said the California community college system is the largest higher educational facility in the world with 72 districts and 112 colleges that include a statewide enrollment of approximately 310,00 students.