The Guardsman Online

Hiring “Freeway Flyers,” part time, untenured teachers who teach at many campuses during a single semester, is becoming a widely used cost-saving measure at City College.

In this time of drastic and painful budget cuts to the California community college system, it’s hard to see any sort of optimism for City College and public education.

Modesto Junior College administration’s drastic cuts to several popular programs, including the elimination of the entire mass communications department, are at best driven by hopeless ignorance and at worst designed to silence student voices at the school.

At the beginning of every month Chris Shaeffer, director of the Homeless At Risk Transitional Students Program, and lab aid Tina Esquer hand out Muni fast passes at a reduced cost of $20 to students who are homeless, living in transitional homes and on parole.

Students at City College and community colleges across California fear increased financial pressure after attempts by Gov. Jerry Brown to implement tax extensions in a special election were blocked by Republican members of the state legislature.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s January proposal to eliminate the Division of Juvenile Justice was one way of grappling with the state’s more than $25 billion budget shortfall, hoping counties could gradually absorb all youth prisoners leaving the state’s system.

Public education was a major topic of discussion among seven San Francisco mayoral candidates at a March 21 Chinatown meet-and-greet, with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu calling for a stronger relationship between San Francisco and City College.

Students and faculty from Community Colleges from all over California storm the state capitol building in protest of proposed cuts [...]

A report recommending California to overhaul its public pension system released by an independent state oversight agency on Feb. 24 could propel the state into a series of labor and union struggles similar to those happening in Wisconsin.

City College, as well as the rest of the California Community Colleges system, is bracing for devastating funding cuts that will be handed down by the state when legislators finalize California’s 2011-12 budget.

The Financial Aid Office at City College has placed a temporary freeze on hiring new work-study employees until the new fiscal year begins this summer.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year includes a $400 million reduction in funding for the state’s community colleges, which could grow as high as $900 million if four tax measures Brown proposed don’t make it onto the June ballot, or fail with voters.

As California continues through a three-year recession, funds for City College are decreasing substantially, and as a result, administrators must decide how the school will cater to the ever-changing budget.