Delta College works to expand options in county

By Alicia Castro | Posted: Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Calaveras Enterprise

Low enrollment for fall classes a problem

Cynthia Marshall of Valley Springs is closing in on her goal of a business certification. She just needs to take one more computer class, and she was thrilled to discover that it is scheduled to be held at Calaveras High School this fall.

But as of Friday, she was the only student enrolled in the class and she’s worried it will be canceled.

“Ultimately, I firmly believe that enrollment shouldn’t matter because next semester they’ll have more,” she said. “If they cancel classes, that’s going to defeat everybody.”

Aiming to address concerns about post-secondary education in Calaveras, a July 11 press conference gathered San Joaquin Delta College officials and education leaders at the Calaveras County Main Library in San Andreas. The meeting, also attended by about 75 community members, was hosted by District 1 Supervisor Cliff Edson, who has spearheaded a renewed effort to get higher education in Calaveras by establishing an education committee and developing an action plan.

Recently, Delta College came under fire with the Calaveras County Grand Jury report, which recommended Calaveras withdrawal from the San Joaquin Delta Community College District and wholly join the Yosemite Community College District that includes Columbia College in Tuolumne.

“Since the Grand Jury report came out, I think it’s important that we discuss the progress we’ve made with Delta College in general,” Edson said. “We pretty much covered everything they discussed since last May.”

The Grand Jury investigation was spurred by a written complaint about the use of funds in a bond that was passed in 2004. The report said Calaveras has not received its promised benefits, which included a satellite campus and increased course offerings in Calaveras.

And it’s time to see steps in that direction, said Marshall, who – along with other property owners in the northern half of Calaveras County – pays into Delta with taxes and bond measure funding.

“We’ve been paying the bond for so long that it’s time,” Marshall said. “They just need to have the classes this fall no matter how many students enroll, because if they don’t build it, then no one is going to come.”

Delta College President Kathy Hart said she hopes for 15 students in each of the four general education courses offered this fall at CHS.

Registration is open until Aug. 14, with the semester beginning four days later. Hart said the majority of course registration takes place in that final crunch time. Classes will need to meet a minimum requirement, she said, admitting that a firm number had not been established.

“We’re willing to live with a little bit lower than enrollment requirements,” Hart said. “The only way to keep it going is to invest in it and to see if we’ll be able to develop a clientele.”

At the July 11 meeting, a key component of this process was announced: Calaveras Unified School District trustee Sherri Reusche will serve as the new community liaison between Delta and Calaveras.

“We need someone up here who knows the kids, knows the landscape and knows the people,” Edson said. “If we have programs here, we’ve got to have students, so we’re going to work on encouraging students from a young age.”

He said that in the committee meetings, a trend surfaced. In recent years, many graduating students have left Calaveras for education and stayed away to find work, Edson said.

“After you do that for 30 years or so, you bleed out, and I realized that we had bled out,” he said. “We are going to begin, with Delta’s help, a program in Calaveras County for post-secondary education.”

Hart echoed that this is a shared goal – one her college has in common with Columbia College, she said. She added that traditionally, community colleges have competed for students; Hart is hoping for collaboration.

“I think it’s really smart,” she said. “I think we can offer a lot more, particularly up here, if we work together and try to offer more, rather than just what we may be able to do.”

Hart said discussions have already begun among herself, Calaveras County Superintendent of Schools Kathy Northington and Columbia College President Angela Fairchilds.

Hart said the three entities plan to team up for a community day this fall, as well as a community meeting slated for Sept. 25, with a time and location yet to be announced.

Eventually, Hart said she hopes to establish a Calaveras office to develop a couple of majors and certificate plans.

“What we’re going to try to do is build this right away, but it will be slow,” she said. “We won’t have full-blown programs in a year. It’s going to take two to three years to get this going.”

Delta has already begun advertising in local media, and Reusche has commenced her recruitment efforts.

She is also available to field questions and respond to concerns such as transportation to Delta’s campus in Stockton, confusion with online registration and frustration with duplication of online and the CHS classes, all of which were voiced at the meeting.

Edson said collaborative gatherings like these can further education in Calaveras – something he said was waylaid by animosity and division.

“We cannot go backwards,” he said. “It won’t do any good. I was mad, and I got really motivated in that way… If we grow, they will help us grow.”