Santa Monica College (SMC) will be offering two- tier pricing for high demand classes beginning this summer.
Governing board approved a plan to offer certain high-demand classes for a higher price when the regular classes have filled up.
This decisions has come due to budget cuts and the cut in courses offered to the 34, 000 students that attend SMC, allowing students who highly need courses such as English and math a place in a class, but at a much higher cost.
On June 27, the legislature passed a budget that the state Senate leader called, “Most austere budget we have seen in a generation.”
California Governor Jerry Brown signed the budget into a law on June 30, 2011, the day before the start of the fiscal year.
“This may help SMC students have a better chance in adding courses this coming up semester, since we do not have a chance like other colleges to crash classes the first week of school, “ said Santa Monica College student Bernardo Ruiz “Community-college fees will increase $10 per unit.”
Fees will be raised from $36 to $46 by the summer session.
The cost for high demand classes will be $200 a unit.
The high- demand classes will be available for SMC students as soon as the regular priced courses have filled up.
Students who qualify for FAFSA or have received Cal Grants may use these resources to cover the fees.
“Although this does not sound very fair to students,” Girade Jackson a Santa Monica College student. “If it will help those of us who are close to graduating or transferring to a University I am for it.”
SMC received a $250,000 donation by businessman Daniel Greenberg and his wife, attorney and civic activist Susan Steinhauser.
The donation from the couple is going to go through a process for students who qualify to the criteria.
“SMC is a single college district, therefore this kind of change in pricing is easier and/or faster for them to get approved,” Bruce Rosky, Associate Vice President at Pierce College said.
This is unlikely to happen at Pierce College according to Rosky.
“Pierce College is part of a 9 college district, we are open access to students, which limits us with the classes we can teach depending on the money were funded, This subject hasn’t been brought up in our school and I doubt it may!” Rosky said.
