Almost forty years ago the district sought, and received, voter support for a capital facilities bond. Now East County’s community colleges – Grossmont and Cuyamaca – seek help again. Classrooms and labs need extensive repair, renovation and upgrading. Overcrowding is making the situation even worse. The facilities problems must be addressed so that local students can continue to obtain affordable, high quality education that prepares them for jobs and four-year colleges. That is why a $207 million bond measure, Proposition R (for repair) has been placed on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Since the opening of Grossmont College’s doors in 1961 and Cuyamaca College in 1977, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District has served more than 1.3 million students as the only public provider of higher education in the East County. More than half of the local high school graduates who go on to college enroll at either Grossmont or Cuyamaca College.

Colleges that were built to serve a combined population of 8,300 students now enroll 26,000 each semester. Grossmont College was built with plans to accommodate 4,800 students. Today, more than 18,000 students are enrolled. Cuyamaca was built for 3,500 students. It now serves 8,000. Based on projections backed by the state chancellor’s office, more than 35,000 students will attend the colleges in 2015 – 20,000 at Grossmont and 15,000 at Cuyamaca.

As student growth continues at its rapid rate, as all indicators show it will, the colleges face a facilities crunch that becomes more chronic with each passing semester. Not only are the campuses running out of room, but the constant wear and tear on existing buildings has reached the point where temporary repairs to problems like deteriorating plumbing, leaky roofs, and faulty heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems are no longer viable.

The safety of students and staff is increasingly at risk and the cost of repair climbs higher and higher as the work is delayed, year after year, because of budgeting constraints. Although the college district has obtained some state funds for maintenance and has regularly budgeted local operating funds for the same purpose, the funds are simply massively inadequate.

The colleges are so overcrowded that hallways have been converted to classroom space. Without additional buildings or remodeling to make better use of limited space, Grossmont and Cuyamaca may be forced to turn away students whose future success depends heavily on the accessibility, educational quality and modest fees of the community colleges.

The need to modernize and retrofit classrooms and labs built decades before the digital age has become abundantly clear to students, instructors and others. Access to high-tech tools and equipment is an absolute necessity if students are to be well prepared for today’s competitive job market, but that also calls for major upgrades to accommodate computers, wiring, cables and labs.

Proposition R (for repair) is a major piece of the district’s $360 million Facilities Master Plan, developed to address the facilities crisis.

The district has been innovative in finding ways to meet college needs: pursuing numerous state and federal grants, foundation assistance, and garnering private industry support. Unfortunately, the colleges are hamstrung by a flawed funding formula at the state level that translates into a huge funding disparity among the state's community colleges.

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca District ranks near the bottom for state funding. California's community colleges receive an average of $3,641 for each full-time-equivalent student, but the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District receives only $3,456. What looks like a mere $185 difference from the state average becomes huge when added up – a yearly shortfall of $2.8 million!

Proposition R asks voters in the district to authorize the issuance of $207 million in bonds – no small amount by any measure, but because of the sizable East County population, the impact on individual property owners will not exceed $25 a year for every $100,000 of assessed valuation or $2.08 per month per $100,000. Assessed valuation refers to the taxable value, not market value. The taxable value is based on the date of property purchase.

By law, the college district must impose strict safeguards to ensure that the funds generated will be spent only as presented in the ballot statement. No funds from Proposition R will be spent for administrators' salaries.

A Citizens Oversight Committee will be established to ensure that monies are spent as promised and not wasted. Annual independent financial and performance audits will be required. The oversight committee will include local business leaders, taxpayer organizations and others representing the broad scope of community interests within the boundaries of the college district.

For comments or further information, please call the District Public Information Office at 619-644-7573 or e-mail info-gcccd@cox.net.