I was glad to see Rick Baum’s Open Forum article, “City College is failing students by not offering enough classes,” on the back page of today’s San Francisco Chronicle. As I showed in an earlier post, Leslie Smith has championed the cause of saving City College--enabling CCSF to carry out its mission--as has Rick, and they have shared their information in meetings she's arranged (and I've attended) with Supervisor Dorsey's legislative aide and Supervisor Melgar's chief of staff. I took the second picture at City Hall on August 17th, so you can see both Leslie and Rick with Supervisor Dorsey's aide Muhanaz Ebadi.

I was particularly impressed by Rick’s use of numbers and comparisons. He points out, for example, that CCSF is offering 1,815 credit classes this fall, while the San Mateo Community College District, with only about 7% more credit students, is offering 2,422—33% more classes. Even more telling are the hundreds of students on waitlists for classes in subjects such as biology, chemistry, and English.

I know that City College has faced very real financial constraints, and there's been disagreement about which ones, if any, have been necessary. This should get attention from the public, city leaders, and the administration. I'll be interested in seeing how they respond.

Rick makes a compelling case for the danger of a downward spiral: when we cut classes, students who can’t get the classes they need go elsewhere; enrollment falls; and falling enrollment then becomes a reason for further cuts.

San Francisco needs a strong, accessible City College. I hope Rick’s article helps bring more attention—and more support—to making that possible.