Pasadena City College will restore hundreds of classes it cancelled earlier this year, using proceeds from the state tax increase voters approved in November.
The college will receive $6.7 million in June under Proposition 30, Business Services Director Joe Simoneschi said.
The PCC Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to spend $4.4 million of that money to restore between 600 and 700 classes in the spring and summer sessions of 2013.
“To me, that’s what people were voting for when they approved this proposition,” said Trustee John Martin, who became president of the board this week with the completion of Trustee Geoffrey Baum’s presidential term.
Anticipating large shortfalls because of state budget woes, in September the PCC board had slashed 578 classes and eliminated the school’s winter session.
Baum said many of the new classes will restore work for adjunct faculty, who would have lost $3.1 million in wages if the class cuts had taken effect.
Officials are also earmarking $620,000 in Proposition 30 funds to hire additional full-time faculty, $400,000 to cover proposed employee raises, $400,000 for grants to establish new courses and $150,000 to expand assistance for military veterans. The school is also dedicating funds for libraries and academic counseling.
PCC President Mark Rocha said administrators have yet to determine which new classes to schedule, but will focus on those needed most by students seeking university transfers or associates degrees.
School counselors have already prioritized 96 courses that current students need to transfer or graduate, said Dean of Counseling Cynthia Olivo.
Simon Fraser, PCC’s student body president, said he is worried that new summer classes might not come in time for students planning January transfers to Cal State schools. Olivo said officials would try to tailor additional spring course offerings around transfer needs.
-- Joe Piasecki, Times Community News
Twitter: @JoePiasecki
