We support the Foothill-De Anza bond, Measure E, on Tuesday's ballot, not because it will simply improve the look of the community colleges, but because it funds sorely needed improvements. Here's what we found:
The $248 million proposed amounts to $14 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for property owners when spread over the district's 500,000 residents. This means that if you purchased a $1 million home in Los Altos, you would pay $140 annually - the cost of a few 49ers tickets, or in some of our cases, a couple of unpaid parking tickets. The vast majority of residents would pay a lot less.
The bond goes for needed improvements, such as replacing the rotting wooden beams on many of the Foothill College buildings. Foothill, 42 years old, and De Anza, at 32, have suffered, like many schools throughout the state, from deferred maintenance and a lack of money for building improvements-additions.
The good news is that funding was prioritized for the educational programs that ranked Foothill-De Anza among the state's best. But basic systems, such as heating, air conditioning and electrical, need to be replaced and updated. It's a huge undertaking - 200 acres of building space facing 10 years of work.
Foothill-De Anza needs to be supported because community colleges offer convenient and inexpensive access to higher education. The quality of that education at Foothill-De Anza makes them even more attractive
They serve all ages, from college-age students seeking undergraduate degrees, to middle-age residents embarking on second careers and seniors discovering art classes. We all have a stake in these institutions.
Foothill-De Anza officials spend millions on maintenance, money coming out of the general operating budget. Any money spent, however, amounts to a drop in the bucket. In the meantime, a higher maintenance budget means less for educational programs.
Foothill-De Anza's facilities have not received bond funding since 1972. Meanwhile, the demands created by skyrocketing enrollment (Foothill, built for 3,500 students, now accommodates 16,000) and the need for better high-tech instruction have pushed building uses beyond their limits. The money just hasn't been there to address the problem. The district still receives far less per student ($3,400) than virtually anywhere else in higher education. We feel the district has been prudent with the money it has received.
If these campuses are to be the training grounds for new workers, as many corporations are demanding, then buildings must be updated for such necessities as new science and computer labs. Measure E would fund these essentials.
The local community colleges have done a lot for us. The time is right for us to help them.