Many people are flocking towards college degree programs in large numbers. With the California in budget stalemate, how are we supposed to serve everyone? The billion dollar question, I guess.

Here in San Francisco on the campus of City College, some college academic programs are being impacted. But, it's a two-fold story and I feel quite misunderstood about it.

So, I want to set the record straight.

The program is accurately described in a recent union questionnaire I received:
“City College of San Francisco (CCSF) currently offers classes to help train new healthcare workers and advance the careers of incumbent healthcare workers. These classes are currently offered to the general public with some spots reserved for the SEIU UHW & Joint Employer Education Fund. This employer-paid fund gives UHW and 1021 members the opportunity to improve the quality of care and meet our community's changing needs while advancing their careers and increasing their incomes.”

But, an anomaly was included in the description:
“In the past a proposal was being considered to close these CCSF classes to anyone other than San Francisco residents, which would make them unavailable to the large number of 1021 and UHW members who serve our community but cannot afford to live here.”
I have watched and spoken to trustees about this and this characterization is questionable as to what it is referring to.
I am going to set the record straight for me on this issue. Again, it is two-fold.
On the one hand, there is a subsidized healthcare program geared specifically for union workers. These programs then must be made available for those workers wishing to partake in them. The question that is being presented here is if non-resident workers that serve San Francisco would be allowed to take these classes or not.
I got to say that would be highly suspect of the College to do that in any way shape or form and not one of the trustees I have spoken to has eluded that this would be the case.
To me, it would be ludicrous to ban people who serve us dearly with their sweat from taking classes to enrich their lives and careers. It is further unreasonable to make them travel from home to the city, work all day, then beat-tired, travel all the way back, if not, beyond their homes to a farther away campus to take classes only to then double-back to get home. This is beginning to sound like the same situation as the part-time faculty has been experiencing for over twenty years.
I can't stand the thought of “freeway flyer” any more. Why? Because now I am one. I have to travel from SF to San Rafael four days a week. I can't stand being on the road. It's dangerous and the more I am on it the more concerned I get about my safety no less my lungs filling up with exhaust.
So, NO, I do NOT support a ban on San Francisco workers, union members taking these classes even if they don't live in the city. In fact, they should just pay the resident fee, too.
Now, that's settled.
On the other hand, we have a problem with impacted programs. Take Nursing, for instance. SF State University has one of the top Nursing programs in the Bay Area, if not, the state and beyond. The problem is that they accept far less than those that apply. What's worse is all those applicants come to SF anyway. Now, they are here and can't get into the school. So, where do they go? City College. Why? Because they have classes that are transferable to SF State.
Now that causes a huge influx of out-of-state students into a program that doesn't have the capacity or the funding to expand.
So, what happens? Once again, people get turned away.
But, who is getting turned away? San Francisco residents who have a difficult time as it is making ends meet and preventing foreclosure or eviction. These folks need to be served first.
But, City College needs the money and dinging the students for whatever dollars they have is good business since the state isn't giving up any these days.
But, who gets hurt in the end? SF residents.

So, for the record.
One, I support union members to take the classes and training that have already been paid for whether they are SF residents or not.
Two, SF residents AND union members are to be a protected class given first priority to register in these classes before any out-of-towner.
It's not about pay-to-play.
It's just about fairness.