Marc Boyd: Will Calaveras County finally get its community colleges?

It’s been over 10 years since the passage of two community college bond measures that contained explicit promises of establishing new education centers in Calaveras County.

The county is split between two community college districts, with Modesto-based Yosemite Community College District covering the southern portion and Stockton-based San Joaquin Delta Community College District in the northern portion. This fiscal year, county Calaveras taxpayers will contribute $4.7 million into the districts’ coffers.

In 2004, voters in both districts approved separate bond measures totaling $576 million. Both promised education centers in the Calaveras County area and both were green-lighted by voters. Within a few years, both districts had announced land purchases in the county.

Unfortunately, the master plans of neither district now include a commitment to go forward with facilities on those sites. Recently, the last glimmer of hope for an education center in Calaveras County was laid to rest by Columbia College.

But rising out of past promises for satellite campuses is a new concept called outreach sites. Columbia College President Angela Fairchilds has announced plans to start offering courses this fall at the unoccupied Vallecito High School, once part of the Bret Harte High School District.

Fairchilds expects the vacant site between Angels Camp and Murphys to be up and running this fall with four or five instructional spaces available for day and evening classes. The Vallecito site is expected to have a computer lab, student counseling and rotating student services, giving it the feel of a satellite campus.

Fairchilds is determined to follow through, saying, “We still have an unmet obligation to the people of Calaveras County.”

Bret Harte High School Principal Michael Chimente says “the school board is very excited and strongly supports the new site. We have a great collaborative partnership with Columbia College.”

On the Delta side of the county, a group called the Calaveras Community College Advisory Committee has been spearheaded by County Supervisor Cliff Edson. Fueled by a Calaveras County Grand Jury report slamming Delta for not delivering on its 2004 promise, the group is making progress.

Working as a liaison with Delta College is Sherri Reusche, vice president of the California School Board Association and a member of Calaveras Unified School District board. Reusche is a passionate proponent of stackable credits, allowing students to satisfy occupational training requirements which lead directly to employment. Reusche is pursuing sites in Calaveras to create courses designed to jump-start careers in public safety.

Edson would like to see course offerings include water certification programs. “We are where the water resources are,” he said.

In 2012, the Chancellor’s office of California Community Colleges published a study showing “agriculture, water and the environment” breaking into the top 10 of “New Strategic Industry Sectors.” That was before the drought began.

“Fresno State has a strong interest in assisting our water training courses,” said Fairchilds, and David Zoldoske, director of Fresno State’s Center for Irrigation Technology, agrees.

In addition to course offerings for students in general education and public safety, the opportunity to create a destination for the next generation of water managers with community college training should be a goal of both districts. Hopefully, with increased scrutiny on both districts to meet their obligations, the era of broken promises to college-bound students will come to an end.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Marc Boyd: Will Calaveras County finally get its community colleges?."