Prop 30 Means More Classes for Mt. SAC Students

The passage of Proposition 30 means more class offerings for Mt. San Antonio College students.

College officials announced this week that funding provided by the passage of the measure in November has enabled the campus to add 130 classes.  Those additional sections will open up 4,000 seats in classes, providing access to 1,000 students, officials said. Online registration for the spring semester began Wednesday.

“The passage of Proposition 30 not only saved us from cuts totaling $8.6 million, but provided $1 million in new money for Mt. SAC to add 130 course sections for the spring semester,” said Mt. SAC President Bill Scroggins in a news release. “If Prop. 30 had failed, Mt SAC would have denied access to over 8,000 students. Instead, with this new Prop. 30 money, we will be opening our doors to 1,000 more students.”

Proposition 30, also referred to as the School and Safety Protection Act, involves a four-year, quarter-cent increase to the state’s sales tax. The measure, which earned just over 55 percent of the vote in the November election, also raises personal income tax on Californians who earn more than $250,000 a year for the next seven years.

Some local school districts, including Walnut Valley Unified, have said that the passage of .

Community colleges apprear to have fared better.

Mt. SAC plans to add sections in the areas of highest demand to aid students trying to complete transfer requirements, finish courses for degrees and certificates, or accelerate their progress through writing, math, and reading classes, officials said.

Also to be added are classes in chemistry, biology, math, English, and speech, as well as general education courses needed for transfer, including political science, history, earth sciences, and psychology. The spring schedule also will included additional career preparation classes in nursing, child development, and hotel and restaurant management.

“It is the college's goal to support students in their need to meet their educational goals in a more timely way and to provide courses for students needing to begin their education at Mt. SAC,” said Mt. SAC Vice President of Instruction Virginia Burley.

The college plans to print the added classes in an addendum to the spring class schedule and make that available on the Mt. SAC website and the student portal next week.

The spring semester begins Feb. 25.