The following letter to the editor was published in The Beach Reporter newspaper (TBRnews.com) on Thursday, November 1, 2012 in the Letters section. The Beach Reporter has a strict 250-word limit.
Don’t support Measure E
As a longtime, knee-jerk supporter of education, the decision to oppose Measure E was not easy. In making my decision I considered the following:
El Camino College is unable to provide instruction to meet the needs of current students. There is not enough money to pay operating expenses, (i.e. money for classroom instruction). Measure E does not address this problem, instead it creates debt to rebuild and remodel existing infrastructure. Proponents advocate the expenditures for “future students” who they assume will attend classes on campus.
Opponents fear that the community will incur debt for buildings that may stand empty for lack of operating funds. Opponents suggest that online courses may continue to replace on-campus classes as they are already doing at many colleges and universities, including USC’s Virtual Academic Center and El Camino College, which currently provides over 100 online classes.
I have decided that we should not incur 21st century debt on the basis of a 20th century idea of the future of education, especially when we cannot meet our obligations to provide an education to current students.
Marilyn Montenegro
Redondo Beach
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