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Why you should vote yes on E

by Craig Goldman and Barry Groves

It's no secret that succeeding in the Silicon Valley economy requires a top-notch education. The best and the brightest from all over the world come here to work and our residents must be prepared to compete for jobs.

At Mountain View's elementary, middle and high schools, we strive to give our students a strong foundation in math, science and writing so the students are prepared for the next step in their education.

Upon graduation, many of our students go on to Foothill College and De Anza College, which consistently rank among the best community colleges in the nation. Foothill and De Anza are an important stepping stone to transfer to top universities and a place to learn the specialized math, science and engineering skills needed to begin a successful career in our demanding local job market.

Local demand for community college courses is increasing as University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses turn away more and more high school graduates each year. UC and CSU have raised tuition substantially, making a four-year university education too expensive for many students and their families. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of Mountain View Los Altos high school district students who entered Foothill College or De Anza College increased by 29 percent.

At the same time as demand for community college courses is rising, Foothill College and De Anza College have been forced to reduce course offerings and eliminate hundreds of full- and part-time faculty and staff positions due to more than $20 million in state funding cuts. Thousands of students could not get the courses they need. With more state budget deficits expected, this problem will only get worse.

This November we can preserve access to affordable job training and higher education by voting yes on Measure E for the Foothill De Anza Community College District.

Measure E will provide stable funding for our colleges that cannot be taken away by the state. Measure E will fund core academic classes, including math, science and writing; training for careers in healthcare, nursing, paramedics, technology, and engineering; and preparation for students to transfer to four-year universities.

Dr. Barry R. Groves and Craig Goldman are superintendents, respectively, of the Mountain View Los Altos high school and the Mountain View Whisman elementary school districts.

Posted by Ron, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Oct 27, 2010 at 10:42 pm

Measure E is not about students but preserving the outsize salaries and benefits of the employees of Foothill De Anza. The Palo Alto Post recently published a story showing that more than 400 employees of these schools have salaries over $100K per year. The state can't afford these huge salaries and their associated benefits and we can't afford Measure E. Vote No.