With 15 fewer classes than last spring and 22 classes fewer than in spring 2008, enrollment at the Cabrillo College branch in Scotts Valley has been cut almost in half from a year ago.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 27, less than two weeks before the Feb. 9 start of the spring semester, enrollment in Scotts Valley totaled 354 students, compared with 629 at the same time last year.
The enrollment drop directly correlates to the fact that there are 15 fewer classes available than in spring 2009 — roughly a 55 percent decline in offerings.
“It’s one of those difficult things,” said Rachel Mayo, Cabrillo’s dean of educational centers. “You’re not able to offer what you want to the community.”
According to admission records, the classes offered at the Scotts Valley center are still filling up — but many of the classes that served students seeking enrichment, such as dance and physical education, are simply gone.
As of Jan. 27, out of the 12 classes offered in Scotts Valley, only two, American Sign Language and an undergraduate business class, had any openings.
The other classes were cut in the wake of budget cuts to Cabrillo at the state level, Mayo said.
“Not only have our funds been severely cut, but we are also way over cap, which is the maximum number of students the state will reimburse us for,” Mayo said.
In the fall, , in response to a $3 million funding cut from the state, Cabrillo trustees passed a budget that eliminated more than 100 classes throughout the system.
Caitlin Cornett, a Cabrillo art student from La Selva Beach, is disappointed that classes in her major have been cut.
“It’s a drawback because they have such a great program,” she said.
Many of Scotts Valley’s classes were lopped off in the fall, and the cuts have continued this spring. Mayo said the hope is that the state budget will turn around and restore more funding to Cabrillo.
Despite the troubles, Cabrillo opened its Scotts Valley center in spring 2007 and has no plans to leave Scotts Valley, Mayo said.
“We want to keep a presence in Scotts Valley, and we want to service the community,” she said. “We’ll absolutely do that as well as possible for as long as possible.”
