Are Community Colleges Padding Their Rolls?

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With state government facing its worst budget crisis in decades, Governor Davis is withholding $80 million from the community college budget after publication of a report that high school sports practices are being turned into college courses. All over California, high school athletes are getting community college credit for just showing up at team practice, and sometimes, they don-t even have to do that. Their high school coaches are getting extra pay and community colleges are pulling in millions in state money. We hear more about the practice and ethics of -bridge- athletics from an education reporter at the Orange County Register, the public information officer at Cypress College, and the California chancellor of community colleges, who oversees the state-s 108 community colleges and 2.5 million students.
  • Newsmaker: State Cuts Put Social Programs on Chopping Block
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  • Reporter-s Notebook: The Robles Trial in South Gate
    The treasurer of the City of South Gate is on trial for threatening to kill two members of the State Assembly, one of their spouses and a policeman. Yet, Albert Robles says it-s all about politics and that, even if he did make threats, it was just -discourteous- talk that-s protected by the Constitution. LA Times- columnist Frank del Olmo, who was in the courtroom yesterday, has more on the death threats and changing face of local politics.

OC Register article, "Phantom Classes"

South Gate Treasurer Albert Robles

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton