As the former interim superintendent/president at Santa Barbara City College, I am speaking up about the Measure P election. One of the greatest joys of my work was serving the students who attended SBCC. As a college president, I took ensuring students, faculty, and staff had safe, modern technology and facilities very seriously. It was heartbreaking for me to find the SBCC college facilities in disrepair and deteriorating. I encouraged the Board to go out for a general obligation bond during my time there while we were conducting a seismic study and realigning our facilities planning. I was thrilled when Superintendent-President Erika Endrijonas made sure that Measure P was on the 2024 ballot. Measure P is critical for repairing and modernizing SBCC’s facilities.

Measure P is crucial to the future financial and facility sustainability of Santa Barbara City College for the following reasons:

Many of the SBCC facilities are old and need modernization and repair; frankly, some should probably be torn down.

A critical point to make here is that the California Community College’s budget does not provide enough funding to maintain and modernize community college facilities. The local community’s role is to step in and support their college. While the state does run an occasional statewide bond, communities that value and need their community college contribute to the repair, modernization, and care of the facilities because they are your community assets. 

Enrollment has declined, and rightfully so, because the college was too big for the size of the Santa Barbara Community. It is about the proper enrollment for a community the size of the SBCC service area. A good mix of local, international, and out-of-state students is essential to ensure students receive various and diverse viewpoints. Modern facilities, excellent faculty, and a welcoming environment attract students to SBCC. International and out-of-state students bring additional revenues that pay for more classes and services. It is a win.

The community is central to community colleges and should contribute to their success. Students and faculty deserve modern science labs, a safe physical education facility, and modernized facilities. Vote yes on Measure P.