Bond Measure on June Ballot Would Fund New Facilities at College of the Canyons

Citing the growing shortage of classrooms and labs that places 4,000 students on waitlists per semester, the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to put Measure E, a $230 million bond, on the June 7 general election ballot.
“College of the Canyons has a demonstrated need for new classrooms and labs, along with safety and accessibility improvements and technology upgrades,” board president Bruce Fortine said.  “And because this college has a proven track record of helping local students, professionals and employers meet their educational and business goals – from nursing, to technology-based careers, to giving local high school students a jump start toward four-year degrees – it is clear that enrollment will continue to increase.”
Enrollment data shows that 60 percent of the students who graduate from the William S. Hart Union High School District high schools attend College of the Canyons at some point.  And, more than 800 Hart district students attend COC while they are still in high school, taking advantage of a college policy that waives enrollment fees for high school students.
“This is a defining moment for the future of College of the Canyons,” Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook said.  “We can’t rely on funding from the state of California to accommodate both our current and future enrollment.  Local bond funding provides the resources College of the Canyons needs to meet this community’s expectations for access to higher education.”
College of the Canyons operates two campuses, a 154-acre site at the corner of Valencia Boulevard and Rockwell Canyon Road in Valencia, and a 72-acre facility on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country.
The college currently serves 20,000 students on both campuses.  Projections call for student enrollment to exceed 30,000 in little more than a decade – a 50 percent increase in the number of students served.
Measure E, which is on the June 7 ballot, adheres to the guidelines of Proposition 39, which requires approval by 55 percent of the voters within the college district.  It also includes accountability measures such as a citizens’ oversight committee and annual audits.  The impact on homeowners would be $15 per $100,000 of assessed value (not market value), which would generate $230 million over the next 12 years.
Measure E funds will be used to build five permanent classroom and lab buildings at the Canyon Country Campus, encompassing approximately 172,000 square feet of space.  Funds from the bond also will be used to update 350,000 square feet of learning and student services space at the Valencia Campus, many of which are more than 40 years old.  It will also facilitate construction of 1,000 new parking spaces at Valencia.
“Our commitment has always been to meet the community’s needs,” Van Hook said.  “We want the facilities at College of the Canyons to be ready when our local families need them.”
More information about Measure E is available at canyons.edu/MeasureE.