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State takes control of Compton Community College
By: Associated Press | ∞
COMPTON -- The state has taken over operation of Compton Community College after concluding that the two-year campus is in serious financial trouble, according to the California Community Colleges chancellor.
"I determined it was no longer possible for the district to independently resolve its long-standing fiscal problems, including negative ending balances and depleted reserves," Chancellor Mark Drummond said Friday.
The chancellor, who visited the 7,000-student campus to make the announcement, said he was appointing Arthur Tyler Jr., Los Angeles City College's vice president for administration, as a special trustee.
State officials said Tyler would oversee the college for at least a year. The five-member school board will act as an advisory panel during that time, and the college president, Ulis C. Williams will retain his title.
Drummond's office has been looking into the college's financial troubles since last October, when the chancellor's office announced that it had discovered a shortfall of about $300,000 and college officials had failed to provide a satisfactory audit. Officials said the audit still hadn't been turned in as of Friday.
The state provides about $30 million to the campus each year.
The college is the second institution of public education in Compton to be taken over by the state. Officials seized control of the local school district in 1993 after $20 million in funds for kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools couldn't be found and student test scores plummeted. Control wasn't returned to local officials until 2001.
Students, faculty and even one of the college's board members said Friday's seizure may be for the best.
"To have to go under -- it hurts," said Lorraine Cervantes, a Compton College alumna who was elected to the board last year. "We just have to pray and hope for everyone to work together."
Nursing student Kimela Franklin said she wasn't surprised by the action.
"We don't have online (access), we don't have financial aid, we don't even have a cafeteria," said Franklin.
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