Uncertainty about budget cuts for the 2011-2012 academic year and past budget cuts has shaped an tense atmosphere at Santa Monica College (SMC) for instructors and the students. Instructors are worried about their job security and many students are finding themselves shut out of needed classes.
Between 2007 and 2010 the number of credit classes being offered has dropped from 7,430 to 6,534. The average class size during the same period increased from 36.65 to 41.21. The number of full time faculty remained constant at 308 but the number of part-time faculty went down from 1,053 to 982. Finally, the number of SMC administrators has increased during the same period from 30 to 40. The Mirror had the opportunity to sit down with the some of the members of the Santa Monica College Faculty Association (SMCFA) to discuss the budget crisis. All of these association officers are interacting daily with students.
