Q. What higher education opportunities exist in the Pass area currently?
A. Residents of Banning, Beaumont and the surrounding areas have very limited access to college courses and job training. Students must travel to San Jacinto or Menifee, which is impossible for many working adults. Mt. San Jacinto Community College District provides limited access to counselors and evening courses at local high schools. Budget cuts have forced state universities to increase tuition and turn away qualified students.
Q. What courses and services would a community college campus offer Pass residents?
A. A San Gorgonio Pass Campus would serve all ages, from those just graduating from high school looking to transfer to a four-year university, to working adults seeking new skills, to older residents looking for learning opportunities. A local campus would provide students with affordable access to the core academic courses needed to transfer to four-year universities and the job training to provide the skills needed to find good jobs and stable careers.
Q. What types of careers training will be available?
A. Specifically, the new campus will provide core academic courses like math, science and writing that allow students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. The campus will also provide job training specifically tailored to give students the skills to compete for current jobs that are in demand in the Pass area. Job training programs focused on healthcare, business administration, law enforcement, criminal justice and computer technology would give our residents the skills to compete for jobs and help get our local economy in the San Gorgonio Pass area back on track.
Q. When will the campus open?
A. The first elements of a new Mt. San Jacinto College campus to serve the pass area will open in temporary modular buildings this November. For the first few months, the new facility will offer educational and career counseling as well as college admission services for local residents interested in taking courses. Starting In January, the college will offer a selection of day, weekend and evening classes in six initial classrooms on the site. Funding for the permanent campus is contingent upon to passage of a ballot measure currently under consideration.
Q. How would the campus be funded?
A. The Mt. San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees is considering placing a $47 million bond measure on the ballot this November to fund the construction. The measure would cost $24 per $100,000 of assessed value or about $53 for the typical homeowner. The entire cost is deductible on state and federal taxes. All funds from the measure to fund the construction of the campus would remain in our community and could only be used to build a community college campus in the San Gorgonio Pass area. None of the funds could be taken away by the State or go to other areas. None of the funds could be spent on administrators’ salaries or operating expenses. A citizens’ oversight committee would be appointed to review all expenditures and annual public audits would be required.
Q. Will a local community college campus create jobs for Pass residents?
A. A community college campus to serve the Banning and Beaumont communities will create good jobs for local residents in three ways. First, jobs will be created to build the campus. Second, once the campus is up and running it will be one of the largest employers in the area with a wide variety of job opportunities serving students, faculty and related college functions. Third, with more skilled workers in our area, new employers and businesses will likely come to the Pass area to take advantage of our labor force.