To: The California State House, The California State Senate, Governor Gavin Newsom, and The United States House of Representatives
Restore Lifelong Learning for Community Adults at Community Colleges
In 2012, the ability to repeat classes at California community colleges was quietly taken away by the California legislature. Perhaps as an unintended consequence, adults in the respective community college districts can no longer benefit from physical and mental lifelong learning. We urge the California legislature, the California Board of Governors, and Governor Jerry Brown (who appoints members of the Board of Governors) immediately to restore this right to community adults in California's community colleges by exempting them from repeatability constraints.
Why is this important?
Adults nationwide need access to lifelong learning, both physical and mental, at their local community colleges. Until now, lifelong learning has been a longstanding historical right enjoyed by adults at their community colleges. Now that right is being stripped away with frightening rapidity. As community colleges are governed at the state level, this has to be dealt with state by state. I live in California, so created a petition to The California State House, The California State Senate, Governor Jerry Brown, and the Board of Governors (appointed by the Governor and overseeing community colleges) that reads as set forth above. This petition can be used by others as a template for petitions in their own states. As a community adult, I have personally been affected by this development, as our local community college, after lifelong learning had already been cut off in Fall of 2013 for regular classes, on April 1, 2014 phased out the paltry substitute offerings for community adults (aka "community education classes") as well, reversing this decision (quite possibly only temporarily) 3 days later due to massive community backlash.