Following advocacy from faculty and students, the Board of Trustees voted June 28th to maintain the 10-student enrollment minimum through Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024. That means that courses that achieve an enrollment of at least 10 students will not be canceled.

The 10-student minimum first came into effect through MOUs negotiated by AFT during the pandemic. In May, Interim Chancellor Moreno put forward a draft recommendation to return to a minimum of 20 students. However, at the May Board meeting and elsewhere many faculty and students spoke about why the 10-student minimum benefits our students and in June Moreno changed course and recommended instead “a temporary suspension of the current BP 6.04 minimum class size of 20 students for the 2023-24 academic year, including the 2024 summer session, to allow time for more study and discussion of the issue with the Board during the Fall semester.”

Bob Lee (Sociology, Cañada) was one of the many faculty and student speakers calling for a continuation of the 10-student minimum at the May Board of Trustees meeting. Other speakers included Liza Erpelo (Kababayan, Skyline), Todd Windisch (ESOL, CSM), David Eck (Philosophy, Cañada), Kathleen McClung (English, Skyline), Lee Miller (Political Science, CSM), Arthur Veloso (the incoming Student Trustee, Skyline student), Lori Slicton (Anthropology, Skyline), the outgoing Student Trustee, Lesly Ta and Kate Browne, the District Senate President.

This recommendation was approved by the Trustees. Thanks to all of the faculty and students who spoke out at the May Board meeting and elsewhere, more students will have access to the courses they need.