Santa Monica College to Launch Two-Tiered Pricing for Classes

Well, once you get your foot in the door it's hard to close.

Perhaps we'll see more of this, which will bring some demand-side accountability and competition to the colleges. The best teachers and the best classes could be put up for the higher fee structures, and the also-rans would fall by the wayside. Wait, that kind of sounds like merit-based instruction --- and the unions won't go for that. What am I thinking?!!

See Los Angeles Times, "Santa Monica College to offer two-tier course pricing":

Faced with deep funding cuts and strong student demand, Santa Monica College is pursuing a plan to offer a selection of higher-cost classes to students who need them, provoking protests from some who question the fairness of such a two-tiered education system.

Under the plan, approved by the governing board and believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the two-year college would create a nonprofit foundation to offer such in-demand classes as English and math at a cost of about $200 per unit. Currently, fees are $36 per unit, set by the Legislature for California community college students. That fee will rise to $46 this summer.

The classes would be offered as soon as the upcoming summer and winter sessions; and, if successful, the program could expand to the entire academic year. The mechanics of the program are still being worked out, but generally the higher-cost classes would become available after state-funded classes fill up. The winter session may offer only the higher-cost classes, officials said.

Students who qualify would be able to use financial aid such as Cal Grants for the classes, college officials said, but they are also seeking private funds to establish scholarships for needy students.

The 34,000-student Santa Monica campus has one of the highest transfer rates to four-year universities in the state and a reputation for innovative programs that are a model for other community colleges. But some say higher-priced classes are tantamount to privatizing the public institution.

It's not privatizing. It's rationalizing, and we could use a whole lot more of that in this state.