The Foothill-De Anza Community College District is working on finding a permanent home for its new education center; options include housing the new center at what is currently Foothill College’s Middlefield campus and what used to be Cubberly High School in Palo Alto.

As the district faces budget cuts, Foothill-De Anza Chancellor Linda Thor is looking at collaborative initiatives between local college districts to promote regional planning ensuring that students have as many options available to them as possible.

The education center would fulfill Foothill-De Anza’s 2006 commitment to voters on how Measure C funds would be used, said the district’s Coordinator of Communications and Public Affairs Becky Bartindale.

Measure C, a $490.8 million bond that passed in June 2006, instructs the Foothill-De Anza district to upgrade infrastructure and technology. Measure C was approved by voters in the district’s service area by a 65.96 percent margin.  

The facilities at Foothill’s Middlefield campus are currently deteriorating, leaving the district with three options regarding the permanent placement of the new Education Center. According to Bruce Swenson, a member of the district’s board of trustees finding the right place for the new center is imperative.

The new Education Center will offer students credit and non-credit courses in basic skills, transfer and workforce preparation, as well as further support services and not-for-credit, fee-based community education providing convenience and further outreach for the surrounding community.

No determination has been made where the permanent center will be, said Bartindale, but operating the center at a site the district owns would eliminate a lease payment of $1 million a year.Current options include buying a portion of the current land currently being leased from the City of Palo Alto, moving south to a surplus base in Sunnyvale or looking at a completely different option. The district is working on the acquisition and development of a permanent education center with an outside organization.

Although the opening of a permanent education center is at least several years away, the delay leaves more time for the state’s economic recovery, said Foothill-De Anza Vice Chancellor Kevin McElroy.

Foothill-De Anza is currently coordinating efforts with the West Valley-Mission Community College District to oversee that they are avoiding similar educational offerings, while making a variety of academic programs available at the educational center, said Swenson.

“The state budget outlook and community colleges finances remain highly uncertain,” said West Valley-Mission Chancellor John Hendrickson. “Student-focused collaboration will remain a key planning tenet for our colleges.”

The district plans to make a decision on where the education center will be housed by early fall.