"DEFicits, declining enrollment rates, and the peralta colleges merger"-Gigi cade-lopez, 6th grade
Recently, the Peralta Community College System announced that its Laney and Merritt Colleges were merging into a new institution: Oakland City College.
Cited reasons for the merger include a decrease in enrollment rates, a decrease from 17,698 in 2019–20 to 9,828 in 2024–25 at Laney, and 11,856 to 7,195 at Merritt during the same period, according to InsideHigherEd.
Another reason was Peralta’s high budget deficit, which required “the district to cut an additional $2.8 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year,” according to Peralta College. Historically, Peralta responded to these challenges by cutting its budget without a stable plan, “cutting nearly $28 million in recent years,” as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Peralta Colleges Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson has a different perspective on the situation, saying “We can’t reduce our way forward,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Gilkerson instead wants to get rid of underperforming administrative programs and courses.
“It can go either way, either that they have more opportunities because there’s more access to things or less just based on location,’’ says Brandi Bellamy, a college counselor at OSA. “Everything’s kind of up in the air right now of what it’s going to look like because it’s happening a year from now… they're still trying to talk to students, talk to teachers to get their opinions.”
What do students think? Aelynn Maynard, a 12th Grade Literary Arts student, says “I think, in truth, [it’s] going to affect my pre-college plans more.”
Victoria Troung, another student in the same class as Maynard, says, “I wouldn't be concerned too much because it's also just two colleges in the Peralta system and there are other colleges… like Berkeley and Alameda.”
“This is all about students and a community I love, and for a district to meet the mission that it set out to do,” says Gilkerson, according to InsideHigherEd. She talks about wanting to move away from monetary challenges and redirect attention to, “Having a true plan that… allows us a pathway forward.”
Cited reasons for the merger include a decrease in enrollment rates, a decrease from 17,698 in 2019–20 to 9,828 in 2024–25 at Laney, and 11,856 to 7,195 at Merritt during the same period, according to InsideHigherEd.
Another reason was Peralta’s high budget deficit, which required “the district to cut an additional $2.8 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year,” according to Peralta College. Historically, Peralta responded to these challenges by cutting its budget without a stable plan, “cutting nearly $28 million in recent years,” as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Peralta Colleges Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson has a different perspective on the situation, saying “We can’t reduce our way forward,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Gilkerson instead wants to get rid of underperforming administrative programs and courses.
“It can go either way, either that they have more opportunities because there’s more access to things or less just based on location,’’ says Brandi Bellamy, a college counselor at OSA. “Everything’s kind of up in the air right now of what it’s going to look like because it’s happening a year from now… they're still trying to talk to students, talk to teachers to get their opinions.”
What do students think? Aelynn Maynard, a 12th Grade Literary Arts student, says “I think, in truth, [it’s] going to affect my pre-college plans more.”
Victoria Troung, another student in the same class as Maynard, says, “I wouldn't be concerned too much because it's also just two colleges in the Peralta system and there are other colleges… like Berkeley and Alameda.”
“This is all about students and a community I love, and for a district to meet the mission that it set out to do,” says Gilkerson, according to InsideHigherEd. She talks about wanting to move away from monetary challenges and redirect attention to, “Having a true plan that… allows us a pathway forward.”
