Group Rallies To Keep SF City College Open Amid Closure Threat
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— A coalition of students, faculty and other supporters are fighting to keep City College of San Francisco open, following last week's announcement that the school will lose accreditation next July.
A group called Save CCSF held a news conference Tuesday morning in advance of an afternoon rally at the Mission campus and march to the Department of Education's downtown offices.
At the college's Chinatown campus, CCSF student Trustee Shannel Williams called the decision made public last week by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) an outrage and an attack on the working class.
Rally And March To 'Save CCSF' Held As School Faces Threat Of Closure
"If we lose City College of San Francisco, we are losing the heart of this city. The ACCJC is willing to displace 90,000 students," she said.
The ACCJC said the school will lose accreditation next July 31st because it fulfilled just two of 14 recommendations needed to meet standards.
Former CCSF dean Fred Chavarria said the academics have never been in question. "We're talking about the creation of social capital and when you think about this city and you think about the kinds of students that have gone through the community college, it's worth the investment," Chavarria said.
Coalition members said they hope a special trustee appointed to run CCSF will work in earnest to keep it from closing.
The coalition is calling on the Department of Education to immediately revoke the license that allows the ACCJC to function.
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