The San Mateo Community College district plans to eliminate its horticulture department and whittle foreign language offerings to two – Spanish and Chinese.

American Sign Language, Japanese, Italian, humanities, horticulture and meteorology are on the chopping block.

The board of trustees are expected to approve the cuts at tonight's meeting.

It's a scenario playing out in community college districts throughout the state, the upshot of a dire state budget picture that has decimated course offerings and support services at California campuses.

An 8 percent reduction in state funding has prompted a leap in fees, from $26 per unit to $36 this fall. Fees could jump by another $10 in the spring if budget projections fail to materialize.

The community college budget has shrunk by $800 million over the past three years, according to California Chancellor’s Office. 

“The college’s overarching goal has been to serve as many students as possible in accordance with CSM’s core mission of providing transfer education, workforce training, and basic skills courses that prepare students for transfer and workforce training,” says a report prepared by CSM President Michael Claire for tonight’s board meeting.

Last month, Friends of the College of San Mateo Garden sued the district and its board, claiming a plan to demolish the horticulture program’s building and garden requires a full environmental impact report. The program has been on hiatus for two years.

“The facilities required by the horticulture program are in great disrepair and substantial capital outlay would be required to build new facilities,” the report says.

Labor projections suggest the horticulture and floristry industry is likely to lose 1.025 workers across the Bay Area through 2015.

Humanities faculty asked the district not to discontinue the program, but to offer reduced course offerings on a rotating, staggered basis.

The San Mateo Community College district has saved $5.3 million by eliminating administrative positions, reducing operating costs, allowing vacant jobs to remain unfilled, cutting poorly enrolled course sections and reducing off-campus offerings, and by scrapping French, German, machine tool technology, welding, cooperative education, education, and manufacturing and industrial technology.

The college has harnessed Measure G funding to increase enrollment well as selected career and technical education programs.

The board meets at 6 p.m. in the College of San Mateo District Office Board Room, 3401 CSM Dr.