Santa Monica College cancelled the cancellation of winter session — issued approximately one month ago—on Tuesday. Classes will begin Jan. 2 with a full offering of general education classes and programs for the intersession. Although winter session typically offers 800 courses, as a result of Proposition 30 passing, SMC expects to offer at least 250 state-funded credit classes for the winter session. The classes offered will focus on high demand transfer, career technical and basic skill level courses, according to the SMC website.

Class listings will be available online Nov. 27, and registration for these classes will begin Dec. 3, according to a statement issued by SMC president Chui L. Tsang. “We expect to help over 10,000 students make progress towards completion of their degrees or certificates,” said Tsang.

The $1.5 million cost of teachers and counseling services needed to offer courses will be funded through a combination of the college and private donors who believe in public education, according to Don Girard, senior director of government relations and institutional communications.

According to AS president Parker Jean, the AS is willing to contribute money from it reserves to the winter session fund. Jean and Tsang have a joint president’s account with $50,000 that Parker says he would be willing to put forward.

Winter session was initially cut because of the uncertainty surrounding the passage of Prop. 30, Girard said. “The winter session is back because Prop. 30 passed,” said Cecile Parcelier, AS budget management director. Although the proposition does not provide the $1.5 million cost, it provided the optimism needed to bring back the intersession, Girard said.

“It’s sort of a reward [to have winter session,]” said Jean.

If approved, the AS will contribute ten percent of it’s reserve budget, according to Yacob Zuriaw, AS financial support and student advocacy director. Zuriaw was excited about the renewed session.

“I didn’t expect it this quickly. The president [Tsang] did this last minute,” he said. “We were on step two and he took it to step five.”

Although the California Community Colleges chancellor Brice Harris said in a press briefing on Nov. 7 that the gained funding would only stabilize the community college system, the passage of Prop. 30 and the recent Legislative Analyst’s forecast have introduced a level of future stability for the college with regard to state funding, according to Tsang’s statement.

According to Tsang’s statement, donations are welcome in support of the class offerings and can be made online at http://www.foundation.smc.edu/.