Visalia's community college has called off summer school for 2011 in a money-saving tactic that is becoming more common around California.

Many community colleges gutted summer classes as the state reduced funding for the 112-campus system. But some campuses, including City College of San Francisco and Los Angeles City College, dumped an entire program.

Now the College of the Sequoias in Visalia is the latest to adopt that strategy.

Bill Scroggins, superintendent/president at COS, said there were few options -- none of them good -- to save $800,000 in the budget.

Compared to staff layoffs or deeper class cuts in fall or spring, chopping the 200 summer classes was "the least damaging of the alternatives," he said.

Erik Skinner, executive vice chancellor of programs for California Community Colleges, called such decisions an example of "all the unpleasant, difficult choices that our districts face."

State community colleges, which serve about 2.9 million students, have struggled with budget cuts over the past few years. Some exhausted their financial reserves and slashed classes while also trying to manage skyrocketing student demand.

Summer has been a prime place to cut. When the state Chancellor's Office surveyed districts and colleges on plans for summer 2010, nearly two-thirds of those responding said they were cutting programs by at least 50%.

There is no official count on the number of cancellations for 2011. Most local campuses -- including Fresno City, Reedley, Merced and West Hills -- are planning summer programs.

Local colleges have used different approaches to deal with financial strain, with some opting for more substantial class cuts than others in fall and spring semesters. West Hills saved money through employee furloughs while Fresno City College dropped a four-week summer session a few years ago. (Colleges may offer classes in sessions of varying lengths, such as six or eight weeks.)

Tony Cantú, vice president of instruction at City College, said the campus continues to offer core classes during the summer as an option for students trying to finish or transfer to a four-year university.

Scott Lay, president and chief executive officer of the Community College League of California, said many campuses may not have finalized summer plans. That's because the state is facing an estimated $25 billion deficit and mid-year cuts seem inevitable.

Campuses may have to adjust. And "whether it's better to eliminate a term or trim back year-round is a legitimate debate among our colleges," Lay said. "Eliminating a term may be more disruptive to students who are trying to maximize every term or need a class before transfer.

"However, colleges get much more savings ... by shutting down entire buildings during the summer," especially in hot climates, he said. Summer cutbacks usually don't affect full-time academic jobs because instructors are hired separately to teach in that term.

Some prominent colleges have opted for a summer break. In 2009, the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District scrapped an entire summer session -- more than 1,600 classes.

This year, both Los Angeles City College and City College of San Francisco canceled summer sessions for financial reasons.

Alice Murillo, vice chancellor of academic affairs for the San Francisco campus, said officials didn't want to spend reserves on those classes because "we knew more difficult years were coming."

Both campuses plan modest 2011 summer programs.

Locally, the COS cancellation has drawn criticism from faculty and students.

Instructor Michael Chicconi said it jeopardized an automotive certificate program. During the summer, students take a lecture and lab where they take apart and rebuild engines.

The lab is scheduled in the summer because the in-progress engines are left out -- making it tough to share space with other classes in fall or spring semesters. A frustrated Chicconi took his concerns to college officials last month.

Since then, he believes he's found a solution. This spring, Chicconi will provide the lecture and students will take the lab at a local high school.

"I'm happy that it's working," he said. "I spent two weeks beating my head against a wall trying to figure out how to do this."

Tom Weise, a communication instructor at COS, said summer school is valuable because it helps keep students on track.

"A lot of students have responsibilities outside the classroom and if they are forced to stop, they do not come back," Weise said.

Student Surinder Multani, 21, of Tulare said he planned to attend summer school. Now, he will work at his family's liquor store.

"It's just how everything goes," he said. "There's nothing I can do about it."

Maria Espinoza, 20, of Visalia said she might take a class at Reedley College but would need transportation: "It's a big maybe."