Board of Governors Adopts New 75/25 Regulations

At its September meeting, the California Community College Board of Governors (BOG) adopted new Title V regulations regarding full-time/part-time faculty obligation hiring criteria. These regulations had been under review by the Chancellor’s Office since January 2003. The purpose for amending the regulations was to improve system progress toward the goal of 75 percent credit instruction provided by full-time faculty, while recognizing the challenges posed at times by funding reductions to core programs.

The Chancellor’s Office convened meetings that included faculty and administrators in an attempt to reach consensus on the proposed regulatory changes. Consensus was reached on some changes, however, no consensus was reached on some issues, such as deferral of penalties versus waivers and expanding the definition of “core programs” to include CalWORKs.

The changes approved by the BOG to Section 51025 of the code include the following:

§ Advancing the date by which the BOG determines whether adequate funds have been provided for purposes of implementing increases in district obligations for full-time faculty hiring from January 20 of each year to November 20, in order to better fit the recruitment/hiring cycles of districts.

§ Taking into account reductions in specified core program areas as part of the determination of funding adequacy.

§ Specifying that the BOG may revise its determination of funding adequacy in the event the state enacts mid-year cuts in core programs.
§ Providing districts an option, in difficult fiscal years, to meet their hiring obligation by maintaining actual percentages of hours taught by full-time faculty, instead of reaching an absolute number of full-time equivalent faculty positions.

§ Providing the Chancellor the option, in difficult fiscal years, to defer the payment of funding reductions assessed against districts that fall short of hiring obligations. Under limited circumstances, these deferred payments could be made on an “installment plan” not to exceed three fiscal years.

§ Introducing further potential increases in district obligations that would result in real advancement toward the 75 percent goal in fiscal years in which the state provides additional funds for that specific purpose.

The Chancellor’s Office believes that these changes will provide a measure of flexibility and potential relief for districts that may have difficulty maintaining the requisite number of full-time faculty positions under current fiscal circumstances. Almost ten districts have requested a deferral from the BOG this year due to fiscal constraints that prohibit them from meeting their full-time faculty hiring obligation.

Administrative groups viewed the changes to Section 51025 as a minor victory, especially since there were faculty groups who maintained that local districts should be meeting their obligations even in times of funding reductions.

By the Way . . .
Assembly Higher Education Committee to Study Community College Funding.

The Assembly Higher Education Committee, chaired by Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge), will hold a series of four hearings during the legislative recess. The purpose of the hearings is to study the impacts and hopefully find solutions to the state’s structural deficit regarding higher education funding. Among the options being considered is a plan to remove community colleges from under Proposition 98 and treat them more like the four-year public colleges and universities—that is, make their state funding discretionary but give local colleges more control over how to spend their money.

The hearings will also explore alternative ways of funding the University of California and California State University systems. Among the plans being considered will be a voucher plan in which the state gives every student attending UC or CSU a fixed amount of money as a subsidy to pay for all school costs. The committee may also explore a model that includes higher fees, but simultaneously ramps up financial aid programs.

The first hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2003, with additional meetings scheduled for October 21, November 18 and December 9. All of the hearings will be in the State Capitol, Room 437, starting at 1:30 p.m.

By the second hearing in October, committee staff hopes to present 10 different financial options for the committee to consider. The committee will then vote on three or four ideas they feel merit further study. By December, the goal is to make a number of policy recommendations, and introduce legislation that reflects those recommendations in the 2004 legislative session.