Copyright© 1999 by School Services of California, Inc.

August 6, 1999

California Community Colleges 2000 Legislative Proposals

The State Chancellor's Office Legislative Program Task Force recently convened to review more than 35 legislative proposals submitted by local districts, organizations and Chancellor's Office staff. The Legislative Program Task Force is comprised of representatives from community college districts and organizations. The purpose of the task force is providing input to the Chancellor's Office regarding the development of the Board of Governor's legislative agenda for the 2000 legislative session.

Community organizations or local districts whose legislative proposals are not adopted by the Board of Governors may go directly to the legislature, if they wish to pursue the matter. Of course, the intent of the Chancellor's Office is to prevent the so called "end runs" that may result in community college districts or organizations pursuing their own legislative agenda without the blessing of the Board of Governors.

The task force supported the following legislative proposals:

• Reauthorize the Economic Development Program, strengthen the program's reporting requirements and allow state funding for certain types of contract education.
  
• Rewrite and restructure portions of the Education Code impacting community colleges.
  
• Possible statutory changes for community college funding in the following areas: Program Based Funding Criteria; Growth Funding Formula; Equalization; Expansion of COLA to other categorical programs; Non-Credit Instruction.
  
• Authorize the Chancellor to enter into contracts without Department of General Services approval.
  
• Pursue the faculty diversity goals and objectives outlined in the California Community College Commitment Action Plan.
  
• Expand the Board of Governors authority related to the administration of various state personnel issues.
  
• Amend 60 Percent Rule definition to 1) ensure non-teaching activities, not required for a full-time community college instructor and for which an hourly (part-time) adjunct faculty member volunteers, shall not be counted against the 60 percent threshold, and 2) specify that not-for-credit instruction that is short-term and externally funded is outside of the faculty load calculations.
  
• Include Counselors and Librarians in 50% Rule.
  
• Implementation of a system-wide strategic telecommunications plan through recommendations of the Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
  
• Modify the split formula for capital outlay bonds to reflect a standard measure such as the proportion of total enrollment or amount of instructional space.
  
• Direct the segments to jointly establish a uniform eligibility standard for transfer from a community college to the University of California and California State University, and guarantee every community college student who meets that standard acceptance as a transfer student to the UC or CSU system.
  
• Allow community colleges to temporarily employ reserve officers.

Some of the proposals that the task force did not support for the 2000 legislative session included the following issues:

• Health service fee stabilization
• Full-time faculty funding
• Pro-rata pay for part-time faculty
• Property tax revenue shortfall protection
• Proposition 98 split guarantee

Chancellor's Office staff will have the task of finding legislators willing to carry the above legislative proposals; no easy task. These proposals will be submitted by staff to the Board of Governors at their November meeting for adoption.

-- Arnold Bray