Copyright© 2001 by School Services of California, Inc.

Volume 14                   For Publication Date: December 7, 2001             No. 25

Board of Governors Adopt Legislative Program for 2002

At a special session, held on December 5, 2001, the California Community College Board of Governors (BOG) adopted its 2002 state legislative platform. The following legislative proposals have gone through the consultation process and consensus was reached except where noted.

It is now the job of the Chancellor’s Office staff to find legislative authors to introduce legislation on behalf of the system. The BOG approved the following legislative proposals:

§ Place a general obligation bond for higher education on the ballot in 2002

§ Provide for the annual transfer of funds from the General Fund to the State School Fund for allocation to community colleges to compensate for estimated property tax and student fee revenue shortfalls

§ Update and revise the Education Code to reflect the recommendations of the Chancellor’s Education Code Rewrite Task Force

§ Amend the Education Code to give the BOG the authority to make its own determination of whether its regulations would impose state-mandated local costs

§ Enable community colleges to utilize a single contract with a "design build" entity to reduce facilities construction costs by extending to community college districts the provisions applicable to K-12 school districts as set forth in Chapter 421, Statutes of 2001, AB 1402

§ Seek narrow and specific exemptions from the Field Act for leased facilities and law enforcement and fire training programs

§ Remove the requirement that community college districts dispose of surplus property by way of a public auction process, increase the $2,500 threshold and allow surplus property to be exchanged or sold to a school district, community college or public entity that offers the best financial benefit to the district

§ Fund the Student Senate at approximately $300,000 per year from Proposition 98 resources or Student Fee Revenue to ensure that mandated student activities are met. Teacher unions oppose the use of Proposition 98 dollars for this purpose, even though the Academic Senate is funded by Proposition 98

§ Reauthorize the California Community College Economic Development Program that sunsets on January 1, 2003. Seek a permanent extension of the program and make minor clarifying changes

§ Amend CalWORKS legislation to enable students to achieve their educational goal and become economically self-sufficient

§ Support the community colleges’ efforts to continue progress to achieve faculty, staff and student equity goals

There was one proposal submitted by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) that the BOG did not support for inclusion in their legislative agenda. The CFT proposal would require districts to extend mandatory paid leaves to persons who serve as employees of public employee organizations, not just those serving as officers. It would also change reimbursement to districts. Rather than being reimbursed for all compensation paid to the district employee on leave, the district would only be reimbursed for the compensation paid to replacement employees.

Even though the BOG did not adopt CFT’s proposal, it is assumed that they will move forward to find a legislator willing to carry the bill for them.

The BOG has adopted an ambitious legislative agenda for the coming year. Concerns were expressed by some board members that a more narrow agenda based on BOG priorities may need to be developed, specifically due to the likely shortfall in state revenues to support the system.