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School Services of California, Inc.
Community College Update
January 13, 1997
Copyright© 1997 by School Services of California, Inc.
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Board of Governors Certifies Adequacy of Growth
and COLA Funding to Trigger Full-Time Faculty Hires.

The California Community Board of Governors (BOG), at their January 8, 1997 meeting, determined that local community college districts had received adequate funds to trigger the requirement for districts to increase their number of full-time instructors during 1997-98.

In March, 1991 the BOG adopted minimum standard regulations involving full-time and part-time faculty (California Code of Regulations Section 51025). This code section requires community college districts to increase the number of full-time faculty over the prior year in proportion to the amount of growth funds received in the prior year. This code section also provides an exception which allows the BOG to determine by January 20 of each fiscal year, if adequate growth and COLA funds have been provided to allow full or partial implementation. The regulations were designed so that during normal financial periods, the percentage of full-time faculty would remain constant and when financial conditions were above average, the percentage of full-time faculty would increase. Because of inadequate funding, community college districts have not been required to increase full-time hires during the period of 1992 through 1996.

The 1996 State Budget Act provided community colleges the most significant increase in funding in more than four years. The college received a COLA of 3.06% and general credit FTES growth of approximately 4.5%. As a result, the BOG has determined, based on current projections, that adequate growth and COLA funds have been provided to allow for full implementation of the provisions Title 5 regulations (Section 51025) during 1997-98.

According to Gary Cook, Acting Vice Chancellor, Fiscal Policy Division in the Chancellor's Office, statewide, an additional 537 full-time faculty could be hired for the 1997 fall semester, if every district hires its maximum number of instructors.

-- Arnold Bray
[Posted 1/13/97]