March, 2022

In this Issue:

  • Legislature, LAO Weigh in on Governor’s January Budget Proposal
  • A Call to Action on the Budget
  • Legislation Impacting Community Colleges
  • California Community Colleges Go to Washington
  • Congressionally Directed Spending Opportunities for California Community Colleges
  • Join Us for our Next GR Webinar: Tuesday, April 19
  • Federal Grant Opportunities
  • Upcoming Events

Legislature, LAO Weigh in on Governor’s January Budget Proposal

Amidst the backdrop of economic and global uncertainty, both the Assembly and Senate have commenced legislative hearings on the Governor’s proposed 2022-23 budget for the California Community Colleges. Thus far, several themes have emerged:

  1. In numeric terms, the Governor’s budget is extremely generous and reflects staunch support for our system.
  2. Significant questions have emerged regarding enrollment, base funding, the Hold Harmless provision of the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF), and the planned expiration of the Emergency Conditions Allowance (ECA).
  3. Legislators have repeatedly expressed concern over the lack of state assistance in the Governor’s budget to mitigate increases in the districts’ pension obligations.
  4. While part-time faculty have been extremely vocal in support of the Governor’s proposed $200 million ongoing increase for health benefits, questions remain as to the Administration’s calculation of the number and whether the policy underlying the augmentation needs greater reconciliation with the federal Affordable Care Act.
  5. Student needs and educational equity remain dominant focal points in the budget discussions with unresolved issues, like financial aid, still on the table for further consideration.

This year, the Senate was ahead of the Assembly in its attention to community colleges with its major budget support hearing having been held on February 16. While the Assembly has conducted an overview hearing on higher education, its hearing on community colleges is scheduled for April 5.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), whose purpose is to provide an independent assessment of budget and policy proposals, consistently plays a pivotal role in these hearings. According to the LAO’s assessment of the Governor’s proposed budget for community colleges:

Augmenting apportionment funding can help community colleges accommodate operating cost increases. One notable cost pressure in 2022-23 is salary pressure. With inflation higher than it has been in decades, districts are likely to feel pressure to provide salary increases. (If the total CCC salary pool were increased 3 percent to 6 percent, associated costs would range from roughly $200 million to $400 million.) A second notable cost pressure relates to districts’ pension costs. Updated estimates suggest that community college pension costs will increase by a total of more than $120 million in 2022-23, which represents about 30 percent of the COLA funding proposed by the Governor.

Included in the LAO’s recommendations are:

  • Modify Governor’s Hold Harmless Proposal by Setting a New Base SCFF Target
  • Move Toward Adding First Generation as a Metric
  • Direct the Chancellor’s Office to Provide an Update on the Emergency Conditions Allowance Decision

A Call to Action on the Budget

While the League has participated in the legislative hearings and continues to meet with state policymakers, this is a critical time for district leaders to meet with members of the Assembly and Senate on the Governor’s budget and convey the following messages:

  1. We thank the Governor and Legislature for their strong support of the California Community Colleges.
  2. Although the SCFF has impacted the districts differently, we are united in our goal for an increase to the base apportionment as the best way of serving our students and achieving equity. Here is where you can localize the message to discuss the specific impact on your district.
  3. With increasing pension obligations liable to exhaust 30 percent of the proposed COLA, we urge the state to devote new resources to relieve districts of this escalating cost pressure.

The League encourages district leaders to review the latest edition of the Joint Analysis of the Community College Budget, which now includes a discussion of the trailer bills, and to continue following our electronic and social media for updates on the budget. 

To review our latest coalition letter on the budget, click here.

For advocacy questions or guidance, do not hesitate to reach out to the League Director of Government Relations Andrew Martinez at amartinez@ccleague.org.


Legislation Impacting Community Colleges

California’s legislators have introduced close to 3,000 bills, of which over 100 have been identified by League staff as bills impacting California’s community colleges. These bills range from addressing student basic needs to changing various items on academic affairs to housing and facilities. For a full list, visit: https://ccleague.org/advocacy/bill-tracking

Every month, we will identify important bills that might be of interest to your students and/or institution. Below is a detailed list of bills that we thought might warrant your attention.

  • AB 1705 (Irwin) Matriculation
  • AB 1942 (Muratsuchi) Instructional Service Agreements
  • AB 2637 (Rubio) Nursing Programs
  • AB 1505 (Rodriguez) Faculty Obligation Number
  • AB 1752 (Santiago) Part-Time Faculty Pay
  • AB 1856 (Medina) Part-Time Faculty Course Load
  • AB 1746 (Medina) Financial Aid Reform

Academic Affairs

AB 1705 (Irwin)
Would require that high school transcript be used as the primary means for determining placement in transfer-level English and transfer-level mathematics courses and narrow the use of multiple measures by colleges in the placement and enrollment of students so they do not restrict a student’s ability to demonstrate preparedness for transfer-level coursework if a single measure would satisfy the requirement.

AB 1942 (Muratsuchi) Instructional Service Agreements
Would permit programs funded via instructional service agreements to be funded at the same rate as courses funded provided via the career development and college preparation rate.

AB 2637 (Rubio) Schools: Board of Registered Nursing
Would exempt nursing programs from BRN oversight that are either nationally or regionally accredited or are a public institution and that maintains a minimum pass rate of 80% on the nursing licensing exam regarding the following measures:

  • Faculty standards
  • Enrollment level
  • Levels of clinical placements
  • Simulated clinical placements, up to 50%

Human Resources

AB 1505 (Rodriguez) Faculty Obligation Number
Would re-bench the faculty obligation number to reported Fall 2023 full-time faculty numbers and be adjusted annually after.
League Position: OPPOSE

1752 (Santiago) Part-Time Faculty Member Pay
Would mandate that part-time faculty members receive compensation in at least an amount that bears the same ratio to the amount provided to full-time faculty members.

AB 1856 (Medina) Part-Time Teaching Load
Would increase the number of classes a part-time faculty member can teach and still classify as a part-time faculty member. The permitted course load would go from two-thirds of a full-time teaching load to up to 85%. Colleges would be required to assign these additional courses based on seniority and could be liable for Affordable Care Act mandated benefits. 

Student Services

AB 1746 (Medina) Cal Grant Reform
Would reform the state’s Cal Grant system by matching eligibility requirements with Pell Grants, making it easier for non-traditional students to qualify for financial aid and simplifying the process in which students apply for Cal Grants.


California Community Colleges Go to Washington

Last month numerous community college trustees, CEOs, and other college leaders went to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of their students and institutions as part of the Association of Community College Trustees’ National Legislative Summit (NLS). After the cancellation of last year’s NLS, this year’s in-person event was a welcome addition to connect with colleagues and influential Washington policymakers.

As part of the League’s advocacy efforts, our board members met both virtually and in person with reporters, members of Congress, and leaders within the executive branch. During each meeting, League board members discussed critical issues facing California’s community colleges and our partnership with the federal government. Specifically, the meetings focused on:

  • increasing federal financial aid programs to be better focused on the total cost of attendance, and
  • the critical role federal stimulus dollars played in helping colleges with enrollment challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The League’s board leadership was pleased to be joined by nearly 100 California Community College leaders, members of the Board of Governors, and other interested parties who participated in NLS. California certainly made its voice heard during the summit, and we look forward to participating again next year.


Congressionally Directed Spending Opportunities for California Community Colleges

Enactment of the FY 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act
On March 15th, President Biden signed the FY 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act into law.  The FY 2022 Omnibus Act included numerous Congressionally directed spending items (aka “earmarks”) for community colleges in California and across the country. The FY 2022 appropriations cycle was the first federal fiscal year cycle in more than a decade in which Congress has approved earmarks.

FY 2023 Appropriations Cycle
Next week (beginning March 28th), President Biden is expected to introduce his Budget for FY 2023, which begins October 1, 2022. Introduction of the President’s Budget will formally kick off the FY 2023 appropriations cycle.

During the FY 2023 appropriations cycle, we expect there may be expanded opportunities for Congressionally directed spending.  While detailed information is yet to be released from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, we know that Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and members of Congress representing most of California’s 53 Congressional Districts intend to support Congressionally directed spending through the FY 2023 budget cycle. 

The FY 2023 appropriations process is likely to move quickly, with some Congressional office application deadlines scheduled for the week of April 4.  For questions or more information, contact the League’s Washington DC-based federal affairs consultant, Tom Downs at tcdowns@downsgovaffairs.com.


Join Us for our Next GR Webinar: Tuesday, April 19! The League's Government Relations Team hosts a monthly webinar to provide timely updates and information regarding legislation and policy proposals discussed in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. that will impact you, your students, and your institution.

2022 Webinar Schedule
January to October: Every third Tuesday of the month, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, May 17, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 21, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 19, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, August 16, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, September 20, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, October 18, 11:00 a.m.

Webinar Details
Telephone Number: (646) 876-9923 or (669) 900-6833
Meeting ID: 623 780 059
Password: 110660

Registration
Be sure to register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.


Federal Grant Opportunities

Presented by Downs Government Affairs

The League, in partnership with Downs Government Affairs, provides a list of federal grants to assist your community college in improving its programs and services.  For a full list of federal grants available to community colleges, visit our Federal Grants page at www.ccleague.org/federal-grant-opportunities.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Thomas Downs at TCDowns@downsgovaffairs.com.


Upcoming Events

2022 CCPRO Conference
April 6-8 | Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel

2022 APAHE National Conference
April 7-8 | The Westin Long Beach

Consultation Council
April 21 | Zoom

Black Student Success Week
Daily Webinars, April 25-29 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Annual Trustees Conference
April 29 - May 1 | Laguna Cliffs Marriott, Dana Point

Board of Governors Meeting
May 23 | Zoom


For more information, contact the League's Government Relations and Communications staff: advocacy@ccleague.org

Follow League Tracked Bills at www.ccleague.org/advocacy/bill-tracking
For news related to the State Budget and Policy visit www.ccleague.org/advocacy

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