CalWORKs and the Student Success Task Force Recommendations

Fall
2011
Resolution Number
13.17
 
Contact
Assigned to
President
Category
General Concerns
Status
Completed
Status Report

Categorical consolidation has been removed from the SSTF recommendations.

Whereas, The California Community College’s CalWORKs program currently provides or is directly responsible for service coordination with local counties and college student services units, academic counseling and vocational planning, matriculation guidance, childcare services, job preparation and search, subsidized work placement both on and off campus, instruction, document completion, data management, post-employment, and other services, which are used by California counties to meet their federal required work participation rates;

Whereas, All CalWORKs students have a county mandated time period within which to reach their goals while receiving specific and intensive services to meet their county and college compliance requirements;

Whereas, Inclusion of community college CalWORKs in any flexible spending category will jeopardize and dilute program services and will expedite the likelihood of California receiving a work participation rate penalty from the federal government equal to $185,000,000; and

Whereas, Implementing recommendation 8.1 (as of September 30, 2011) from the California Community College Student Success Task Force (established in response to Senate Bill 1143, Liu, 2010) would discontinue dedicated funding for community college CalWORKs, which in turn would essentially eliminate $8,000,000 dollars in federal TANF funding, and, furthermore, would jeopardize $26,000,000 in state Maintenance of Efforts dollars at California’s community colleges;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for Community Colleges oppose the inclusion of the community college CalWORKs programs within the flexible spending category as defined within recommendation 8.1 “Consolidate Select Categorical Programs” of the draft recommendation (as of September 30, 2011) from the California Community College Task Force on Student Success.

MSC

Appendix A: California Community Colleges Task Force on Student Success