Whereas, The recommendations (as of September 30, 2011) of the California Community College Task Force on Student Success (established in response to Senate Bill 1143, Liu, 2010) do not apply specifically to enabling the success of English as a Second Language (ESL) students, with ESL only tangentially mentioned in the context of basic skills;
Whereas, The responsibility for adult education in California is inconsistently applied throughout the state, in some cases being assumed by the K-12 system and in others by community colleges;
Whereas, The K-12 system has shifted millions of dollars in adult education funds to support other K-12 categorical programs that had experienced deep funding cuts, leading to a transfer of more than $400 million out of adult education programs;
Whereas, California Education Code §76370 states,
Whereas, Need-based financial aid is awarded to students on the basis of financial necessity rather than academic merit;
Whereas, Historically, the vast majority of students have attended public or private nonprofit colleges, and thus need-based financial aid from taxpayer dollars was thought to be an investment in individuals for the good of society and not for the benefit of private investors; and
Whereas, What is known as the “50% Law” is a reference to California Education Code §84362(d), which states that “There shall be expended during each fiscal year for payment of salaries of classroom instructors by a community college district, 50 percent of the district's current expense of education”;
Whereas, The majority of California community college students are eligible for some form of federal or state financial aid;
Whereas, Students remain in classes even when failing because they fear losing their financial aid, therefore engaging in unproductive and inefficient behaviors; and
Whereas, Students may accumulate excessive units by enrolling in and completing courses solely in order to retain their financial aid, and the Board of Governors (BOG) fee waivers set no limit on the number of units students may accrue while attending college under a BOG fee waiver;
Whereas, Current law and regulation limit community college fee-for-service instruction to community and contract education;
Whereas, Assembly Bill (AB) 515 (Brownley, February 15, 2011) proposes to allow local community college boards the authority, “without approval of the board of governors, to establish and maintain an extension program offering credit courses,” to permit colleges to collect a local fee for services for providing credit instruction to students the college is unable to serve via state apportionment; and
Whereas, The fiscal crisis in California threatens the future of California community colleges as never before;
Whereas, Budget shortfalls at the system, district, and college level threaten the ability of California community colleges to fulfill even their core missions as envisioned in the 1960 Master Plan;
Whereas, Meeting the challenges posed by the current fiscal crisis will require collaboration and creativity on the scale of that which led to the development and passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 1725 (1989); and
Whereas, California State University (CSU) system Title 5 §40409 is decades old and pre-dates the integrated teacher preparation program articulation agreements that have proliferated throughout the California Community College System since the year 2000;
Whereas, The current Title 5 regulations limit the number of education units a student may take at a community college to six that can count toward the baccalaureate degree, when currently there are articulation agreements between campuses that allow up to 12 units;
Whereas, The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) provides a review and analysis of the operations and finances of state government to the Legislature and is the office that acts as the main nonpartisan resource in fiscal matters to legislators and their staff members;
Whereas, The LAO has historically made recommendations about education in its publications, such as “The 2011-12 Budget: Prioritizing Course Enrollment at the Community Colleges”; and
