General Fund Dollar Support for Community Service Courses

Fall
2011
Resolution Number
06.01
 
Contact
Assigned to
Curriculum Committee
Category
State and Legislative Issues
Status
Completed
Status Report

Once SACC work is completed and Title 5 is changed, the Senate could do outreach to ensure understanding and appropriate implementation of the regulations.

Update 8/4/15: The Chancellor's Office published its guidelines for Community Service offerings in Fall 2012.

 

Whereas, California Education Code §78300(c) states,

Governing boards shall not expend General Fund moneys to establish and maintain community service classes. Governing boards may charge students enrolled in community service classes a fee not to exceed the cost of maintaining community service classes… and shall maintain uniform accounting procedures to ensure that General Fund moneys are not used for community services classes;

 

Whereas, Discussions of repeatable courses, maintaining access, and alternative curricular solutions to student success have provided reasons why this section of Education Code should be carefully revised;

Whereas, When students from community services classes are joined with students in noncredit, certificate, degree, and transfer courses, all students can benefit from the opportunity to learn from each other; and

Whereas, In order for credit students to earn credit, the instructor of record of a course must be a faculty member who meets minimum qualifications for the course and teaches to the course outline of record as approved by local curriculum committees;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges recommend changing California Education Code §78300(c) to allow fee-based, community education students to enroll in credit classes supported by general fund moneys so long as those community education students do not displace credit students;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges assert that if students from community service classes, noncredit, and credit courses are taught by the same faculty member in the same class, the faculty member must meet minimum qualifications for the credit course; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge faculty who teach courses with combinations of students from credit, noncredit, and community service to explain to their students the specifics of their enrollment, i.e., that community service and noncredit students do not earn college credit for these classes.

MSC