This year could not have started on a more positive note! As all of you are aware, the long-standing negotiations are finally over, allowing us to focus on things we like the most as a college community – helping our students succeed. While I say this, I will be remiss if I do not add that despite the negotiations, all of you were focused on our primary goal of helping students. This is evidenced by the fact that our Spring enrollments are near the levels of 2014. This could not have been possible without the great teamwork! Your efforts to improve our Distance Education program, Dual Enrollment, and Inmate Education deserves a special mention!

We received the first Budget proposal from Governor Newsom. Although there will be several changes between now and May, when the budgets are finalized, the picture overall is positive. The overall state budget would increase by 4.5% to $209.1 Billion. The Prop 98 estimates that drive funding to Community Colleges is also expected to increase. Following chart represents the increase in Prop 98 estimates through the last ten years.

 

Source: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2019-20/pdf/BudgetSummary/K-12Education.pdf

In the current release, the Governor’s proposal provides $246 million in new spending for Community College System in 2019-20 compared to the revised 2018-19 level.

The expansion of the College Promise is one of the significant parts of the Governor’s proposal. The Governor proposes $40 million in new funding to the California College Promise. Although we did not rely upon the College Promise (Assembly Bill 19 of 2017) funding to improve access to our students last year, we may need it going forward as our partnerships with local high schools continues to strengthen. Last year, the College Promise was funded by the Foundation. As the number of students continue to increase, having access to additional dollars would be helpful. Collective work done by you to build partnerships and use multiple measures for assessment and placement will help us tap into the new funds.

The Student Centered Funding Formula enters its second year. The base allocation, essentially the FTES based funding will be kept steady at 70% and student success allocation will remain at 10%. Although initial thought was to reduce FTES based funding to 65% this year, the proportion of allocations have not been changed from last year in order to allow campuses and the State Chancellors’ Office take a closer look at accuracy of data. The proposed changes in the formula will require us to focus more on the completion agenda as well as ensuring our Management Information System (MIS) reflect the work we do on campus. I am confident we will be able to address both issues working collaboratively.

We are looking at reaching out to the Highway 49 corridor to provide educational opportunities to remote areas. As I mentioned during in-service day, we have invested in technology to reach out to the remote locations. Although we have started the work, much needs to be done to improve our reach. We are talking to Amador Connect to have a presence there; we are also collaborating with Delta College as much of Highway 49 corridor falls under their service area.

Finally, our work to bring jobs to the area continues. My intent is to collaborate with Silicon Valley employers to understand their need and prepare our students for the successful careers of tomorrow. I am confident we can make it happen working together.

I will look forward to your feedback on my first attempt at blogging. Go Jumpers!

Santanu