Greetings!
I hope you are having a great week. Things are certainly busy around our District. The new building openings at Crafton Hills College were well attended and the event was well planned and organized. It's always a thrill to open a new facility. Congratulations to President Harrison.
Student success is becoming a national focal point for discussion as community colleges across the country work toward improved completion and transfer rates. There are a number of reports out there that are critical of the rate of completion and transfer of the community college students, especially students of color. There are also a number of ideas for improvement. See:
Achieving the Dream
Completion by Design Concept
Compete to Complete
Also, a number of agencies and foundations have developed grant programs to support the work of campuses committed to improving success. Obviously, these are complex issues including student goals, student preparedness, student data and tracking, student support services, and many others.
One of the concerns in these discussions is the idea of linking student success with college fiscal appropriations. This is not a sound direction for legislators to take but it leads to the conclusion that we must locally take charge of the issue and develop our strategies so that strategies are not imposed on us by outside forces.
This will continue to be of concern in our planning at the campus and district level as we join our sister community colleges in wrestling with this important issue.
Have a great rest of the week and thank you for your good work.
Sincerely,
Bruce Baron
Interim Chancellor
382-4090
bbaron@sbccd.cc.ca.us
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Budget Update
| Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed two important allocations in the 2010-2011 budget that would have benefited community colleges: the $35 million to partially restore categorical programs and the additional $25 million for the Economic and Workforce Development program.
The state budget includes $2 billion in additional funding deferrals to education beyond the existing deferrals. This is a one time savings measure that moves payments into the next fiscal year. While the savings can only be taken once, the deferrals will continue into future budget years.
While we will receive some growth funding for enrollment increases it will only be a small percentage of the unfunded students that we have been serving. The state is urging that those funds be used to support transfer, basic skills and career technical education courses.
The underlying risks with this budget include the possibility of mid-year cuts. The budget relies on optimistic revenue assumptions to close the budget gap. These may not be realized. Also, the projected funds from the federal government may also be realized at lower rates.
Funding deferrals makes the budget to some extent unsupported by cash. This will make the budget meaningless if the cash is not available to back-up the expenditures. We have taken a conservative route in the final budget approved by the Board. No new money has been allocated.
There is a concern that local property tax estimates are too high in the budget and with the uncertainty in the housing market lower tax receipts are likely. This would mean a shortfall in community college funding that would either have to back-filled from the state general fund or result in budget cuts.
As you can see there is much to be concerned about in this year's budget. We must stay conservative, spend wisely, and maximize our resources.
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Test of New Emergency Application on District-wide Phone System
| Last fiscal year, the Board approved a new technology for emergency communication called Informcast, which is an addition to our computer-based telephone system. This technology allows group messages to be sent to one or all telephones in the District. It also allows customized text messages to be sent to all telephones in the District.
If there is a campus emergency that requires evacuation from a building or buildings (or a need to stay inside the building in the case of a violent episode outside), a message can be sent to inform faculty and students in the building(s).
The application was tested last week during the Great American Shake-Out, at SBVC with success.
We will soon be adding a service to the phone system called "e-911" which will allow emergency dispatch services to specifically pinpoint a caller's location.
The District is also working with it's safety consultant to develop a compliant and responsive disaster preparedness plan that meets all FEMA requirements. More information about this process will be forthcoming
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New Solar Installation Training
| The Professional Development Center is beginning a six week training program in partnership with the Workforce Investment Board in solar installation. This training will provide participants with job skills in basic photovoltaic training and knowledge to pass the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners exam.
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Brief Hiatus on New District Building Committee
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We've put a delay of about ninety days on the work of the new District Building Committee to finish some important discussions that may have an impact on the project.
The main purpose of the proposed new building project is to consolidate all District Office functions in a single, workable location. This would move DETS out of the 8th Street Facility and Central Receiving off the Valley Campus.
The District is currently conducting a feasibility study (through the vendor, gkkWorks) to see if we can benefit from the addition of a separate Educational Center (EC). An EC is eligible for up to $1 million in funding from the state plus capital improvement funds. The results of that study should be available within the next thirty days. The District Office site is a possible location for a Center depending on the data analysis.
The other factor we are reviewing is the role of the Professional Development Center (PDC) and a strategic plan for the PDC that will determine facility needs for the next decade.
We anticipate all of this to inform the possible development of the new district building one way or the other. We will keep you informed as the process move ahead.
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Please let me know how I can help you in the performance of your important work on behalf of our great District.
Sincerely,
Bruce Baron, Interim Chancellor
San Bernardino Community College District
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