Well, this has been quite a week for the community colleges. It seems that we are getting hit on all sides. First, we are not graduating enough students. Then, we are not transferring enough students. And finally, rumors of massive budget cuts are making their way into the newspapers. So, what are we to do?
Let's begin by taking a deep breath and saying to ourselves that the sky is NOT falling. We come to work each day and in our respective roles we give our all so that students can be successful.
We have already identified, in our respective planning documents, the need for improvements in student success. Conversations, ideas, and activities are taking place daily to promote student success at all levels, especially in Basic Skills. We understand the importance of working with the K-12 system to better prepare students for college level work. We are working at improving communications with
local high school students about the importance of college to their future success.
Yes, there is much positive work taking place. And it is essential that we take the power to improve that is in our hands and make change happen. We do not want forces from outside dictating our destiny.
And yet, we are asked to improve and we desire to improve, but our resources to do so are very unstable. The state budget changes day by day. Funds that we are allocated is not really there. Money we already have is threatened to be cut. What are we to do?
We do what we must. We follow our plans. We work together. We work for the students. We work smart. We do whatever it takes to achieve the goals we've created.
There will be obstacles and there will be difficult days. But, we must stick together, talk to one another, and continue to serve.
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Gloomy Budget News
| With the state General Fund in a $6 billion in deficit this year and a projected $19 billion next year, it is only a matter of time for budget reductions to be handed down. There is talk about a community college system funding reduction of $250 million for next year, with our share being about $2.5 million.
This financial "problem" will come on top of this year's problem of $129 million in current year funding deferred into next year. This could mean that the 2.2% growth funding included in this year's Proposition 98 increase will be recalled in January and not be funded. Additional cuts may also be made this year.
I continue to recommend a very conservative budgetary approach. We have NOT budgeted the 2.2% growth and we will not allocate those funds until we see the direction the governor and legislature takes in handling the budget.
Chancellor's Cabinet has already started to discuss the impending budget crisis and we will expand those conversations to other forums in the coming weeks.
This link will take you to the projections of the Legislative Analyst's Office.
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Legislative Analyst's Office recommends growth in distance education
| One of the important issues in higher education is instructional delivery. The Legislative Analyst's Office recently released a report stating that distance education offers "an important alternative means of providing instruction that can complement traditional classroom instruction."
The report recommends the sharing of online curriculum between colleges with a small portion of the system's funding invested in the development of distance education courses with awards to faculty on a competitive basis to design new courses or modify existing courses.
The report also recommends that the Legislature direct the California Community Colleges and the California State University systems to "study the feasibility of developing an online degree completion program aimed at state residents who started college but never obtained a degree."
The report also points out the financial benefits of online instruction. While faculty costs are about the same, there is savings in facilities infrastructure costs.
Currently, SBCCD has seen a continuing upward trend in distance learning. At Valley College the percent of online FTES has gone from 8.5% in 2006-2007 to 13.9% in 2009-2010. At CHC the percent has gone from 4.7% in 2006-2007 to 6.7% in 2009-2010. See the attached report for details.
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Thank you CHC faculty and staff for a very successful accreditation team site visit.
| I want to thank the faculty and staff at CHC. We all know how much hard work went into meeting the accreditation commission recommendations with the goal being to get off probation and become fully re-accredited.
Two members of the original CHC visiting team were on campus and at the District Office on Friday, November 5th for the follow-up visit. Kathryn Lehner, the Chair of the original team and Chris Myers.
They met with faculty and staff at CHC and met with the Chancellor at the District Office in addition to sitting in on the District Strategic Planning Committee meeting.
Ms. Lehner's comments to both Chancellor Baron and President Harrison were very positive. She indicated that Crafton Hills College was doing a wonderful job at implementing the accreditation standards and she even found new ideas that she could use at her campus.
Of course, the visiting team makes a recommendation to the Accreditation Commission and we do not know what the outcome will be.
The report of the visiting team should be available in the next couple of weeks, while the Commission action is not taken until January, 2011.
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Bond Performance Audit Shows Full Compliance
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The Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee received the bond performance audit report for the year June 30, 2010 and found the District to be in full compliance with bond spending policies. The report states:
"We verified that funds were generally used for construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities, and we verified that funding was not spent for teacher or administrative salaries or other school operating expenses."
Measure P, was approved by the voters on November 5, 2002, for $190 million. Measure M was approved by the voters on February 5, 2008, for $500 million. The SBVC and CHC campuses have been following their long-range facilities master plans with the additional of new instructional, technical and recreational facilities that have added significantly to the value of their programs within the communities they serve.
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Commission on the Future recommends change
| The Community College League published it's report on changes in policy and practice that could reasonably be implemented in the California Community College system by 2020, that would increase certificate and associate degree completion by 1 million.
In order to accomplish this goal the Commission recommended 17 major goal in the categories of Leadership and Accountability, Intensive Student Support, Teaching and Learning and Finance and Affordability.
Some of the highlights of the report include:
- A longitudinal student records system should be developed that allows student progress to be monitored from elementary-secondary education into and through post-secondary education and into the workplace.
- System and institutional research should focus more directly on core issues of teaching, learning and student success; and the creation of new reporting and accountability requirements should directly correlate with student success.
- Students should be required to participate in integrated student support, assessment, counseling and orientation, and enroll in courses according to well publicized and strictly-enforced registration deadlines.
- Schedule classes in an inter-departmental manner with the goal of meeting the needs of first-time entering students, promoting full-time enrollment, and enhancing program completion.
- Create an additive, categorical incentive funding model that distributes money based upon improvements in institutional and student performance as measured by completion of momentum points linked to student success.
It is unknown what the implementation steps will be for these and the other recommendations. I will keep you posted. For the full report, follow this link. |
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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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