Students will need higher levels of support and basic skills education, and enrollments are expected to surge in inland areas while growing substantially in most other areas. The Plan includes strategies to improve and optimize the System’s resources and allocation methods to ensure high-quality education for all.

Resources are leveraged to implement the initiatives identified in the System Strategic Plan. Go to Strategy 1 home page...

The Plan defines a shared agenda for the Community Colleges and will promote ongoing planning by guiding development of annual system budgets. The Plan calls for the initiation of a process that will ensure it is integrated into the Board of Governors’ annual resource allocation and budgeting activities.

Develop alternative sources of revenue to reduce overall reliance on state funding. Go to Strategy 2 home page...

State funds and local property taxes (Proposition 98) account for more than 75 percent of Community College funding. In order to provide long-term stability to College operations, resource diversification is of utmost importance. This strategy will develop approaches to augment funding through foundation grants, industry partnerships, contract education, private giving, local parcel tax, and local foundations.

Ensure that the Community Colleges receive their share of state resources to fulfill the primary mission of providing open access and ensuring student success. Go to Strategy 3 home page...

Currently, the Community Colleges rank 45th nationally in terms of full-time-equivalent student funding. An estimated 175,000 California residents were ‘”turned away” from the Colleges during the Fall 2003 term due to increased fees and reduced number of course offerings. The Community Colleges must  advocate for adequate state funding levels that meet California’s need for post-secondary education, including restoring the Colleges’ fair share of Proposition 98 funding.

Ensure that existing resources are used efficiently in meeting state priorities. Go to Strategy 4 home page...

The large size of the System creates unique challenges for coordinating among districts to boost efficiencies, but the System’s size can also work to its advantage through resource sharing and consolidated purchasing. This strategy will consider efficiency models, such as coordinated System approaches, to achieve cost savings in appropriate areas.

Address Community College fee policy as it relates to student access, System revenue, and financial aid policy. Go to Strategy 5 home page...

Most Community Colleges’ student fees are established by the Legislature, and fee increases and decreases have historically been tied to state budget cycles or crises. Fee increases have not been gradual, moderate, or predictable and have contributed substantially to swings in enrollment. It is the goal of the Plan that the Colleges’ fee policy protect its historic commitment to open access with planned adjustments that are gradual, moderate, predictable, and complemented with an adequate financial aid package.

Support the System Office legislative initiative to address district-funding mechanisms. Go to Strategy 6 home page...

In 2005, the System Office submitted a proposal to the Legislature that would address existing disincentives for noncredit and highcost programs and equalize funding among Community Colleges. Enactment would improve funding mechanisms and reduce conflicts among districts.