STATEMENT ON FINAL 2018-19 CALIFORNIA BUDGET FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Public Colleges and Universities in CA receive over $1.3 billion boost
New Community College Funding Formula puts Historic Focus on Student Success

The Governor and Legislature are to be commended for passing an extraordinary higher education budget that puts students first. This budget, which boasts over $1.3 billion on higher education over last year, adds more than 4,000 spots for students at our public universities while ensuring the way we invest in community colleges values student success.

Thanks to the efforts of , education, student, community and business groups coming together, Governor Brown and lawmakers answered the urgent call to do better by students by adopting a historic Student Success Funding Formula for California Community Colleges. Under this new equity-centered funding model, colleges will now be funded not only based on how many students they enroll, but also provided additional funding to support low-income students, and funding to reward progress for student completion. Specifically:

• 70% of funding will be based on enrollment (how colleges are currently funded);
• 20% of funding will be based on the number of low-income students a college serves;
• 10% of funding will be based on successful student outcomes, including whether students transfer, earn an Associate Degree for Transfer, or earn a certificate or other degree. Extra points are earned for any of these successes for low-income students;
• The hold harmless provision ensures no community college campus would receive less money than it did under the 2017-18 formula. Colleges will have a three-year transition period to allow for thoughtful implementation, including transitioning from a 70-20-10 distribution model in the first year to a 60-20-20 distribution model by the third year. They will also be provided funding increases during the transition years.

“Our state leaders have acted with urgency to improve student success in the past few years from reforming transfer to remedial education and now a funding formula that values student success. The combination of these bold investments and actions is a game-changer for our students who go to college with the hope and expectation of earning a degree, certificate, or transferring to a 4-year university,” said Michele Siqueiros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Alexa Victoriano, a former Student Trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District said, “I don’t want to go to college just to explore. As a first-generation college student, I want to go to college to earn a degree, secure a good paying job, and do my part to help strengthen the economy. But I can’t do this alone.”

“Alexa, today the Governor and Legislature are standing with you. Their willingness to be bold and act with urgency will benefit generations to come and we stand firm to ensure the promise of today’s budget is realized,” concluded Siqueiros.