Thank you for supporting College of the Canyons by sending a letter to our local legislators asking for a delay in the implementation of a new community college funding formula.
A template letter is attached for your convenience.
- Please personalize the template with your name, and print it on your letterhead.
- Address the letter, and send it to the following:
Governor Edmund G. Brown
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 558-3160
Senator Scott Wilk
State Capitol, Room 4090
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-651-4921
Senator Henry Stern
State Capitol, Room 3070
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-651-4927
Assemblymember Dante Acosta
State Capitol, Suite #2002
Sacramento, CA 94249
Fax: 916-319-2138
Assemblymember Tom Lackey
State Capitol, Suite #2174
Sacramento, CA 94249
Fax: 916-319-2136
- Provide copies to Eric Harnish, .
- Questions? Please contact Eric Harnish, , or 661-362-3429.
INSERT DATE
Dear Senator/Assemblymember [INSERT NAME],
I am writing today in support of College of the Canyons(COC) because I want to bring your attention to an issue that threatens the continued work our local college does every day on behalf of students.
Governor Brown’s proposed budget for 2018-19 includes a new performance-based funding model for the 114 California Community Colleges. By allocating resources based on student outcomes, itrepresents a significant departure from the current funding formula, which prioritizes providing access to higher education.
Ironically, while the proposed formula is designed to improve degree completion among students and incentivize colleges to serve low-income students, it threatens to cut funding forCollege of the Canyons, which consistently achieves remarkable student success outcomes:
- Its completion rate is the second highest in California among college-prepared students.
- Nearly 80 percent (79.4%) of COC’s college-prepared students complete a degree or certificate, or are ready to transfer to a four-year university when they finish their studies.
- And, the percentage of COC students who transfer to a four-year university is among the highest of all 21 community colleges in L.A. County.
The funding formula is scheduled to be implemented at the start of new fiscal year, July 1, 2018, after first being introduced in January. This schedule means that funding for a system that serves 2.1 million students will be rushed through without adequate time for analysis. This could very well prove to be the worst experiment in public higher education that California has ever seen.
When the local control funding formula (LCFF) was implemented for the K-12 system, it was developed over the course of two years through a collaborative process that engaged stakeholders and underwent rigorous analysis. The same methodology needs to be followed in this case to avoid irreparable harm to our state’s colleges.
Analysis of the proposed funding formula shows most community college districts will lose funding beginning in the second year of implementation. Colleges will not achieve performanceincreases in transfer, completion and enrollment with dramatically reduced budgets. That will have a devastating impact on workforce preparation, and negatively impact our state’s economy.Plus, the proposed formula will provide a reduced level of support for the employee training that College of the Canyons currently offers to more than 900 local companies.
We can’t afford these unintended consequences. Can we count on your help to stop this unproven, and potentially disastrous formula from being enacted in July? I respectfully urge you to reject any language in the 2018-19 budget that seeks to implement the new funding formula in the next fiscal year. Instead, please work with your colleagues in the Legislature to ensure adequate time is devoted to engage all community college stakeholders in devising a new formula that provides equitable funding, and equips colleges with the resources needed to enhance student success.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance with this effort.
Best regards,
INSERT NAME