Chancellor’s Newsletter – August 2023

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District Office News 

Welcome Receptions for the Chancellor 

The YCCD Foundation Board and the District Governing Board hosted three Receptions on August 18, 22 and 23, to welcome Chancellor Shouan Pan to the community, one at the Marysville Campus of Yuba College, one at Woodland Community College campus, and one at the Lake County Campus. To faculty, staff, students, and community leaders who attended the receptions, Dr. Pan spoke about his commitment to working in close partnership with both internal and external stakeholders and moving the District to be even more mission driven, innovative, and sustainable.  

Chancellor’s Open Door  

As a part of his goal to become familiar with the college campuses and communities, Chancellor Pan will be on campus, monthly, to meet and interact with faculty, staff, and students who would like to stop by during the “Open Door” period. Below are the September dates/times. No appointment is necessary.  

 

Woodland Community College, Academic Senate Office 

Thursday, September 7, 2023  

From 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

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Yuba College, Staff Lounge 

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 

From 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 

 

Woodland Community College Presidential Search 

The search for the new President of Woodland Community College is underway. The position is being advertised via the following venues: 

  • YCCD PeopleAdmin  
  • CCC Registry  
  • Diversity Jobs  
  • Chronicle of Higher Education  
  • Higher Ed Jobs  
  • Lationsinhighered.com  
  • College Central   

The application deadline is Wednesday, September 29, 2023.  More information is available on the webpage: WCC President Search. 

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Yuba College News 

The Summer Independent Living Program created a video outlining the activities they accomplished with their students, check it out here: ILP Summer Video 2023.mp4. 

The new athletics logo and football uniforms were unveiled with a short pep rally and video, which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/1K5f3SzTb68 

The Marysville Police Department has donated two police vehicles and delivery is in the works. Thank you to Chief Sachs for his support of our program! 

On August 18, Dr. Dotson represented Yuba College at the Yuba Sutter Veterans Stand Down opening ceremony. The Stand Down is a three-day event that provides a wide range of necessities to veterans.  

Happenings around the college 

  • Sept. 8: Volleyball vs. Cosumnes River College 
  • Sept. 11: Pizza With the President, All Students Invited, Flavors 
  • Sept. 12: Men’s Soccer vs. Gavilan College 
  • Sept. 26: YC Child Development Center Open House, 6 pm, B1600/CDC, YC-Marysville 
  • Sept. 26: Professional Development Day (No Classes) 
  • Oct. 19: Yuba College Scholarship Celebration (Fundraising Event) 

Full Yuba College sports schedules are linked here.  

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Woodland Community College News 

Soccer has begun! Full schedules and information can be found on their website: https://wcc.yccd.edu/campus/athletics/.  

We are witnessing a positive increase in enrollment. The statewide enrollment trend is upwards, giving us hope that the declines during the pandemic are hopefully behind us. Although we have registered significant enrollment gains, we are still shy of the pre-pandemic levels. This semester, we will focus on strengthening our dual enrollment partnerships and enriching student experience on campus to keep the upward momentum going. 

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Fiscal Update 

State Chancellor’s Office Budget Workshop Recap 

Below are the highlights from the recent State Chancellor’s Office Budget Workshop, which took place on August 3, 2023. This workshop’s focus was to shed light on the financial landscape of our community college system and outlining our path forward. 

Workshop Recording and Presentation 

For those who may have missed it, you can access the recording of the workshop through this link: Budget Workshop Recording. 

Additionally, the presentation slides discussed during the workshop are available for your reference here: Budget Workshop Presentation Slides. 

Vision 2030 Plan 

One of the key highlights of the workshop was the spotlight on the Vision 2030 plan by the California Community College Chancellor. This plan serves as our guiding star, shaping our strategic goals and aspirations for the future. 

During the workshop, there were valuable insights and how they are linked to the Community College funding. 

Equity in Success SCFF: Success 

  • Increasing completion of a degree or certificate at a community college with equity. 
  • Advancing baccalaureate attainment with equity, including increasing transfer and community college baccalaureate attainment. 
  • Ensuring workforce readiness with a living wage metric. 

Equity in Access SCFF: Base Allocation  

  • Expanding enrollments with equity for dual enrollment, justice-involved individuals, veterans, working adults, and low-income adults. 

Equity in Support SCFF: Supplemental  

  • Boosting the number of Pell Grant recipients and California College Promise Grant (CCPG) recipients.
  • Streamlining unit requirements for degree completion.

These goals underscore our commitment to providing equitable access and support to all members of our community. 

Economic Overview and State Budget Highlights 

Population Decline In contrast to earlier projections, recent estimates reveal a concerning trend: California’s population did not experience growth over the past two years. Instead, it declined by 0.7% in 2021 and an additional 0.5% in 2022. 

Home Price Growth While median home prices in California have surged by approximately 29% above their pre-pandemic levels, they remain 8.5% below their pandemic peak as of April 2022. 

Budget Deficit California’s recent budget addressed a challenging $32 billion deficit. Of particular concern is the decline in income tax withholdings observed in 2023, following two years of double-digit growth. 

State Economic Trends 

  • California’s economy continues its post-pandemic recovery, but the labor force has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic peak. 
  • As of April 2023, there were 1.05 million job openings in the state, while only approximately 867,000 individuals were unemployed. 
  • The persistent housing shortage in the state has contributed to labor force challenges. From 2012 to 2022, California added more than 2.9 million jobs but authorized just 1.2 million residential building permits. 

Wage Growth and Technology Sector 

  • Slower wage gains and high inflation have dampened wage growth in California. 
  • Declines in the technology sector and reduced investment in California businesses have resulted in decreased compensation for higher-income taxpayers, upon which the state’s tax structure heavily relies. 

Housing Market as a Growth Constraint One of the primary constraints to California’s economic growth remains the state’s housing market, which has struggled to keep pace with demand. 

Budgetary Support for Community Colleges The budget agreement includes key provisions to support community colleges: 

  • A $678 million allocation from Proposition 98 supports an 8.22% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for apportionments. 
  • An additional $95.5 million aids an 8.22% COLA for select categoricals. 
  • $16.9 million is earmarked for an 8.22% COLA for basic needs centers, mental health services, rapid rehousing, NextUp, MESA, Puente, Umoja, and veterans resource centers. 

Adjustment to Prior Year Funding 

  • Deferred Maintenance funding for 2022-23 decreased by $452 million. 
  • Enrollment & Retention allocation for 2022-23 was reduced but supplemented with a $50 million one-time Proposition 98 allocation for 2023-24. 
  • COVID-19 Block Grant funding remains intact, with flexibility for its use along with deferred maintenance and enrollment and retention funding. 

Affordable Student Housing Given financial constraints, community college projects were shifted to local lease revenue bonds, with state support.  

Systemwide Reporting Trailer bill language introduces increased reporting around full-time faculty and funding use.  

Systemwide Course Modality Study A $500,000 one-time allocation is designated for a review of online courses and programs’ outcomes and costs, with the goal of ensuring equitable and successful online offerings. 

BOG Student Members Funds are allocated to provide student members of the Board of Governors with $4,000 in financial assistance per semester for each year of their term. 

Nursing Program (2024-25) The budget expresses an intent to provide $60 million annually from 2024-25 through 2028-29 to expand community college nursing programs and Bachelor of Science in nursing partnerships, subject to future legislation. 

Workforce 

  • Priority language is approved to expand Strong Workforce program funding for student grants and work-based learning programs. 
  • $4.3 million one-time Proposition 98 funding supports the Equal Employment Opportunity Program. 
  • $14 million one-time Proposition 98 funds facilitate workforce training grants in collaboration with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, addressing wildfire workforce needs. 

District Budget Update 

We would like to provide you with an update on the district’s proposed budget adoption process and important considerations for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The proposed budget is set to undergo a thorough review and approval process as follows: 

  1. District Consultation Council (DC3) Meeting
  • Date: September 5, 2023 
  • The proposed budget will be vetted through the DC3 during their regularly scheduled meeting, via Zoom, at 3:00 p.m. 
  1. Board’s Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
  • Date: September 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. 
  • Following DC3 review, the budget will be presented to the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee for the board’s subcommittee’s review and consideration. 
  • Location: Sutter County Center, Room 211 or via Zoom. 
  1. Full Governing Board Review and Approval
  • Date: September 14, 2023 
  • The budget will then be presented to the full Governing Board for a comprehensive review, open to public comment, and final approval. 
  • Location: Woodland Community College, Community Room or via Zoom. 

Budget Overview: While the state budget indicates an 8.22% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), it’s essential to note that 5.22% of this COLA is derived from either one-time funding sources from a prior year or one-time redirection of funding for the 2023-24 fiscal year within the state budget. 

District’s Approach: Despite the one-time nature of the funding sources from the State, the district is planning to propose an 8.22% COLA as ongoing in the proposed budget and multi-year projections. 

Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) and Stability Funding: With the conclusion of emergency conditions protections in the SCFF, the district will benefit from stability funding for the last year in 2023-24. This funding is based on a higher Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) count of 7,626 plus COLA of 8.22%. However, it’s important to anticipate changes in 2024-25 as the three-year average FTES is lower because the district’s overall FTES has declined since 2019-20. This results in expenditures outpacing revenues in the outer years if the district assumes a 2.5% COLA distributed to salary schedules.  In a scenario distributing Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) higher than 2.5% would leads to higher deficit spending for the district in the outer year. This approach would result in our ability to maintain the minimum fund balance as outlined in the district’s policy.   

Maintaining a healthy fund balance is vital for a community college district. It provides the district economic stability during economic uncertainties including further reductions in the state budget due to recession or state’s revenues coming in below their projections.  It helps to address cash flows concerns if the state defers funding to future years and avoid our reliance on borrowing funds to operate the districts.  Fund balance provides funding for unexpected expenses like repairs and provides the district the flexibility to consider avoiding layoffs during an economic downturn by the state.  In essence, a robust fund balance safeguards financial stability, educational quality, employee confidence and stability.  

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Foundation News 

Yuba College Scholarship Celebration will be Thursday, October 18, 2023, at the Yuba College Student Center. This is a great event that will recognize local student scholars and award more than $100,000 in locally funders scholarships to Yuba College students. You can find more information on their webpage, including ticket costs and sponsorship opportunities: https://yccdfoundation.org/  

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Recently Reviewed Board Policies  

The below policies all had minor updates as a result of the CCLC Spring Legal Update #42. All policies listed below were presented to the Policy & Student Success Committee on August 2, 2023.  

  • Board Policy 2330 – Quorum and Voting: Board Policy 2330 was updated to clarify voting requirements related to the sale or lease of surplus real property.  
  • Board Policy 2340 – Agendas: Board Policy 2340 was updated to reflect the recent reorganization and renumbering of the California Public Records Act.  
  • Board Policy 2365 – Recording: Board Policy 2665 was updated to reflect the recent reorganization and renumbering of the California Public Records Act.  

At the August 10, 2023 Board Meeting the Board approved the substantive revisions to Board Policy 2100: 

The Policy & Student Success Committee reviewed Board Policy 2220 on July 5, 2023, and determined the revisions as minor changes.   

Necessary updates to all the policies listed will be completed in Board Docs.  

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—– We are hiring! Visit our hiring webpage for more information. —–

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Mission Statement: Yuba Community College District provides all individuals in our diverse communities access to high-quality, affordable higher education that is responsive to student needs. Our mission is to inspire and advocate for student success through our passion and commitment to teaching, learning, and social justice. 

Vision: Our vision is to empower our students and strengthen our communities by providing equitable, student-centered learning opportunities. 

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Would you like to have an event highlighted in a future newsletter? 

Email dwilliam@yccd.edu for consideration.