Last month, the Governor released his 2021-2022 budget, “The California Comeback Plan.” The $227.2 billion May Revised Budget is the biggest economic recovery package in California history. I am happy to report that much of that money is slated to go to education.

Governor Newsom’s budget recognizes the value that community colleges play in the State’s long-term fiscal health by using part of a projected of $75.7 billion surplus to make one time funding available to community colleges. Here are a few key budget proposals that would have specific relevance to CR and our students.   

• Increase the proposed Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) from 1.5% to 4.05% to account for the lack of COLA in 2020-21.

• Use $1.45 billion to eliminate budget year deferrals rather than carrying a portion of the deferrals forward as proposed in January.
• Increase funding for expansion of Zero Cost Textbook pathways from $15 million to $115 million one-time.
• Use $2 billion in federal funds to establish a savings account of $500 for every low-income student enrolled in the state’s public schools, with homeless or foster youth getting an additional $500.
• Provide $1 billion in one-time federal funds to support a grant program for displaced workers who want to enroll in an education program, start a business, or engage in training to reskill or upskill. The grants would be aimed at workers displaced from their employment due to COVID-19.
• Provide an additional $100 million in one-time funding for retention and enrollment efforts. The additional funds would be allocated to colleges that have been disproportionately affected by enrollment drops related to COVID-19. CR has seen a significant drop in enrollments and these funds will help us recapture the enrollment we lost over the last 16 months.
• Make $50 million available to expand vocational training opportunities and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
• Provide $250 million in grants to regional K-16 collaborations to focus on aligning higher education with workforce needs and streamlining pathways to high paying, in-demand jobs.
• Supply $10 million for targeted work-based learning in cloud computing, zero emission technology, and supply chain fuels.
• Allocate $50 million for one-time institutional block grants to help colleges transition back to in-person education following the shift to online instruction and other disruptions related to the pandemic.

While the Governor’s May Revised Budget is welcome news to College of the Redwoods, the Board of Trustees and I are engaging with our legislators to advocate for changes to some of the proposed budget allocations.

• CCC Budget Deferrals. The Governor’s largest one-time proposal to pay off approximately $1.5 billion in budget deferrals would reduce CR’s need for costly borrowing. While reducing the deferrals is welcome news, we are asking the Legislature to consider provide additional one-time funds for general use.
• COLA. We are very grateful to the Governor for moving community colleges closer to parity in the budget with our K-12 partners with a COLA of 4.05%. However, community colleges, which serve the largest number of Californians disproportionally impacted by the pandemic, were not provided a one percent supplemental base allocation like that for K-12, nor did community colleges receive a COLA commensurate with our university partners. We would like to see the State’s budget better address this disparity.

The board and I are also working to support additional legislation important to CR.

• Assembly Bill (AB) 102 (Holden). This legislation will provide high school students with opportunities to begin college-level coursework.
• AB 927.  Passage of this bill would allow CR to develop baccalaureate degree programs, for example in construction/industrial technology, that address regional needs and lead directly to employment opportunities. These degrees would be affordable, half the price of a CSU degree and significantly less than comparable programs at for-profit institutions.
• AB 1456. This bill proposes a framework for financial aid using the total cost of attendance as the college affordability benchmark rather than solely tuition.  Passage of this bill would make it easier for non-traditional students like those who have families or have returned from the workforce seeking a college education to qualify for aid. We know that with the current budget surplus, we have a unique opportunity to achieve equity for our students who have long been denied access to critical financial aid.
• CCC-CSU/UC Dual Admission Trailer Bill. This bill will guarantee that a student will be admitted to a university campus of their choice during a future academic year if the student successfully completes an associate degree for transfer or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a community college. 

CR is committed to providing broad range of educational opportunities and support services that enable students to attain their academic and personal goals, and to addressing historic educational, economic, and social disparities. The Board of Trustees and I are urging our elected officials to support legislation and funding that supports our district in carrying out our mission.