Budget and Finance

Whereas indicators of student success for determining future funding of Partnership for Excellence must be fair and accurate, and

Whereas faculty have the most expertise in assessing fair and accurate measures of student success in those courses, and

Whereas student success is clearly an academic and professional matter, and

Whereas systemwide goals for Partnership for Excellence that relate to student performance were not developed in consultation with primary reliance on faculty,

Resolved that the Academic Senate direct the Executive Committee to research, report and make recommendations regarding the extent to which California community colleges are indebting themselves through the use of "Certificates of Participation" to fund capital projects.

Resolved that the Academic Senate work with the Chancellor's Office and Board of Governors to support and publicize existing accountability mechanisms, such as earned tenure, accreditation, prioritization for hiring, evaluations, etc., as found in Title 5 Regulations.

Resolved that the Academic Senate direct the Executive Committee to examine the issues involved in equalization, including current program based funding standards, and to develop a strategy to ensure equity of apportionment of funds for a blended FTES and Program Based Funding Standards basis, through the securing of additional funding sufficient to accomplish this goal by fiscal year 2002-2003 and report its findings to the plenary body at a future session.

Whereas there have been reports statewide concerning misuse of Partnership for Excellence funds, with the money being used for expenditures other than those intended by the Partnership for Excellence budget bill language, and

Whereas "student success," the overall goal for the Partnership for Excellence program, is clearly an academic and professional matter and thus requires mutual agreement or relying primarily on the academic senate for decisions regarding Partnership funds,

Whereas, according to Title 5 53200, the faculty is responsible for making recommendations for "standards or policies regarding student preparation and success," and

Whereas Partnership for Excellence funds are provided expressly for the attainment of goals that reflect student success,

Resolved that the Academic Senate reaffirm Resolution 5.06 S99 urging local academic senates to demand meaningful, active participation in developing plans and allocating Partnership for Excellence funds, and

Whereas Partnership for Excellence funds are intended solely to enhance student success, and

Whereas the goals that community colleges are expected to meet directly reflect five clear measures of student success, and

Whereas community college faculty are the guardians of their students' educational welfare and responsible for ensuring that their respective institutions plan and budget properly for student success,

Whereas the indicators for the use of Partnership for Excellence funds involve academic and professional matters as defined in Title 5, especially all areas such as basic skills and transfer relating to student success, and

Whereas Partnership for Excellence funds are part of the college's planning and budget development process,

Whereas the Partnership for Excellence is being utilized as a "catch-all" budget category, and cited by the Governor as the rationale for vetoing funds for full-time faculty as well as for EOPS and Puente, and

Whereas the Partnership for Excellence has been portrayed to the Legislature and the Governor as an accountability program for the system but lacks mechanisms to ensure fiscal accountability for the funds and has been utilized in many districts for projects unrelated to increasing student success on the prescribed goals, and

Whereas the Chancellor's Office has requested input on future concepts for budget funding,

Resolved that the Academic Senate explore new mechanisms for budget funding that take into consideration programs that are equipment intensive or enrollment controlled and may require special funding consideration.