Financial Aid

Whereas, AB 19 (Santiago, 2017), The California College Promise, requires that colleges participate in the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program[1] in order to receive additional financial aid funding for full time students;

Whereas, Participation in the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program is decided by each college after careful consideration by college leaders and constituencies based on criteria such as, but not limited to the college’s capacity and strategic plans;

Whereas, The 90% cut in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs) budget proposed for 2002-2003 will severely diminish colleges' ability to provide services to welfare-to-work and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) students in the areas of job placement, work study, coordination, curriculum development, and additional childcare beyond the minimum level provided by the remaining 10%; and

Whereas, The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs) Program is the cornerstone of California's welfare-to-work programs, currently serving over 47,000 students each year;

Whereas, The CalWORKs Program prepares welfare-recipient students for their first employment at a living wage;

Whereas, The CalWORKs Program educates students for their future steps on a lifelong career ladder; and

Whereas, The combined effect of the CalWORKs Program provides a significant boost to the California economy;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has consistently supported the provision of well-designed educational programs as a successful anti-poverty strategy;

Whereas, The CalWORKs program is an important component of this strategy that serves the most vulnerable students in our system; and

Whereas, CalWORKs program reductions and changes are currently under consideration at both the state and federal level;

Whereas, Adult recipients in a one-parent assistance unit in the CalWORKs program are required to participate in welfare-to-work activities for 32 hours per week;

Whereas, Community college students may apply hours spent in classrooms, laboratories, or internship activities toward the 32-hour a week requirement, but may not apply study time; and

Whereas, This limitation is having a detrimental effect on student academic success and retention;

Whereas the identification of students who are CalWORKs participants and students who are Self Initiated Participants (SIPs) will increase the colleges' allocation of VTEA funding for the services and programs the CalWORKs participants and SIPs are accessing, and

Whereas it is possible to identify the SIPs while preserving their privacy by sending data tapes matches of Social Security Numbers to local county Department of Social Services Offices, and

Whereas there is an inconsistency in county response and willingness to provide data tape matches,

Whereas colleges have prepared to serve CalWORKs participants by developing curriculum and programs, increasing the availability of direct student support services and establishing partnerships for internships/work-study opportunities, and

Whereas many agencies have a work-first philosophy that encourages low wage unsustainable work situations over educational opportunity, resulting in low numbers of participant referrals to colleges, and

Whereas the lack of referrals of CalWORKs participants to community colleges exacerbates the economic inequality in California,

Whereas the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds directed to the community colleges were to be used for supplemental programs and services for students in transition from welfare to work and were allocated to districts based on the 1995-96 headcount of Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC) recipients per college, and

Whereas legislation, guidelines, and revisions for programs in response to welfare reform are continually occurring, and

Whereas considerable funding for colleges is at stake,

Resolved that the Academic Senate urge the Chancellor's Office to continue to inform local senate presidents of all issues relating to the community college's role in welfare reform, and

Resolved that the Academic Senate urge local senates to ensure that all regular curriculum procedures be followed in dealing with welfare reform issues at their colleges, and

Whereas California community colleges have worked to develop high academic standards, curricula that includes critical thinking, and strong support services, and

Whereas the new welfare reform legislation puts enormous demands on the community college system to develop short-term workforce preparation programs that are comprehensive, and

Whereas there are numerous agencies and organizations within communities throughout the State that can assist the community colleges in the successful transition of welfare recipients into the workforce,