Whereas a past president of the University of California, who was a principal architect of the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education, wrote, "When I was guiding the development of the Master Plan for Higher Education in California in 1959 and 1960, I considered the vast expansion of the community colleges to be the first line of defense for the University of California as an institution of academic renown"; and
Whereas the State Auditor has investigated the application of the 50% law and found that 6 of the 10 districts surveyed were out of compliance, and that the Chancellor's Office has failed to exercise proper oversight of and compliance with the 50% law, and
Whereas some local academic senates report that their administrations have threatened to revoke reassigned time for AB 1725 governance mandates if the 50% law is enforced,
Whereas legislation exists specifying that California community college districts allocate 50% of the "Current Expenses of Education" budget to classroom instruction, and
Whereas a random audit of ten California community college districts revealed that six were out of compliance with the 50% law, and
Whereas the California community colleges are recipients of public funds and ought to be routinely audited to ensure compliance with all legislative requirements,
Whereas the California State government has enacted Labor Code 3099 requiring the Department of Labor, Division of Apprenticeship Standards to
Establish and validate minimum standards for the licensing of electricians in California, and
Establish an advisory committee and panels as necessary, and
Whereas the current proposals before the advisory committee and standards panel intend to limit access to training and certification to indentured apprentices only, which will result in hardship to persons wishing to enter the electrical field, and
Whereas legislation that prevents high schools from including computer science courses in the NCAA eligibility "core course" list was presented to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and
Whereas computer literacy and information competency skills for high school students are increasingly critical to their success in college, and
Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is currently responding to the need for information/computer competency skills and will be adopting guidelines for their implementation,
Whereas there is recent public awareness of the 50% Law, and
Whereas there is much confusion over how districts are interpreting the 50% Law,
Resolved that the Academic Senate distribute auditing guidelines and an update from the October 30, 2000 Consultation taskforce on the 50% Law by the beginning of the spring semester, and
Resolved that the Academic Senate hold a breakout on the 50% Law at the Spring 2001 Plenary Session.
Whereas achieving the highest possible rate of success for all population groups is among one of the highest priorities of California community colleges, and
Whereas achieving the best outcomes requires planning that includes research, goals, budgets, and implementation activities, and
Whereas the state should require that districts submit such plans on a regular basis,
Whereas AB 420 (Wildman) seeks to address many part-time faculty issues supported by previous Academic Senate resolutions, and
Whereas AB 420 is supported by faculty organizations statewide, and
Whereas SB 921 (Vasconcellos) seeks to establish a $40 million fund for hiring additional full-time faculty,
Resolved that the Academic Senate support AB 420 (Wildman) as of April 17, 1999,and
Resolved that the Academic Senate support SB 921 (Vasconcellos) as of April 17,1999.
Resolved that the Academic Senate recommend that local senates support the concepts in the March 2000 proposition that would change the regulations for passing local school bond measures from a 2/3 vote to a majority vote.
Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the Chancellor to dissuade administrators from corresponding with legislators on district or college stationery unless the correspondence is approved by the local board of trustees and reflects the official position of the district or college.