Counseling Faculty and the 50% Law

Fall
2020
Resolution Number
08.01
R
Contact
Assigned to
Executive Committee
Category
Counseling

Whereas, The primary function of The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters as defined in Title 5 §53200, which includes standards or policies regarding student preparation and success, in order to help students meet their educational goals such as earning a certificate, degree, or transfer to a baccalaureate institution;

Whereas, Counseling faculty play an integral role in facilitating student preparation and success by providing appropriate and necessary support programs and services that not only help students find their educational pathways but also stay on their educational pathways, helping to fulfill two of the four pillars of the guided pathways frameworks as referenced in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Vision for Success [1], which is vital to ensuring that students are able to meet their goals;

Whereas, During times of economic recession, programs such as student services and counseling often experience heavy decreases in funding since they are not considered instructional programs under California Education Code §84362, also known as the 50% Law: and

Whereas, Goal 2 in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Vision for Success [2]is to “Over 5 years, increase by 35 percent the number of CCC students system- wide transferring annually to a UC or CSU,” Chancellor Oakley requested that a workgroup of stakeholders making recommendations to the 50% Law “reconvene and consider revisions to its original proposal in order to align it with the California Community Colleges’ Vision for Success document accepted by the Board of Governors in July 2017.” and the recommendations were presented to the CCCCO Consultation Council in April in 2019 [3] [4];

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and other stakeholders to explore means to include counselor salaries and benefits as instructional expenses under California Education Code §84362, also known as the 50% Law, in order to provide the support that students need for successful certificate or degree attainment or transfer to baccalaureate institutions.

MSR Reffered to the Executive Committee to review inclusion of all non instructional faculty and retun to the by by Spring 2021


1. https://foundationccc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Visio/VisionForSuccess_web_2019.pdf

2. https://foundationccc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Visio/VisionForSuccess_web_2019.pdf

3. May 2016 Rostrum article,  The 50% Law and Faculty Obligation Number: A Proposal:

https://asccc.org/content/50-law-and-faculty-obligation-number-proposal

4. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zjUkO5P2LsFiFMy8zBaRsRiWYtIHxkUj/view?usp=sharing