Report 2022-113 Recommendation 3 Responses

Report 2022-113: California Community Colleges: Increasing Full-Time Faculty and Diversity Remains a Challenge (Release Date: February 2023)

Recommendation #3 To: Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

To ensure that districts appropriately use the funds designated for hiring full-time faculty, the Chancellor's Office should, by August 2023, require each district to report to the Chancellor's Office in November of each year on the number of full-time faculty positions filled and maintained with the funds allocated for that purpose in the prior fiscal year, the percentage of the funds used in the prior fiscal year, and the cumulative total of the funds used and unused since the initial allocation in fiscal year 2018-19. Each district should also include in the report its progress toward meeting the goal of at least 75 percent of instruction by full-time faculty.

1-Year Agency Response

New reporting requirements in Education Code supersede this recommendation. SB 117 (2023) amended Education Code to add sections 87890 through 87894 which outline additional reporting requirements for the Chancellor's Office and for districts as a condition of receiving full-time faculty hiring funds. Education Code section 87891 requires districts to report to the Chancellor's Office by March 31 annually the number of full-time faculty positions filled and maintained with the funds allocated for that purpose in the prior fiscal year, the percentage of the funds used in the prior fiscal year, and the cumulative total of the funds used and unused. The results of this new report will be available in a public report by May 30 annually, as required by statute. Districts continue to report on progress toward meeting the goal of having 75% of instruction taught by full-time faculty in the Faculty Obligation Number Compliance Report due November 1 annually.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

The Chancellor's Office will need to demonstrate that it has communicated these requirements to the districts, including requirements to report the number of full-time faculty positions filled and maintained with the funds allocated for that purpose in the prior fiscal year, the percentage of the funds used in the prior fiscal year, and the cumulative total of the funds used and unused since the initial allocation in fiscal year 2018-19, to demonstrate full implementation of this recommendation.

6-Month Agency Response

New reporting requirements in Education Code supersede this recommendation. SB 117 (2023) amended Education Code to add sections 87890 through 87894 which outline additional reporting requirements for the Chancellor's Office and for districts as a condition of receiving full-time faculty hiring funds. Education Code section 87891 requires districts to report to the Chancellor's Office by March 31 annually the number of full-time faculty positions filled and maintained with the funds allocated for that purpose in the prior fiscal year, the percentage of the funds used in the prior fiscal year, and the cumulative total of the funds used and unused. This report is in development and will be shared with districts prior to the March 31 deadline for submission. Districts continue to report on progress toward meeting the goal of having 75% of instruction taught by full-time faculty in the Faculty Obligation Number Compliance Report due November 1 annually.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

We will evaluate whether the Chancellor's Office's implementation of the requirements of SB117 also represent implementation of this recommendation when it officially communicates the requirements to the districts.

60-Day Agency Response

Districts annually report their full-time equivalent faculty attributed to both full-time and part-time faculty and these reports are publicly available on the Chancellor's Office website. In addition, district financial reports, including expenditures for salaries and benefits, are audited annually and publicly available on each district's website.

Through the consultative process required by law, the Chancellor's Office will initiate a systemwide conversation to discuss potential revisions to monitoring, oversight, and annual reporting related to full-time faculty hiring funds. Specifically, this topic is included for discussion on the agenda for the May 11, 2023, meeting of the Chancellor's Office Fiscal Affairs Advisory Workgroup.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: No Action Taken

The Chancellor's Office's response indicates that it has not yet initiated actions to implement this recommendation for districts to report how they use the additional funding for hiring full-time faculty that they receive.

All Recommendations in 2022-113

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.