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San Bernardino Community College District

Legislative Advocacy

Last modified at 8/22/2024 9:28 a.m.

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We Advocate to Open Doors of Higher Education and Opportunity for All 

The SBCCD Board of Trustees and Chancellor’s Office engages with government officials and diverse stakeholders to advocate for public policy solutions that support student achievement and economic mobility in the Inland Empire. 

SBCCD Legislative Priorities Booklet

2024 Legislative Advocacy Priorities

Download the Agenda


Let’s Expand College Affordability

  • Explore New Local Funding to Enhance Affordability and Access for Textbooks, Career Training, and Higher Education Programs at SBCCD. SBCCD is dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality higher education and skills training, which are crucial for students' success in our region. While state funding remains vital for this mission, we will explore the potential for additional local funding sources. These funds could be used to assist students with various needs, such as affordable tuition, addressing housing and food insecurity, offering work experience opportunities, and supporting initiatives like “Books+.” This program aims to provide students with free rental access to textbooks and essential course materials.
  • Expand and Simplify the State’s Financial Aid System. In 2022, the Governor and Legislature approved the Cal Grant Equity Framework to make it easier for low-income adults to go to college. This means that factors like a student’s age, GPA, and how long it has been since they graduated from high school will not prevent them from getting financial aid. However, to make this happen, the state must invest in the implementation of the Cal Grant Equity Framework. SBCCD supports funding that will create more financial aid opportunities and a Cal Grant 2 program just for community college students, so everyone can pursue their education.
  • Support FAFSA Simplification and Expansion of Pell Grants. SBCCD supports federal policies that reduce the complexity and eliminate student barriers to filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, SBCCD supports increased investments in the Pell Grant to make college more accessible and affordable for low-income students.

Let’s Prepare Students for Good-Paying Careers

  • Support the CCC’s 2024-25 Systemwide Budget Request. SBCCD supports $711 million in ongoing and $310 million in one-time resources to reach the systemwide Vision 2030. The requested investments focus on a students’ full educational journey – from enrollment, persistence, and supports to student success and economic mobility.
  • Enhancing Dual Enrollment and Credit for Prior Learning. SBCCD advocates for policies aimed at simplifying and expanding opportunities for high school students to earn college credits before graduation through dual/concurrent enrollment agreements between community colleges and K-12 institutions. Additionally, SBCCD supports initiatives that allow adult learners to receive college credits based on their relevant work experience. SBCCD is committed to efforts that ensure the seamless transfer of any “credit for prior learning” recognized by community colleges to University of California (UC) and California State University (Cal State) institutions.
  • Support Modernization of the San Bernardino Regional Emergency Training Center. As a member of the San Bernardino Emergency Regional Training Center Joint Powers Authority, SBCCD supports funding for new equipment and facility repairs to enhance firefighting and emergency response training. 

Let’s Combat Student Hunger and Housing Insecurity

  • Expand Access to CalFresh Food Assistance. SBCCD supports local, state, and federal policies, initiatives, and funding that can increase students’ access to food assistance under CalFresh. SBCCD supports efforts to increase student access to EBT benefits on campus and county partnerships to streamline the CalFresh application process for SBCCD students.
  • Continue Investments in Affordable Student Housing. SBCCD supports investments to build student residential housing for community college students experiencing housing insecurity. SBCCD supports ongoing funding to support colleges working with local, county, and student agencies to establish housing options for community college students. 

Let’s Open Doors of Opportunity for Everyone

  • Support Opportunities for All Students, Regardless of Immigration Status. SBCCD supports state and federal policies to ensure all students have higher education, career training, and financial aid opportunities, regardless of immigration status.
  • Support Equitable Funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Simplify Administrative Processes. SBCCD supports higher levels of federal investment in Title V, Part A and Title V, Part B of the Higher Education Act. Additionally, SBCCD supports efforts to streamline the annual recertification process required by the U.S. Department of Education for institutions to be recognized as Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
  • Support Funding to Strengthen Equal Employment Opportunity Best Practices. SBCCD supports ongoing funding to connect future hiring practices and procedures to statewide equity and diversity efforts, and help strengthen institutional capacity to close equity gaps and improve student outcomes.

Let’s Safeguard the Financial Stability of Our Community Colleges

  • Protect Funding for Community Colleges Under Proposition 98. Proposition 98, passed in 1988, mandates a minimum state funding level for K-12 schools and California community colleges. We urge policymakers to protect state funding for community colleges. Ensuring that community colleges receive their fair share of funding is essential to maintaining educational quality and accessibility.
  • Improve Student Centered Funding Formula Rates. SBCCD supports state investment and policies to improve the Student Centered Funding Formula rates to advance the mission of SBCCD.
  • Improve State Funding Model for Part-Time Faculty Health Insurance Program. SBCCD supports state policy changes aimed at enhancing the funding structure of the Part-Time Faculty Health Insurance Program in California, and advocates for a system where the state directly provides the necessary funding to community college districts instead of reimbursing them later. The Part-Time Faculty Health Insurance Program's current reimbursement model heavily burdens districts like SBCCD with substantial upfront costs before receiving state reimbursements. This creates financial uncertainty and makes it challenging for SBCCD to manage other significant financial commitments. To provide health benefits to all part-time faculty members, SBCCD would need an upfront expenditure of $13.2 million, which exceeds the district’s current capacity. Therefore, it is vital that the state adjusts the funding mechanism by providing upfront funding to districts. This change would reduce financial uncertainty and enable SBCCD to enhance the educational experience for all.
  • Provide CalSTRS/CalPERS Relief. SBCCD supports ongoing funding in non-Proposition 98 resources to “buy down” the employer contribution levels required by colleges/districts. Doing so will free up general fund revenues for other student-centered priorities.
  • Support Ongoing Funding for KVCR TV/FM. SBCCD owns and operates KVCR, the Inland Empire’s NPR and PBS affiliate station, and the headquarters of FNX, the nation’s only TV channel devoted to Native American and World Indigenous programming. SBCCD requests ongoing public investment to enhance KVCR TV/FM’s ability to provide long-term educational content, local news, and diverse cultural programs to our region and beyond.

 

Board of Trustees Legislative Committee

The SBCCD Board of Trustees Legislative Committee exists as a standing, advisory committee comprised of less than a quorum of Board members and is subject to the California Public Meetings Brown Act. The committee is charged with:

  • Increasing the efficiency of the Board of Trustees by performing time-sensitive legislative research on its behalf.
  • Improving clarity by providing a platform for detailed questions not conducive to the flow of monthly business meetings.
  • Promoting transparency of SBCCD’s legislative advocacy priorities through discussions in an open forum.
  • Fostering an environment of understanding by communicating findings and formulating recommendations to the full Board of Trustees.

Meetings, Agendas & Minutes

2024 Legislative Principles

The following principles guide the SBCCD Board of Trustees, the Board Legislative Committee, and the Chancellor's Office in assessing policy proposals at the local, state, and federal levels. They provide a framework for recommending action, whether to support, oppose, or remain neutral

  • Equity – The SBCCD Board of Trustees supports public policies that increase student success, including completion, transfer, and employment while closing equity gaps and nurturing an anti-racist educational environment.
  • Increased Public Investment in Student Success – The SBCCD Board of Trustees supports advocacy to increase state and federal funding, resources, and legislation that strengthen our colleges’ ability to meet student equity and workforce development goals.
  • College Affordability & Student Basic Needs – The SBCCD Board of Trustees supports legislation and other reforms to make college more affordable, and measures to address student basic needs.
  • Local Decision-Making – The SBCCD Board of Trustees affirms its responsibility to make decisions in the best interests of the local community, district, and campuses.
  • State and Federal Partnerships – The SBCCD Board of Trustees will advocate for legislation where state or federal intervention is justified.
  • Civic Engagement – The SBCCD Board of Trustees will advocate for adequate representation of the Inland Empire on legislatively-formed boards, commissions, task forces, study groups, and other bodies that may have an impact on SBCCD’s educational mission.