May 3, 2018 

HACU joins over 30 organizations in support of student-centered funding formula for the California Community Colleges

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has signed on to a letter directed to the leadership of the California Senate and Assembly budget committees on Education urging them to support a funding formula for the California Community Colleges that prioritizes student success and equity. The letter supports the funding formula and urges the legislature to incorporate additional components that will strengthen the proposal, and is signed by 36 organizations committed to college access, equity and success for students in higher education.

The letter points out:

The current funding formula - which relies on enrollment figures to allocate apportionment funding - encourages community colleges to enroll more students to stabilize campus budgets, but is limited in that it does not encourage these same institutions to prioritize student success, improve outcomes, or close equity gaps. As a result, too few students cross the finish line and a majority (52%) of degree-seeking students are unable to complete a certificate, degree or transfer to a university after six years of entering these two-year institutions. Completion rates are even more alarming for students of color with six out of ten African Americans and Latinx failing to complete such milestones and most low-income students not reaching their college goals.

For a copy of the letter and the names of signatories, click here.