Dear AFT Guild Members,
The Legislature and Governor Newsom reached a deal for the FY 2022-23 state budget over the past weekend. The legislature will be voting on a set of budget bills in the coming weeks, including more than two dozen trailer bills included in the budget package.
The new budget deal includes record levels of funding for public education including the $200 million proposal to support Part-Time Faculty Healthcare that CFT has been championing throughout this budget process! Please see below for a topline summary of the main CCC budget items. For those who are interested in more detail, this Senate analysis is helpful as we await the final budget documents.
Once all of the trailer bills have been voted on and approved (likely by the end of August) we will know more accurately what our District’s share of these funds will be. Early in the fall we will begin our economic negotiations based on these new revenue numbers once they are all ascertained.
In Solidarity,
Jim
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931
Community Colleges
The Community College Part-Time Faculty health insurance program was funded with an additional $200 million to expand healthcare coverages and incentivize more districts to offer more coverage. There is also language in the budget that signals the legislature’s intent to consider changes to the existing program that CFT has been advocating for. These changes are expected to be incorporated into a trailer bill in August.
A base increase of $600 million for the Community Colleges apportionments is included – this includes the 6.56 percent COLA.
A $650 million Flexible Block Grant is included to support basic needs, mental health, faculty and staff professional development, discharging of unpaid student fees, and other COVID-19 related support. The grant will be allocated according to FTES
The budget includes $840.6 million for deferred maintenance at community colleges, with funds allocated according to FTES.
A new funding floor based on the districts’ hold harmless level at the end of 2024-25 is created to address concerns that districts will experience fiscal declines when the current provision expires. Starting in 2025-26, districts would be funded at their SCFF generated amount that year or their hold harmless amount in 2024-25, whichever is higher. Whereas SCFF rates would continue to receive a COLA in subsequent years, a district’s hold harmless amount would not grow.
The Classified Employee Summer Assistance Program for Community College employees is established and funded with $10 million ongoing funds. (This fund will provide assistance for classified employees who work less than 12 months per year. We are still awaiting the details as to how this will actually operate.)