Report 2022-113 Recommendation 2 Responses

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

Recommendation #2 To: Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

To ultimately achieve the goal of at least 75 percent of instruction taught by full-time faculty, the Chancellor's Office, by February 2024, should set increasing annual benchmarks for the amount of instruction by full-time faculty at the districts, with the goal of achieving an appropriate target percentage within five years. The Chancellor's Office should also develop a mechanism to promote compliance with its benchmarks.

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. Districts have local control over hiring decisions and collective bargaining activities. The newly expanded reporting requirements will provide consistent public information on hiring trends and districts' progress toward meeting the goal of having 75% of instruction taught by full-time faculty.

The new Annual Academic Hiring Report has been sent to districts and is due on April 1, 2024 as the statutory deadline of March 31 falls on a Sunday. As data trends are established for the various metrics included in the new Annual Academic Hiring Report, potential benchmarks can be explored. The Faculty Obligation Number described in Title 5 section 51025 is the existing compliance mechanism to measure and promote districts' progress toward the goal.

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

The Chancellor's Office continues to indicate that it may explore potential benchmarks, but it has not committed to doing so.

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. Districts have local control over hiring decisions and collective bargaining activities. The newly expanded reporting requirements will provide consistent public information on hiring trends and districts' progress toward meeting the goal of having 75% of instruction taught by full-time faculty. Based on this information, the Chancellor's Office can explore potential benchmarks. Currently, the Faculty Obligation Number described in Title V section 51025 is the existing compliance mechanism to measure and promote districts' progress toward the goal.

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

The Chancellor's Office indicates that it may explore potential benchmarks, but it has not committed to doing so.

60-Day Agency Response

Through the consultative process required by law, the Chancellor's Office has initiated a systemwide conversation on the future of teaching, learning, and student success. Specifically, an item on this topic was included on the April 20, 2023, Consultation Council agenda. The discussion centered around the recognition of the complexity of the definition of instruction and identification of factors that contribute to student success. Next steps will include an in-depth study to provide data and evidence to inform further consideration of changes to the metric of instruction used to measure progress toward the 75% goal and a mechanism to promote compliance.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

Based on its response, the Chancellor's Office has not yet begun to implement this recommendation. It's next steps may represent the beginning of implementation of this recommendation if those steps include setting increasing annual benchmarks and developing a mechanism to promote compliance with those benchmarks.

All Recommendations in 2022-113

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.