Community College Districts: The LACCD - Essay Example

Community College Districts: The LACCD The LACCD is one of the largest community college districts in the world, educating more than 130,000 students at nine campuses, spread throughout 36 cities in the greater Los Angeles area. The colleges each offer unique programs and services, but share a common mission: to provide quality education at a reasonable price. The ethnic breakdown of the students is as follows: Latino-46% African American-16.7% Asian-15% White-19.5% The nine colleges are: East Los Angeles College Los Angeles City College Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Mission College Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Los Angeles Valley College Los Angeles Southwest College West Los Angeles College Grade Configuration within the District: LACCD educates almost three times as many Latino students and nearly four times as many African-American students as all of the University of California campuses combined. Eighty percent of LACCD students are from underserved populations. Community colleges serve adults of all ages, meeting the needs of a society where “lifelong learning” is the rule and multiple careers and continual retraining are the norm. The LACCD Mission statement “Changing lives in a changing Los Angeles” To achieve this mission, LACCD strives to create Educational Support Services. Educational Support services Mission and service outcomes. Mission: The Mission of the Education Support Services Division is to provide District and its colleges with strategic support by providing them with the information, assistance and guidance necessary to achieve their mission and goals. Service outcomes: In order to achieve this mission, the District’s Educational Support Services Division will provide the following services: 1-Policy & Procedure review/ revision to ensure responsiveness to the district-wide needs. 2- Review and revision of systems and procedures in order to provide improved efficiency (including utilization of technology) 3- Communication (including dissemination of information) among the colleges, between the colleges and the communities they serve, and between the colleges and other “Stakeholders” 4- Development of cooperative relationships among various “shareholders” within the district, and between the colleges and outside “Stakeholders” 5- Development of expertise through training and technical assistance throughout the district 6- Integration and leveraging of programs and resources. Brief summary of budget: The following is a brief summary of the District’s 2014-2015 final budget. 1- The 2014-2015 final budget for all funds is $2.96 billion distributed over eight funds. General Fund Bookstore Fund Cafeteria Fund Child development fund Special reserve fund (capital outlay project fund) Building bond fund Student financial aid fund Debt services fund LACCD also receives income from property tax, Federal funds, lottery funds, local revenues such as donations, fees on commercial or residential construction; special elections for parcel taxes and interest on investments. Salary: LACCD will pay on a semi-monthly or monthly basis depending on job classification. Benefits: Medical and dental insurance and vision care plans. $50,000 life insurance is provided free of charge for each employee. New employees receive 12 full-pay days and 88 half-pay days of illness leave. At least 15 paid holidays per year. The employee contribution rate is 7% of Retirement system. The district also contributes to the retirement system. Employee Assistance Program The board of trustees consists of: 1- Scott J. Svonkin President 2- Steve Veres Vice President 3- Mike ENG Member of the Board 4- Mona Field Member of the Board 5- Nancy Pearlman Member of the Board 6- Lamont G. Jackson Student Trustee Organizational Chart Refer to diagram 1 in the list of appendices. Evidence of long-range planning: Each year, the action plans derived from these goals and objectives are evaluated and reported to the Board to determine, which activities have been the most effective in moving the LACCD forward. In addition, the action plans will identify a district strategic plan (DSP) objectives that will require additional effort. These reports inform the Board’s annual goal-setting process, which in turn shapes college and district planning priorities and initiatives. The DSP is evaluated and revised every six years. Diagram 2 in the list of appendices depicts the relationship between the District and the college-level-strategic planning and budgeting in the LACCD. In gathering perceptions about the District from the various focus groups, the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) technique was used for collecting this information by breaking down the responses into four broad categories S – what are the District’s strengths? W- what are the District’s weaknesses? O- what opportunities might move the District forward? T- what threats might hold the District back? District Staff Development Programs: Professional and staff development is encouraged throughout the District by providing a variety of professional and training opportunities focused on enabling employees, at all levels. The professional and staff development is meant to develop the skills and competence needed to succeed in an employee’s chosen career or to prepare for advancement in the District. 1- Career development programs 2- Conferences 3- Faculty Professional Development Days 4- Business Operations/Administrative Computer Training 5- Compliance Training: Mandatory training sessions 6- Retirement planning workshops 7- Risk Management and Safety Training Programs 8- Tuition Reimbursement plans Student Demography and LACCD Enrollment Projections The proportion of online enrollments in the LACCD has doubled in the last five years (from 4% in 2005-2006 to 8% in 2010-2011). Success rates in 2010-2011 were significantly lower for online courses (57%) compared to non-online courses (68%). Furthermore, success rates in online Math and English (40% and 50%, respectively) are lower than in non-online (51% and 66% respectively). The proportion of online enrollments in math (3%) and English (7%) is relatively small even though the absolute number of online enrollments in these disciplines is the largest district-wide. Course failure and withdrawal rates in online courses were also higher than in non-online courses. Thus, the district will need to work on strategies for increasing success and retention in online courses in order to eliminate these discrepancies based on course delivery mode. Issues of funding in the LACCD: The LACCD Building program is funded mainly by bonds approved by Los Angeles Voters. The program is a $6 billion effort to modernize the nine campuses in the District. Before the program started, the District’s nine colleges were in various states of disrepair and neglect, some having not seen a major capital improvement in decades. The program’s goal is to improve the nine campuses and advance the training for students. In addition, the program will prepare students for jobs in fields such as nursing, other healthcare fields, public safety, manufacturing, automotive, technology, construction and entertainment. Additionally, better facilities will mean that students transferring to a four-year college will be better prepared to take the next academic step. Foundation for the LACCD: Forty percent of the students enrolled are below the poverty line and over one-third of the students are seeking vocational education in the hopes of securing a job after graduation and ultimately securing a better life. One of the challenges of the foundation is to identify economically disadvantaged students that may be overlooked by the current financial aid system. Many students may not qualify for some aid due to their income level combined with their parents’ income. Most of the LACCD scholarships require that to qualify for a District Foundation Scholarship, the student must maintain a 2.5 average instead of a 3.0 or 3.5 required by many scholarship programs. The LACCD Foundation is proud to work with the following partners: 1- The California Community Foundation a) Stieb Scholarship Program b) Fred J. Aves Scholarship program 2- LA Police Foundation 3- Kaiser Permanente 4- Verizon 5- Gary Winnicky Family Foundation 6- DMJM 7- Turner Construction 8- Sempra Energy/The Gas Company 9- Kotai Scholar 10- Lasseville Scholarship Fund 11- California National Bank 12- California Credit Union Reaction to the Board Meeting Agenda From the board meeting agenda, it is evident that the board gives attention to employee organizations, reports from colleges within the districts, ratification of budgets, and allocation of funds. If school districts are to function effectively, then the board must plan wisely on how to spend the available funds. The success of any school district depends on the priorities highlighted by the board. If the board decides to invest in textbooks for school, technology, paying qualified teachers, and pursuing other educational goals, there is a higher likelihood that the district will achieve its objectives and goals. I also realize that school districts have to be accountable for how they use the available resources in promoting educational goals. It emerges that the academic success of the students and the quality of education they receive should be the first priority of each district. From the board agenda, it is evident that the school district is committed to complying with the existing policies that govern funding, employment issues, and other educational goals in the United States. The board also discussed other issues such as the Student Transfer Achievement Act, how the school districts can lease facilities, and issues related to student interns. Without a doubt, the board had a diverse range of issues to discuss. The issues presented in the agenda reveal the numerous roles that a school district board must play in order to ensure that the school district is successful and complies with educational policies. Part 2: School Level Brief history of school: Los Angeles Pierce College, also known as Pierce College and just Pierce, is a community college that serves more than 23,000 students in the Northern Chalk Hills, Woodland Hills, a community within the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. The College began with 70 students and 18 faculty members on September 15, 1947. Originally known as the Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture, the institution’s initial focus was crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Nine years later, in 1956, the school was renamed to Los Angeles Pierce College, retaining the name of its founder, Dr. Pierce, as well as his commitment to agricultural and veterinary study. Pierce still maintains a 225-acre working farm for hands-on training. Grade Configuration of School: Pierce College offers courses in more than 100 subjects in 92 academic disciplines, and has transferred alliances with most of the universities in the state. Students at the school successfully transfer to UC and CSU schools. Students can pursue any of the 44 Associate’s degrees or 78 Certificates of Achievement the school offers directly. For the organizational structure of Pierce College, refer to diagram 3 in the list of appendices. For a detailed presentation of the college population, refer to diagrams 4 and 5 in the list of appendices. The college has a diverse range of educational goals as indicated in diagram 6 in the list of appendices. Certificated and classified staffing patterns: Education Code section 87000-87018 87001 a- Academic employee refers to a person employed by a community college district in an academic position b- Academic position includes every type of service excluding paraprofessional service, for which minimum qualifications have been established by the board of governors pursuant to section 87356 c- Wherever in this code or any other code, the term “certificated employee” or any similar term is used in reference to community college employees, it shall be deemed a reference to academic employees of the community colleges. 87001.5 a) “Classified position” includes every position that is a part of the classified service as defined in sections 88003 and 88076 b) “Classified employees” refers to a person employed by a community college district in a classified position. 87002 a) “Administrator” mean any person employed by the governing board of a community college district in a supervisory or management position. 87003. “Faculty” or “faculty member” means those employees of a community college district who are employed in academic positions that are not designated as supervisory or management. Funding Sources: A) The State Income: The largest portion of school funding comes from the state’s general fund. The state general fund revenues are generated primarily from sales, income taxes, and corporate taxes which: 1- Supports a number of categorical programs designed to accomplish specific objectives such as DSPS, EOPS, CARE and CALWORKS in the Pierce College. 2- Supports student success and support program, career technical education, staff development, telecommunication and technology services, and instructional equipment programs. B) Federal Income: Federal income represents funds projected for Student Financial Aid programs, Federal Perkins programs, and other federal specially funded programs. Evidence of long-range planning: At Pierce College, planning is the basis for decision-making and resource allocation. On an annual basis, instructional programs, student services programs, and administrative units submit a plan that includes an assessment of past goals, short term, and long term future goals. In addition, the units provide activity updates, student learning outcomes, and service area outcomes, and resource requests (staffing, equipment, software, supply budgets, and facilities). Each program utilizes relevant data (including enrollments, class size, success rates, degrees and certificates, and full-time/part-time ratios for instructional programs and other specific metrics for the student services and administrative units) in completing and justifying its plan. Program goals are linked to college’s strategic goals and learning outcomes are linked to the college mission and institutional learning outcomes. Annual program plans are used to set hiring priorities and allocate block grant and other resources (Refer to diagram 7). Appendices 1. Organizational Chart 2. Relationship between the District and the college-level-strategic planning and budgeting 3. Los Angelis Pierce College Organizational Structure 4. Pie Chart Depicting Ethnicity in Los Angelis Pierce College 5. Pie Chart Depicting the Age Groups in Los Angelis Pierce College 6. Pie Depicting the Educational Goals of Los Angelis Pierce College 7. Pierce College, Comprehensive Planning Cycle Read More