Photo by Wil Stewart on Unsplash

The Governor’s proposed January Budget provides a total of $14.8 billion in Prop 98 funding and property taxes for the California Community Colleges (CCC) in 2025-26, an increase of $851.1 million, or 6.1%, compared to 2024-25. Total funds for the CCC in 2025-26 are $21.2 billion. Specific spending proposals for community colleges include:

Apportionments – The budget includes an increase of $230.4 million in ongoing Prop 98 funding for a 2.43% COLA for Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) apportionments and $30.4 million ongoing Prop 98 funding for 0.5% enrollment growth. The 2024 Budget Act included a payment deferral for community colleges totaling $246.7 million. The Governor’s Budget proposes to fully repay these deferrals in 2025-26.

Master Plan for Career Education – In 2023, the Governor called for a new Master Plan for Career Education, with the purpose to align state education and workforce development programs with the needs of the future economy, better coordinate and streamline those programs regionally and across state agencies, and ensure that the state’s students and adult learners have affordable access to needed educational and career development opportunities over the course of their working lives. The Governor’s Budget proposes the following investments to implement the Master Plan:

• $100 million one-time Prop 98 funding, $7 million of which is ongoing, for CCCs to expand Credit for Prior Learning and begin building the infrastructure for the state’s first “Career Passport.” The Career Passport system will allow students to create formal documentation of their marketable skills developed through work, classes, apprenticeships, internships or other experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
• $5 million ongoing General Fund for the Government Operations Agency to establish a state planning and coordinating body for TK-12 education, higher education, and state economic and labor agencies, to improve forecasting of needed skills and coordination of resources and initiatives across state government.
• $4 million one-time General Fund to support regional coordination for career education and training.

Statewide Technology Transformation Project – The Governor’s Budget proposes to provide $168 million in one-time Prop 98 funding for the completion of the Statewide Technology Transformation project. This project aims to standardize and streamline data collection across the community college system.

Systemwide Common Data Platform – The Governor’s Budget also includes $162.5 million in Prop 98 funding, $29 million of which is ongoing, for scaling of a common cloud data platform across the community college system.

Community College Facilities – The Governor’s Budget includes $51.5 million in one-time Prop 2 bond funds allocated for critical infrastructure, facility modernization and enrollment growth projects for 28 community college facilities.

Expansion of Rising Scholars Network – The $30 million ongoing Prop 98 funding to expand the Rising Scholars Network, which provides college educational opportunities to students who have been impacted by the criminal justice system, with the goal of serving more students through the program.

CCC Categorical Program COLA – The Governor’s Budget includes an increase of $16 million ongoing Prop 98 to provide a 2.43% COLA for select categorical programs and the Adult Education Program.