Board of Trustees Supports Opposition to
California Performance Review Recommendations

Elimination of the California Community College Board of Governors (BOG) is among the many recommendations from Governor Arnold’s California Performance Review (CPR). The Cuesta College Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution that supports the Community College System’s response to CPR, which rejects many of CPR’s original recommendations that would affect community colleges.

First off, what exactly is CPR? According to the CPR website, located at www.report.cpr.ca.gov, the process will “reform and revitalize California’s state government” and will “eliminate the fat within the government.” The process seeks to streamline state operations, by consolidating agencies, eliminating programs and cutting costs. “Shedding the problems with the budget is like losing weight. You can struggle to lose pounds, but if you don’t change your eating habits, the weight will come right back,” states the CPR website. “If government isn’t fundamentally changed, it will continue to experience the boom and bust cycles of spending and taxing with which Californians are all too familiar.”
Unfortunately, one system that’s being targeted by this process is the one that operates the 109 California Community Colleges statewide. If adopted, CPR recommendations would significantly change the status and governance of community colleges. Here’s why:

• Along with eliminating the Board of Governors, CPR would consolidate selected higher education agencies. It would combine the Community College Chancellor’s Office, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC), the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), and the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) into a unified Higher Education Division responsible for strategic planning for each of the consolidated entities for coordination of policy, etc. This diagram shows the proposed organization:

The Community College System response argues that this recommendation would reduce authority that goes with having an independent agency, a state board and the local boards of trustees. California Community Colleges would be subject to more political will as an agency of a governor who is elected by political party, and consolidating these particular agencies would combine the largest provider of higher education in California with commissions that do not educate students. The System also argues that this recommendation would weaken the opportunity for local districts and state organizations such as employee unions, the CCCT, CEOs, CSSOs, CBOs. CIOs, and the Academic Senate, from consultation and influence.

The System’s alternative response suggests freeing Community Colleges to function in a manner similar to the UCs and CSUs and to give more authority to the Board of Governors, because this would put the Community Colleges on par with the other two elements of higher education, be fiscally sound, allow more work to be accomplished efficiently, and encourage coordination of higher ed issues among the segments on an equal basis.

Governor Arnold appointed a CPR Review Commission, made up of 21 state business, labor and civic leaders. Interestingly, this commission supports the Community College System’s arguments, recommending that the Board of Governors be retained and that the Community College Chancellor’s remain an independent agency, given enhanced authority to fulfill responsibilities.

The commission also rejected the CPR’s recommendation to mandate volunteer service and service learning for community college and university students and to make major changes in the Student Aid Commission. The commission indicated support for improved articulation among community colleges, CSU and UC.

The staff to the commission has developed a compilation of testimony and materials received regarding the CPR recommendations. A draft of the 563-page document is available on the CPR website at http://cpr.ca.gov/. The compilation covers the testimony provided by over 3,600 individuals and organizations in response to the 1,300 recommendations of the CPR.

A complete copy of the CPR report can be found at www.report.cpr.ca.gov