District Flex Day August 18,

State Budget Cuts California has sharply decreased funding to community colleges. Districts must reduce course offerings, downsize programs, and place programs on hiatus. There is a need for short term planning to effectively meet these challenges. The goal is to achieve reductions while maintaining academic integrity and serving our students. 2

New Paradigm The new paradigm for education is to find creative ways to make programs flourish and students succeed in the face of limited resources and deep budget cuts. 3

District-wide and College Level Planning Planning efforts should take place both district- wide and at the college level. Disciplines must reduce offerings while maintaining excellence. 4

Cooperation vs. Competition As a college district, we work together. As separate colleges, we compete. District-wide cooperation can allow successful strategies that aren’t possible in a purely competitive environment. 5

District-wide Strategies Consolidate programs across campuses. Eliminate inactive programs, e.g., programs with few graduates. Make scheduling more efficient. Rotate important but sparsely attended classes across campuses. Develop district-wide strategies for keeping up with advances in technology. 6

College level Strategies Cut courses with low enrollment. Identify and eliminate non-essential courses. Address budget cuts in program reviews and unit plans. 7

Flex Day Outcomes Set the stage for further planning, both district- wide and college level. Determine topics to discuss and decisions to be made at the colleges. Complete template describing today’s activities in your discipline and to Mike Orkin for posting on Flex day Web page (located on Institutional Research Web site). Schedule future meetings to keep the dialogue moving. 8