PCC Facts & Transparency

For Your Information

Q. Why is the college hiring more managers in this time of financial distress?

A. The college has reduced its number of managers over the past two years, with some positions vacant prior to that. Actual manager positions are down 30% from 2010 levels. Most manager positions were frozen two years ago and the college is filling some critical positions now.

Q. Why does the college need more managers at this time?

A. Managers help the college to run smoothly. They oversee programs, classes and curriculum, and take care of financial, business and technology matters. They provide proper oversight and functionality that the college requires. They also keep track of and maintain the current accreditation requirements.

Q. Why doesn't the college hire more teachers?

A. PCC meets the state obligation to have the required number of full-time faculty even with the decline in funding. In the 2011/12 academic year, PCC hired 33 full-time teachers. In the 2012/13 year, the college has hired nine so far.

Q. What is AIS?

A. AIS stands for Administrative Information System. It is simply a system by which information is processed for collection and distribution through a series of automated processes. This is the main data and technology information system for the college.

Q. Why does the college need to upgrade its AIS?

A. In order to better serve the campus community, PCC's AIS needs to be updated to meet the growing demand of institutional online services in a timely, effective, and efficient manner. The current system is from 1983 and does not allow for the sharing of information between departments, the existence of a student portal and information retrieval (transcripts, schedules, etc.), or effective communication. The existing system is also not very reliable and must be rebooted and repaired on many occasions.

Q. Why not use the AIS money to help with the budget problems the college is facing?

A. The college needs to be able to serve the growing community with better online access and services. This will require the money put aside to upgrade the system. This is a critical infrastructure 10 years overdue.

Q. What is the trimester system that's being talked about?

A. The three-semester schedule covers the fall-spring-summer schedule that would provide a more effective use of college resources in support of student transfer, certificate and degree goals. The college is also considering a move to the Carnegie Hour, which would standardize class times to more easily fit students' schedules.

Q. What is the benefit of a three-semester schedule?

A. The three-semester schedule would allow more flexibility, with more room to schedule courses. It would also increase the continuity of instructional programs throughout the year. Basic skills are likely to benefit from such a schedule by eliminating the almost two-month break between fall and spring. There would be less reliance on intersession courses to fulfill transfer requirements, and possibly avoid staff furloughs that might occur as a result of diminished winter intersession. The benefits of the Carnegie Hour include students having an easier time putting together a course schedule, more courses can be scheduled into a day, and all classes will start on the hour or half-hour, eliminating confusing class start and stop times.

Q. What is shared governance?

A. In a consultative manner, faculty, staff and students participate in governance. Shared governance promotes collegiality and allows all voices to be heard on the issues that matter. Final decisions rest with the President and Board of Trustees on all District matters, however.

Q. When is shared governance applicable?

A. When the discussion involves academic and professional matters, such as:

• degree and certificate requirements;
• curriculum, including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines;
• grading policies;
• educational program development;
• standards or policies regarding student preparation and success;
• District and college governance structures, as related to faculty roles;
• faculty roles and involvement in accreditation processes, including self-study and annual reports;
• policies for faculty professional development activities;
• processes for program review;
• processes for institutional planning and budget development; and
• other matters as mutually agreed upon between the board and the Academic Senate.

Q. Why has the college been forced to reduce section offerings?

A. As the cuts have come relentlessly from Sacramento, the college has done its best to keep those cuts away from the classroom. Unfortunately, that has not always been possible. The latest cuts are equivalent to more than 1,200 sections. The college has decided not to have students bear the brunt of the entire cut from Sacramento.

PCC will be offering 4,777 sections this academic year, which is 90 more than the state is funding. The college is looking at alternative options to maintain student access, such as borrowing from other college funds, reducing expenses in other areas, and raising funds for classes through the PCC Foundation.

Q. Why can't the college use the funds it has in reserve to add more sections?

A. The college is already using its reserves to keep the school up and running. As the college experiences the same cash flow problems other schools are facing, such as delayed payments from the state, PCC has had to take action in order to keep things running, such as borrowing from ourselves. The reserve is a fluid account that is being utilized to maintain as much student access as possible as the state continues to cut funding. The reserve is also the fund that covers a major crisis like acts of nature.

Q. How is PCC going to absorb the $10.5 million shortfall from the state?

A. PCC has reduced sections, as well as unclassified hourly workers. The college has implemented a partial hiring freeze for vacant positions, and less reassigned time for faculty. If the cuts become too severe, additional cost-saving measures will be considered.

PCC CalWORKs Timecard Investigation Corrects Irregularities

In the process of conducting timely and routine internal investigation with the Kronos staff timekeeping system, Pasadena City College has discovered irregularities in the reporting of certain CalWORKs student timecards. PCC Payroll, PCC Fiscal, and the PCC Office of the General Counsel are conducting an extensive investigation of CalWORKs student hours and have discovered that hours reported do not represent what was actually worked.

• Two employees in the CalWORKs program were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into over reporting of hours worked by hourly staff.
• There were 48 student workers and two college assistants who were originally under review. The 33 hourly workers that had their time verified have been paid, leaving the remainder still under investigation.
• Vigorous steps are being taken to see that all students who have any money due to them will be paid as promptly as possible.
• The Kronos timecard system and internal checks have proved effective in detecting irregularities in hourly staff timecard tracking. The process and system work correctly.

CalWORKs is a welfare program that gives cash aid and services to eligible needy California families. The program serves all 58 counties in the state and is operated locally by county welfare departments.

STATE BUDGET CUTS... THE FACTS (Fiscal Year 2011/12)

Pasadena City College wants students to have accurate information about the recent state budget cuts. The following state budget figures can be verified by visiting www.ccleague.net or www.cccco.edu.

• The State of California has cut Pasadena City College's funding in the 2011-2012 year by an estimated $11 million. This includes an unexpected cut in February of more than $2.8 million.
• 45 class sections were reduced from the 2012 Spring Semester. PCC is still offering 2,333 class sections - some of which are not being funded by the state. The college is paying out-of-pocket for those unfunded classes. In fact, over the last five years, PCC has spent more than $13 million of its own reserves for unfunded classes and to preserve student access.
• Out of more than 27,000 students, 428 will be affected by this Spring's class section reductions. PCC has or is currently contacting these students to give information and aid in securing other classes. A special "Spring Forward to Completion" project is available first to students who would have completed their degree or certificate by Spring or Summer.
• PCC has brought in trained and qualified adjunct faculty to teach this Spring Semester. This cost-effective move resulted in more class section offerings to students.
• Students who have less than 12 units can and do get financial aid.
• Advocacy to legislators in Sacramento is how to restore PCC's budget. Go to www.ccleague.net for more information.