This annual statement was updated in January 2020.
View or download Statement of Legislative Principles.
This Statement of Legislative Principles is adopted by the Board of Trustees for the Los Rios Community College District on behalf of itself and its four separately accredited colleges (American River College, Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College, and Sacramento City College) under Board Policy P-3115. This Statement is intended to support the district's strategic goals: to establish effective pathways that optimize student access and success; to ensure equitable academic achievement across all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender groups; to provide exemplary teaching and learning opportunities; to lead the region in workforce development; and to foster an outstanding working and learning environment.
This Statement of Legislative Principles provides guidelines for the chancellor when addressing matters before the California Legislature and Congress, and constitutes the core principles guiding the development of the district's position on legislation.
The district shall not support or oppose legislation unless the outcome will have a significant effect on the district, its students, or its employees. The district will remain neutral on most matters affecting local collective bargaining. However, the district will take appropriate positions where that legislation will have a material impact on the district. The district will remain neutral on matters affecting only another single district or small group of district(s), except where policy precedents, or resource allocations, have the significant potential of affecting the Los Rios Community College District or the California Community College System generally. Where issues are raised in the budget process, the District shall seek legislative support or opposition in accordance with the principles established in this document. Where legislation is likely to impede the policy principles set forth, the district is likely to oppose that legislation unless there are significant countervailing reasons.
The Board of Trustees' Legislative Principles align with the district's vision, mission, values, goals, and strategies, as enumerated in the district's strategic plan, as follows, but do not reflect every strategy under each goal area. The district will support those legislative efforts enumerated under each Goal.
- Establish effective pathways that optimize student access and success
- Obtain resources to support pathway programs.
- Implement appropriate measures to improve student success.
- Support the provision of comprehensive student support services.
- Strengthen the academic preparation of K-12 students to support success at a community college.
- Support collaborative efforts with four-year institutions designed to provide additional transfers for our students and legislation that promotes transfers.
- Support flexibility for dual enrollment and remove barriers as appropriate.
- Expand student financial aid opportunities (including, but not limited to, Cal Grants and CA Promise Programs) that reduce the total costs of attending college for students.
- Assist students with the application process for attending a community college and transferring to a four-year institution of higher education.
- Support the enhancement of existing successful educational programs and the development of needed new programs.
- Support high quality online education while minimizing regulatory barriers and additional reporting requirements.
- Ensure equitable academic achievement across all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender groups
- Close the achievement gap.
- Support the Dream Act and efforts to expand the institutional capacity for diversity.
- Increase effective delivery of English, English as a second language (ESL), and mathematics basic skills education.
- Enhance opportunities for underserved constituencies.
- Provide exemplary teaching and learning opportunities
- Support professional development for faculty, staff, and administrators that is designed to support student success inside and outside of the classroom.
- Lead the region in workforce development
- Develop effective and relevant career and technical programs in collaboration with external partners.
- Increase efforts that align career technical education curriculum and program development among community colleges, K-12, and industry.
- Integrate community colleges in the Workforce Investment Board and provide for community college courses to qualify for state and federal funding of workforce development activities.
- Support the efforts of the Los Rios Colleges Foundation in its efforts to develop additional funding resources for the district, colleges, faculty, staff, and students.
- Foster an outstanding working and learning environment
- Maintain local authority and control in the administration of the district and its colleges.
- Maintain locally elected Board of Trustee governance in the administration of the district and its colleges.
- Promote the health, safety, and welfare of students, faculty, staff, and administrators, including mental health.
- Support the district's and its colleges' efforts to attract, recruit and retain the most qualified and diverse employees, and assure appropriate staffing levels.
- Support participatory decision making.
- Increase the district's efforts in sustainable practices, including energy and resource conservation, while retaining appropriate flexibility.
- Strengthen the district's ability to use its capital outlay, infrastructure bonds, and property management funds efficiently.
- Support the elimination of duplicative and/or needless regulatory oversight and reporting obligations, and provide adequate funding for the oversight and reporting requirements that are necessary.
- Protect the fiscal integrity of the system.
- Support funding sustainable mechanisms for reducing the unfunded liability in the CalSTRS and the CalPERS programs.
- Support backfill of property tax shortfalls.
- Provide information and support for students, faculty, staff, and administrators in the DACA programs to support inclusivity and ensure that the district and its colleges remain a place where all students are provided with an opportunity to fulfill their educational goals and dreams.
- Support a model for alignment of accreditation that improves outcomes for our students.