Community colleges: current expense of education: exclusions.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact amount and nature of local unrestricted expenditures that can be excluded are not specified in the provided official source material.

Community Colleges: Excluding Certain Costs

AB-2121 allows community college districts in California to exclude certain local expenses from their education costs for up to five years if federal funding is not restored.

What This Bill Does

• Allows community college districts to exclude some local spending from the total cost of education for up to five fiscal years following the 2025-26 fiscal year, or until specified federal funding is fully restored to every district, whichever occurs first.
• Requires these districts to annually certify any excluded expenses to the Chancellor's office.

Who It Names or Affects

• Community college districts in California
• Students who benefit from support services funded by local money

Terms To Know

Current expense of education

The total amount spent on things like teacher salaries, employee benefits, and supplies for teaching.

Unrestricted general fund

Money that a community college district can use freely without specific rules about how it is spent.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only applies if federal funding has been cut and does not return within the five-year period.
• It's unclear exactly which support services will be affected by this change in spending rules.

Official Summary Text

AB 2121, as amended, Berman.
Community colleges: current expense of education: exclusions.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses.
Existing law requires the expenditure, during each fiscal year, for the payment of salaries of classroom instructors by a community college district, of 50% of the district’s current expense of education. Existing law defines “current expense of education” as the gross total expended for certain expenses that include academic salaries, classified salaries, employee benefits, and books, supplies, and equipment replacement, but that generally exclude expenses for student
transportation, food services, and community services.
This bill, notwithstanding the above-described provisions, would authorize a community college district, for a period of 5 fiscal years following the 2025–26 fiscal year, or until specified federal funding is
restored,
fully restored to every community college district,
whichever occurs first, to exclude from its current expense of education any local unrestricted expenditures from the community college district’s unrestricted general fund, as
specified,
provided, and not to exceed a specified amount,
that maintain student support
functions that were previously funded though federal discretionary grants that have been terminated, nonrenewed, or defunded due to federal action on or after September 10, 2025. If a community college district exercises its authority pursuant to these provisions, the bill would require the community college district to annually certify eligibility to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges
Colleges, as specified,
and would require the chancellor’s office to maintain documentation and include as part of another specified report, any certifications it receives, as provided. The bill would make its provisions inoperative on July 1, 2031, or on the first day of the fiscal year following
the full
restoration of specified federal
funding,
funding to every community college district,
whichever occurs first, and would repeal them on January 1 of the year following the inoperative date.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF