Trends in Higher Education: Student Access

Jan 23, 2024 - Whereas this 2024 series focuses on higher education changes over time, California’s Education System: A 2019 Guide explains the inner workings of the state’s education system. Much of that guide remains relevant today and can assist those who are looking for more basic information on education policy and fiscal matters in California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4828

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 17, 2026 - Having clear standards in evaluating projects can help guide the Legislature in identifying which projects have the strongest justification. The scoring system also places highest priority on life safety projects, with requirements in place to ensure that districts submit only immediate needs under this category.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5159

The 2021-22 Budget: California Community Colleges

Feb 16, 2021 - Work ‑based learning also is an important component of CCC ’s Guided Pathways Program, which aims to develop structured, efficient academic course sequences for entering students. State law defines guided pathways to include “group projects, internships, and other applied learning experiences to enhance instruction and student success. ” In 2017 ‑18, the state provided CCC with $ 150  m illion one time for this initiative.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4372

The 2021-22 Budget: Analysis of the Major University Proposals

Feb 1, 2021 - In the absence of this information, funding levels for basic needs initiatives tend to reflect budget expediency (balancing available funding with the segments ’ requests), without a strong guiding policy rationale.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4336

The 2022-23 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Higher Education Budget Proposals

Jan 26, 2022 - Compacts Historically Have Not Been Accurate Guide for the Future. We caution the Legislature against putting too much stake in the Governor ’s outyear commitments to the universities. Former governors rarely been able to sustain their compacts over time.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4499

The 2022-23 Budget: Cybersecurity at the California Community Colleges

Mar 30, 2022 - Use Additional Information From Chancellor ’s Office to Guide Allocation and Future Funding Decisions. Specifically, we recommend requiring the Chancellor ’s Office to submit documentation on (1)  the basic requirements for colleges to achieve a minimum level of security, (2)  estimates of the associated one ‑time and ongoing costs, and (3)  a proposed formula for distributing the one ‑time funding to colleges in accordance with size as well as identified needs and costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4582

The 2022-23 Budget: California State Library

Feb 18, 2022 - In April 2021, the State Library released a document describing the core principles guiding its digital preservation activities. The document directs each of the State Library ’s bureaus and sections (such as the California History Section or the Witkin State Law Library) to identify their top assets for digital preservation each year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4549

The 2023-24 Budget: California Student Aid Commission

Feb 23, 2023 - CSAC indicates these toolkits would include various materials that provide information on and promote awareness of student financial aid —including resource guides, posters, postcards, notepads, and stickers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4702

Overview of Mental Health Services for College Students

Dec 10, 2021 - Conclusion State Lacks Adequate Data to Guide Future Decisions. Given recent state augmentations and continued interest in this area, the Legislature will likely want to monitor student mental health services more closely in the coming years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4481

UC Merced at 20: Campus Developments and Key State-Level Takeaways

Nov 7, 2024 - Key Takeaways In this section, we highlight key state ‑level takeaways that could help inform and guide the Legislature as it undertakes higher education planning moving forward. As this section shows, the UC Merced experience is largely a cautionary tale.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4937