Career and Technical Programs

Prop 301: Maricopa Community College District's Commitment

Handouts:

Template for Proposition 301

Glendale Community College Proposition 301 Funds Distribution and Expenditure Procedures

History/Overview

In 2000, Arizona voters passed Proposition 301 and increased the sales tax to improve education over the next twenty years. Funds for community college districts broadly target opportunities to assist in workforce development . In the initial years of this program the Chancellor's Executive Council (CEC) appointed the Proposition 301 Committee to develop the Maricopa Community Colleges plan and define the funding guidelines and accountability measures that would be used to allocate the Proposition 301 annual revenues. The Proposition 301 initiatives have focused on quality instruction; biosciences, workforce development; rapid response to the new economy; development of small business; immediate and emerging workforce needs and planned flexibility; and a small revenue reserve contingency. The MCCD distributed these funds via competitive proposals until July 1, 2005. Beginning with FY06, funds are to be distributed via formula (percentage of occupational students) to each of the campuses.

Beginning in FY2006, the CEC revised the Proposition 301 allocation process. Under the new process, each college and skill center will receive a $50,000 base allocation. The most recently established colleges will receive a $50,000 supplemental allocation (CGCC, EMCC, PVCC, and SMCC). The balance of allocable funds will be distributed to colleges and skill centers on the basis of the annual occupational FTSE enrollment beginning with FY2004. Colleges may carry forward unexpended Proposition 301 fund balances.

Because the sales tax increase supporting Proposition 301 expires in 2020, colleges and skill centers may not add permanent FTE positions with proposition 301 revenues. Any and all positions added will be specially funded and any need for the college to transition these positions or programs funded by Proposition 301 will be funded by a reallocation of college resources or come through the district wide budget process. However, no commitments or prioritization of these needs is assumed in any district-wide budget process.

Guiding Principles

The MCCD established the following guiding principles for administering proposition 301 dollars:

Respond to the importance of portability of skills in the ever-changing New Economy.

Develop partnerships and leverage resources with their local communities to respond to their workforce development and training needs.

Respond to the changing dynamics of our global world and support the workforce development and training needs of their employer community.

Deliver workforce development and training services with flexible delivery and rapid responses that meet the needs of the employer community.

Give priority to collaborative regional strategies for workforce and economic development.

Incorporate the recommendations and needs as defined by the GSPED Industry Clusters, the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy, and the Governor's Task Force on Higher Education.

Recognize the importance of responding to unique workforce needs, such as health care and teacher education.

Use national industry standards, where applicable, to respond to various industries and their need for programs and curriculum.

Glendale Community College will continue to administer Proposition 301 dollars under these guiding principles.

GCC's Procedures for Distribution of Proposition 301 Funds

The intent of Prop.301 initiative funds has been to develop the workforce, i.e., prepare individuals for work, start new programs that broaden the educational services provided by the College to the community, and to improve occupational training programs. The GCC process will be a pilot for the first year at which time the application procedures will be reviewed.

Priorities to be funded with Prop. 301 funds at GCC

All new program proposals must first complete a planning process which is part of the process to create a new program. This planning process will include a rationale, research and verify the need for (employment opportunities and documented private sector support for the program) and feasibility (capacity to deliver) of proposing a new occupational program. A successfully accomplished planning process will provide the justification for proposing a new program. One of the main outcomes of a successful planning process is a draft document of the program early alert.

Prop 301 Uses ARS 15-1472 Monies received shall be expended for workforce development and job training purposes. These expenditures may also include: 1. Partnerships with businesses and educational institutions.

2.Technology, equipment and technology infrastructure for advanced teaching and learning in classrooms or laboratories.

3.Student services such as assessment, advisement and counseling for new and expanded job opportunities related to workforce development. The purchase, lease or lease-purchase of real property, for new construction, remodeling or repair of buildings or facilities on real property GCC has defined the priorities for spending Prop. 301 funds to be the following:

1.Program improvement and expansion. The first priority for awarding Prop. 301 funds relate to program improvement initiatives. Program improvement initiatives are to address existing program needs and explain how improvement dollars will satisfy the program need. Equipment requests are to be submitted under this section. Program expansion proposals must increase enrollments in existing occupational programs. The proposal must demonstrate an industry need that will be addressed due to increases in GCC enrollments

2.a. New program proposal. A new program is defined as an initiative that GCC is not currently providing. Also, a new program is subject to the District's new program early alert process.

Proposals submitted must have the endorsement of the division chair and must address the following points:

Justifiable need for the program

Enrollment projections

Capacity to be successful

Demonstrated support from the private sector.

b. New program implementation. Under this category of new program development for GCC, the new program must be an existing approved program within MCCCD either as a Board approved shared program or a Board approved program that the lead college is willing to share.

Prop 301 committee and proposal deadlines

Proposals will be accepted until November 18th at 5:00 pm. All proposals should be submitted to the GCC Dean of Instruction Business/Technology electronically using the template provided.

The Dean of Instruction/Business and Technology will serve as Ex-Offico of the campus Proposition 301 review committee. The Dean of Instruction will convene a committee of faculty and staff who will score and rank proposals received. The committee will include at least three faculty, student services and administrative services staff. The scored and ranked proposals with recommendations will be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and College President for final funding decisions.

The Dean of Instruction will provide annual reports to the MCCD Workforce Development Office as required by state statue. Annual reports of the GCC campus Prop 301 projects will be completed and submitted to the district by October 1 of each year.

Reporting Requirements

At the conclusion of each year of funding, a brief report will need to be submitted that addresses each of the following items (an electronic template will be used). 1. Rapid Response – Re-state the need or problem that provided the motivation for the project and how the project actually addressed the defined workforce need. 2. Cost Effectiveness – To what extent did the funding advance the project goals at a reasonable cost for the return on the investment? 3. Business Support – What direct or in-kind resources did the project partners, especially external agencies or businesses, contribute to the project? 4. Program Outcomes – Identify the qualitative and quantitative outcomes of the project, including information such as number of courses developed, number of students enrolled, potential number of jobs available due to training, FTSE generated, and FTSE projections for upcoming years. 5. Challenges – What internal and/or external roadblocks, challenges, and/or internal processes occurred during the tenure of the project that impacted the success of the project? 6. Future Plans – How is the college institutionalizing the project?

For multiple year projects, continuation of funding for subsequent years is not guaranteed. Continuation of a multiple year proposal is dependent upon the previous year's success and potential to be successful. Continued funding will be at the discretion of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Guiding Principles Definitions (for #4 on funding request)

Portability of Skills

Definition: The student or employee's ability to transfer learning and/or skill development from one job to another across like occupational areas.

Flexible Deliver and Rapid Response

Definition: In the new economy, time is the most important variable – it is what drives everything else. The business world's notion of "just in time" is giving way to the "zero time" concept, meaning that when something needs to happen, it happens immediately. In the new economy, changes must happen quickly if they are to be relevant, useful, and powerful.

Partnership Development

Definition: "The most fundamental shift in business thinking is the shift away from self-reliance toward a new model that places more value on alliances. No alliance is permanent. The best matches are fluid and elastic, changing as new opportunities and pressures arise. The secret is not just to align once but to do so over and over again to gain competitive advantage." (The New Economy: A Guide for Arizona by the Morrison Institute for Public Policy) A partnership is an active, long-term, working relationship, contracted or agreed upon between business/industry and educational institutions to serve common customers/students. The partnership has the following characteristics: mutual benefit; shared information; shared responsibility; co-management; All partners may invest (human, fiscal or material resources); Some value-added benefits of partnerships include the building of capacity, partnering skills, resource leveraging. (Occupational Deans Council)

Leveraging Resources Definition: The ability of both the private and/or public sector to maximize available capital, financial, and human resources through joint partnerships and collaboration.

National Industry Standards

Definition: This criterion refers to national standards such as the NIMS (National Industry Manufacturing Standards) Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, and other technology related standards in the industry, health care accreditation standards, etc.

Unique Workforce Needs

Definition: This guiding principle focuses on those workforce needs specific to the Greater Phoenix area including health care and teacher preparation.

New Global Economy Skills

Definition: The key characteristics defining the new economy are: Technology is a given; Globalism is here to stay; Knowledge builds wealth; People are the most important raw material; There is no smooth ride; Competition is relentless; Alliances are the way to get things done; and Place still matters.

Collaborative Regional Strategies

Definition: APNE (AZ. Partnership for the New Economy) found that each geographic area within Arizona has a unique set of resources and specific goals for its future economic development. APNE recommended that people, businesses, and government build a framework, and given particular circumstances, each region can work in partnership to develop its own plan of action.

State/Regional/National Recommendations

Definition: A number of recommendations have come out this past year from groups such as the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy (APNE), the recommendations from the Governor's Strategic Partnership for Economic Development (GSPED) and the Industry Clusters, the Morrison Institute for Public Policy report entitled "Arizona Policy Choices – The New Economy: A Guide for Arizona", the Governor's Task Force on Higher Education, and others. For copies of the reports contact the MCCD office of Business and Workforce Development.

Proposal Scoring

Proposals will be scored per the following scoring criteria. A score sheet is attached for your reference.

Scoring Criteria

The following four criteria will be used to evaluate year 1 proposals. Each of the criteria will receive a ranking score from 1 – 5, with the possibility of 20 total points.

1. Response to Guiding Principles – Each proposal should identify one or more of the guiding principles as selected by the unit.

2. Measurable Outcomes – Each proposal should clearly state the anticipated outcomes. (Examples may include number of program completers, number of jobs created or placed, number of students enrolled or ftse generated, curriculum developed, needs assessments completed, or other project related qualitative or quantitative measures.) If requesting multi-year funding, clearly indicate both the first and second year outcomes.

3. Rapid Response – Describe how the project responds to the need for rapid response. (Definition of Rapid Response: In the new economy, time is the most important variable – it is what drives everything else. The business world's notion of "just in time" is giving way to the "zero time" concept, meaning that when something needs to happen, it happens immediately. In the new economy, changes must happen quickly if they are to be relevant, useful, and powerful.)

4. Cost Effectiveness – Articulate how the funding request addresses:

Matching /leveraging /in-kind dollars or resources

Cost per defined outcome

Sustainability

Value-added to local or regional economic and workforce development.

Proposals that reflect multi-year funding (subsequent to first year funding) – Clearly articulate the need for multi-year funding and address:

Previous year(s) outcomes

Updated budget request

College's ability to institutionalize the program.

Multi-year proposals that demonstrate satisfactory progress will receive priority funding.