Local community colleges across the state are preparing for the prospect of closing programs, cancelling travel, and/or reduced student attendance due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Full-time equivalent student (FTES) counts are the primary generator of revenues, which means the loss of FTES can have a significant negative impact on the local community college district budget. However, there is a process available to recover apportionment funding for such situations.
Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations establishes criteria for FTES allowances or a waiver of the 175-day requirement due to emergency situations. Specifically, Section 58146 of Title 5 addresses situations where a community college district is prevented from providing at least 175 days of instruction or experiences a material decrease in FTES due to fire, flood, epidemic, or other emergencies. The district can apply to the Chancellor’s Office, to receive apportionment funding as if the emergency had not occurred. The CCFS-313 form for this request can be found here.
Also, the Chancellor’s Office has created a website containing coronavirus resources from various agencies, such as the World Health Organization, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the California Department of Public Health. The website can be found here.