FEATURE
CSEA Community Colleges
Being Classified in California’s Community Colleges
Community colleges (CCs) are a critical part of California’s higher education system and at every campus you will find classified staff hard at work, serving their 1.8 million students.
"As classified employees, it’s in our hearts to make our campuses feel warm and welcoming to really demonstrate the care we feel for our students,” said Bill Rawlings of Mt. San Antonio Community College Chapter 262. Rawlings serves as the CSEA Community College Committee Chair and is the classified employee representative on the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors.
"Community colleges try to level the playing field for communities that don’t have other opportunities."
- Bill Rawlings, Mt. San Antonio Community College Chapter 262
“Ideally, we have a culture on our campuses where we’re able to step outside of our roles and really go out of our way to help students.”
As the nation’s largest provider of higher education, the CCC system consists of 73 districts and 116 community colleges.
CCs have traditionally served as a lifeline for the working class. Offering thousands of associate degrees, certifications to job training and affordable general education classes for students aiming to transfer to a four-year institution, California CCs provide $128.2 billion in income for the state with the world’s fifth largest economy.
"Community colleges try to level the playing field for communities that don’t have other opportunities,” Rawlings explained. “There’s huge swaths of the state that have no higher education opportunities aside from community college.”
An important year for community colleges
2023 is already a year of change for CCs. Just recently, the CCC Board of Governors appointed Sonya Christian, chancellor of the Kern Community College District, as the first female chancellor of CCC in its history.
As the CCC system grapples with the steepest enrollment decline in 30 years, with 300,000 students leaving, hiring and retaining classified staff will be pivotal to help the system bounce back.
“I think classified staff can play a huge role if the districts allow us to."
- Paul Bonkowski, South Orange CCD Chapter 586
“I think classified staff can play a huge role if the districts allow us to. That’s an obstacle right now because a lot of districts are cutting back on so much of their classified positions,” said Paul Bonkowski, South Orange CCD Chapter 586, who sits on the CSEA CC Committee. Bonkowski works as a lead building maintenance worker.
“It’s the paraeducators and food processors. The custodial staff needed to keep a clean, healthy environment. I think classified (staff) can not only help with student retention, but I think also in recruiting and getting more people interested in community colleges.”
Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed investing $115 million to reduce CC costs by expanding Zero Textbook Cost degrees and prioritizing ‘open educational resources’ as well as committing $2.2 billion for student housing over three years.
Newsom also signed Assembly Bill (AB) 927 into law, which authorizes the CCC to pilot baccalaureate degree programs that allow CCs to begin offering bachelor's degrees as part of new measures to attract students back to campus.
Serving the underrepresented student
For Californians looking for an education system that prioritizes our state’s underserved groups, from varying socio-economic backgrounds and life circumstances to students with disabilities, look no further than the CCC system.
“We're really heavily focused on underrepresented and underserved populations, so the community college is perfect for that.”
- Stephanie Foisey, Ohlone Chapter 490
“We're really heavily focused on underrepresented and underserved populations, so the community college is perfect for that,” said Stephanie Foisey of Ohlone Chapter 490, who serves as chapter president and is also on the CC Committee. She has worked as an American Sign Language interpreter for over 20 years.
“For students with disabilities, we provide services for students of all sorts of neuro diversities like blind and deaf students. I love my job because at a big university they might not get the same individual attention. They could very easily get lost in the crowd.”
According to data from the CCC, nearly 70 percent of students are of diverse ethnicities and serve over 120,000 students with disabilities. Classified staff provide essential support for students from different walks of life who choose CCs because it may be their one and only shot.
Working at a CC means CSEA members provide a service that can change the trajectory of someone’s life.
“Anybody who wants to come to college can come to college,” Foisey said. “From the working parent to the student with a disability or the re-entry adult who went off into the world and found out their career isn’t something they want to do. It gives them an opportunity to come back and explore new avenues.”
CSEA's Community College Committee
Back row: Manuel Payan (Area E), Paul Bonkowski (Area H), Brandon Gillett (Area G), Nonah Maffit (Area I). Front row: Ginger Sutphin (Area F), Espie Medellin (Staff Coordinator), Bill Rawlings (Chair), Carol Montgomery (Area A), Chris Torres (K-12 rep)
As workers in the CCC system, the CC Committee meets regularly to address specific topics, educate members, and make recommendations to the CSEA State Board of Directors.
With members from all 10 CSEA service areas, the committee is CSEA’s premier voice at the state level. Rawlings says the core role of the CC committee is to make sure they are providing services, information, and training to members working in the community colleges.
“I am hoping 2023 is going to be a big year for us,” said Rawlings. “We’re going to relaunch the local community college forums, which will be an opportunity for members and community college leaders within an area to pull people together and connect.”
Currently, CSEA represents 57 chapters in 54 CC districts. The idea behind these future forums focuses on classified professional development by identifying training opportunities for members in the CCC system.
“There are areas that are really specific to community colleges that we don’t do training on in a formalized way,” Rawlings explained. “What we’re looking at is having professional development opportunities where we're bringing in people from major universities, think tanks, experts, and members who have developed best practices in certain areas.”
The classified voice in California’s CCs is strong because of CSEA’s commitment to advancing the interests of classified staff in these important institutions of learning. To learn more about CSEA’s impact at the CC level, click here.
