Board set to discuss COC program

College of the Canyons’ Center for Early Childhood Education and Department is expected to share the highlights of its achievements and initiatives during the upcoming Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees meeting.

The board, which oversees COC, is expected to hear the center’s presentation about “Building on the Past; Looking to the Future” during its meeting today.

This presentation will detail the programs and facilities, career workforce training and standards of accreditation for both the center and academic program through the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Collaborative efforts from the center and the department include expanding partnerships, advocating for the early childhood education field, providing professional development and exploring ways to support students on TK-12 pathways.

Resolution

The Board of Trustees is also expected to approve a resolution for the 2017-18 State Education Protection Act (EPA) Funding and Expenditure Plan.

This plan, first enacted by Proposition 30, requires community college districts to detail their expenditure reporting with the additional, temporary K-12 school district and community college funding providing by the

Prop 30 sales tax increase and income tax increase.

According to the board agenda item, the estimated Prop 30 funding for the Community College System in 2017-2018 is expected to be $795 million.

For the Santa Clarita Community College District, the estimated share of funding is expected to be approximately $11.61 million.

The community college district, which has the authority to determine how these funds are spent, said it plans to spend the entire $11.61 million on salaries and benefits of faculty members teaching in the classroom.

This funding will be applied to the overall costs of salaries of faculty members teaching in the classroom, which is projected to be more than $14.9 million in 2017-18.

The Board of Trustees is also expected to ratify a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foundation for California Community Colleges to provide paid internships to COC Cooperative Work Experience Education Students.

With a donation of $50,000 from the Film Commission, the Foundation offered to provide paid internships to students in the area of film.

The Civic Center then developed an internship structure for COC Media Entertainment Arts students to intern under the Civic Center during campus film days.

Through this program, students intern for 75 to 150 hours during the semester and are paid $13.25 an hour by the foundation.