Today the Board of Governors (BOG) approved changes to the community college capital outlay program priorities and grant application process, and to the space utilization and space standards. The Board also approved the 2021-22 Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan.
CCC Capital Outlay Program Priorities and Grant Application Process
For the past two years, the Chancellor’s Office has been working with various stakeholders and the Department of Finance to make changes to the capital outlay program with the intent of aligning it with the Vision for Success. The result modifies the metrics used for scoring and prioritizing capital outlay projects. It also aligns space standards for lecture space and office space with the California Building Code.
CCFC engaged in this process, providing feedback and input that facility conditions and needs should drive the distribution of scarce resources across the state. We were pleased to see some of our recommendations incorporated into the final proposal.
Priority Funding Category Metrics
Click here for the full amended policy, as approved by the Board of Governors.
It is our understanding that these changes will apply to new projects submitted as of July 2021. Because most community college Proposition 51 bond authority has been reserved for projects that have already received initial state approvals, these revised metrics would primarily apply to proposals submitted for funding from a future state bond.
Highlights include:
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Projects must be capacity load eligible, and districts must be aligned with the California Community College Promise requirements of AB 19 approved in 2017
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Collapses priority funding categories from 6 to 3
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Category A: Life and Safety Projects – up to 50% of total available funding
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Category M: Modernization Projects – 65% of remaining total funding
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Category G: Growth Projects – 35% of remaining total funding
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Local contribution and new financial hardship waiver
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Requires minimum 25% local contribution
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Those that can’t meet the local contribution requirement may receive a financial hardship waiver. To be eligible, the district must demonstrate local effort to raise revenues by meeting at least one of the following:
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District passed a local GO bond within the past two years but it is not sufficient to fund the project
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Debt level of at least 70% of bonding capacity (2.5% of assessed value)
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Total district bonding capacity less than $50 million
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Adds Vision for Success criteria for both modernization and growth projects
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Career and Technical Education Programs metric – 25 points
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Regions of High Need metric: Central Valley, Sierras, Inland Empire, Far North – 5 points
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Metric modifications
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Modernization:
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Reduces Age of Project Building metric – from 120 to 60 points
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Removes Activates Unused Space metric – previously 30 points
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Adds Facility Condition Index (FCI) metric – 40 points
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Adds Full-Time Equivalent Students metric – 20 points
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Growth:
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Removes Assignable Square Footage Change metric – previously 50 points
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Adds Full-Time Equivalent Students metric – 20 points
Please see the full scoring policy at the link above for additional information and the complete overview of available points.
Space Utilization and Space Standards
This policy was last updated in 2010. These changes provide additional flexibility to serve students and improve student success, aligning standards with the Division of the State Architect and California Fire Marshal safety codes.
Changes include:
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Increases Office Room Type standards by 25%
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Increases Lecture Room Type standards by 33%
Please click here for the full policy on Space Utilization and Standards.

Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan
The Board of Governors approved the 2021-22 Five-Year Capital Outlay plan, which identifies total unmet needs of $28.9 billion over the next five years ($10 billion new construction, $18.8 billion modernization). This number grows to $41.4 billion over the next ten years. The plan anticipates enrollment growth of 5.23% over the five-year period.
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