Dennis Astl

Key discussions during the meeting included the status of the Curriculum Co-Chair Faculty Position and an announcement regarding the next AI book club meeting. Agenda changes involved deferring the TOP to CIP item to a future meeting. Reports covered Accreditation, Articulation, and Legislative/Regulatory Updates. Specific legislative updates pertained to Phase 3 timing, forthcoming CIP codes for CCN courses, standardization of CORs, and the introduction of Assembly Bill 2236 concerning common course numbering goals across educational systems. A new noncredit program, Introduction to Auto Technology, was introduced as a bridge to credit programs. Information sessions included training on calculating units to hours and an overview of curriculum updates from the Chairs and Directors' meeting. Discussion items focused on integrating DEIAA requirements into Course Outlines of Record (CORs) and evaluating the future of LOSC, which included a proposal for a Learning Outcomes Taskforce to support robust assessment practices. The discussion on ACCJC Accreditation Standard 2.2 was not covered due to time constraints.

The meeting focused extensively on enrollment discussions, designated as a Deep Dive Topic. An enrollment update indicated modest growth in Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) over three years, though masked by losses due to external factors like math placement enforcement and CalGETC changes. To manage the budget, the district canceled 95 low-enrolled sections and redirected resources to add 70 new sections aligned with student demand. Financial overview revealed an anticipated $7.3 million shortfall for the 2025-26 budget, with revenue performance pending clearer data in the third quarter. The committee expressed concern over slower enrollment growth projections (1.2%) and potential reductions in state funding, emphasizing the need to prioritize maximizing FTES in 2026-27. Key recommendations for further exploration include increasing marketing and outreach, revisiting drop-for-non-payment policies and their impact on enrollment, and clarifying Education Code requirements regarding student drops.

The agenda for this meeting included the opening segment featuring roll call and announcements/public comments. The main sections covered meeting minutes, action items, standing reports from the Accreditation Steering Committee, information/discussion topics, action items planned for the next meeting, and adjournment.

The meeting commenced with a welcome to a new member and announcements regarding the North County Adult Transition Program Craft Fair, which requires Palomar swag, and the distribution of the 2025-2026 Employee of the Year call for nominations. Standing items included a lack of updates from the College Council Update and Accreditation Steering Committee. Community updates highlighted the Grand Opening of the Native American Resource Center, the upcoming Empowered Women's Festival, the Palomar College Community Showcase, and a Community Connect Series featuring Dr. Recalde. Communications also noted the Native American Center Grand Re-Opening. In Safety Update, feedback procedures for the recent lockdown drill were communicated, and ideas for student safety awareness were discussed. Committee updates included a mention of the Team Life walk to the Arboretum and virtual Yoga sessions, AI demonstrations in the Professional Learning Committee using the Agentic browser, and work on filling vacancies and monitoring the PC webpage for the Web Advisory Sub Committee. The main discussion involved Council members selecting responsibilities from the ECCC charge to brainstorm potential improvements and forward movement using available resources, with specific assignments given for evaluating professional development, addressing safety concerns, cultivating college culture, reviewing communication processes, and supporting community engagement activities. No new action items were designated for the next meeting.

The meeting focused on several key operational and planning matters. Discussion occurred regarding the proper documentation of vacant staff positions on the Non-Instructional Program Review (PRP) form. Attendees debriefed the recent PRP training, noting positive feedback on the shorter instructional annual form but concerns raised about the timeline sequencing between peer review and resource allocation. Significant time was dedicated to scheduling special meetings in May (May 5th, May 11th, and May 21st) to advance the resource allocation process, as leadership has requested an accelerated timeline to initiate spring resource allocation discussions. It was decided that the review and update of the Non-Instructional PRP form would be deferred until the following fall semester to manage the immediate workload of the accelerated resource allocation cycle. The committee agreed to cancel the initial March 5th meeting but retain the March 19th meeting date.