The San Diego Community College District has to tighten its belt financially.

A new formula affecting how the state of California allocates community college funding has resulted in the district making changes, Chancellor Dr. Constance Carroll explained in an open forum at San Diego City College on Sept. 18.

City College president Dr. Ricky Shabazz and Bonnie Dowd, executive vice chancellor of business and technology services, joined Carroll in answering questions and explaining agenda items to a group of about 90 mostly faculty and staff.

At $46 per unit, student enrollment fees — among the lowest in the nation, according to Carroll — will remain unchanged.

However, the formula used to decide exactly how much money the district gets from the state is shifting from “funding from enrollment to both enrollment and student success.”

The district’s nearly $680-million budget for the current school year is based on three factors: enrollment (70 percent), the number of students receiving financial aid (20 percent) and meeting specific student success metrics (10 percent).  

“This is a very, very, very different concept than before,” Carroll said. “We’re going to change our enrollment process. This makes the (funding) model more student-centered.”

Carroll said the district continues its goal of reducing the costs of textbooks by using open educational resources.

She also talked about the importance of the San Diego Promise program, which pays for enrollment fees for all first-time, full-time students in the SDCCD district.

“We have students that wouldn’t be able to attend district schools,” Carroll said, “but the Promise program changes that.”

Carroll noted that three seats on the SDCCD board of trustees are up for election in November, and who is on the board matters.

Construction on the A, D and T buildings will finish soon, and the district will focus on new projects.

“By October,” Shabazz said, “we’ll have keys.”

A formal grand opening would follow in the spring, and a new child development center is the next project for City College in 2019.

“We have to play the cards we’re dealt,” Carroll said.” We might have to change the rules, but in balance, this is going to be a very good year.”

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns regarding the budget changes coming to SDCCD this year, send them to [email protected].