FACCC Think Tank

FACCC Think Tank & Research

Evidence-based policy strategy for California’s community colleges

The FACCC Think Tank brings faculty expertise and independent research to the policy questions facing the California Community Colleges — giving legislators and their staff the data and analysis needed to act on student access, equitable funding, and faculty priorities.

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Explore our policy priorities

About the Think Tank

Faculty expertise, applied to policy

The FACCC Think Tank is a board-appointed, separately funded work group that develops the legislative strategies behind FACCC’s advocacy. Working closely with the Legislation and Budget Committee — and drawing on the expertise of faculty, policy leaders, and stakeholders — it shapes board-approved policy priorities and keeps policymakers in Sacramento supplied with credible, evidence-based analysis.

Board-appointed & overseen by the FACCC Board of Governors
Reports regularly to the Board for transparency
4–6 year strategies, matched to legislative cycles
Goals evaluated & revised annually

Latest

Latest policy updates

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Policy Priorities

What we’re working toward

The Think Tank researches and supports FACCC’s policy priorities — coordinated packages of legislation and public education designed to reach identifiable goals over 4–6 year strategies.

Priority OneStudent Agency & Equitable Access Priority TwoEquitable Funding

Goal: Modify Education Code Sections 78213 and 78213.1 to eliminate the unintended consequences of AB 1705 — restoring student access to stand-alone pre-transfer preparatory courses and addressing the elimination of prerequisite courses for the STEM calculus pathway in fall 2027.

This priority seeks legislative and policy solutions on:

Access to stand-alone remedial math courses
The UC Regents’ Algebra II decision
Math learning loss
Pre-transfer ESL and English

Think Tank team

Sarah Thompson, Michelle Haggerty, Oranit Limmaneeprasert, Leslie Banta, Richard Mahon, Siobhan McGregor, Michael Peterson, Heather McCarty

Goal: Extend hold-harmless provisions, eliminate or significantly modify the Student-Centered Funding Formula, create a new funding formula, and increase per-pupil expenditures to levels more equitable with other education systems.

Current priorities include:

A JLAC audit on district reserves
A study bill on the Student-Centered Funding Formula
Investigating the benefits of severing K-12 from community college funding in Proposition 98

Think Tank team

Sarah Thompson, Bob Stockwell, Oranit Limmaneeprasert, Emily Haraldson, Siobhan McGregor, John Govsky, Mario Martinez, Andrew Aleman, Jacob Traugott, Emily Schmidt, Leslie Banta

Research & Evidence

Policy analysis for California legislators

Evidence-based research, journalism, and policy analysis that inform the positions we take in Sacramento — and provide the data needed to advance faculty priorities across the California Community College system.

Policy papers

FACCC’s position papers on a one-tier faculty system, the evolving mission of the California Community Colleges, and tenure-track faculty policy.

Read papers →

FACCC EI research archive

An archive of policy reports and studies on California community colleges, higher education funding, faculty, and student success — spanning 1999 to today.

Explore the archive →

Unified faculty model

FACCC’s board-approved statement of support for a one-tier faculty system and the legislative strategy to advance it across the California Community Colleges.

Read the position →

FACCCTS Journal

FACCCTS: Spring 2026

A deep dive into the evolving mission of the California Community College system and the role of tenure-track faculty in student success.

Read issue →

Working on legislation?

FACCC’s advocacy team can provide briefings, data, and faculty perspectives on any of these policy priorities.

Contact FACCC