Whereas, California Education Code §78052 states that community colleges must “[d]evelop degrees with consideration for sustainability after grant funding is exhausted, including how content is updated and presented,” [1] suggesting that the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office should discourage colleges from employing unsustainable mechanisms to establish degrees such as buying textbooks for students or implementing automatic billing or inclusive access that may cause financial and psychological trauma to students;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges recognizes that open educational resources (OER) are “the preferred and most sustainable mechanism for eliminating course costs” [2] and that it should “work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, as part of the Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Program, to establish the funding and process necessary to ensure that Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) resources will remain current and relevant beyond the 2027-reporting deadline established in California Education Code §78052,” [3] thereby showing the faculty commitment to ZTC and OER sustainability; and
Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office must follow California Education Code §78052 in implementing the Zero Textbook Cost Program, but the law does not prohibit or discourage consultation or partnership with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges in designing and implementing the program;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) urge the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to consult and partner with the ASCCC in designing the implementation of California Education Code §78052 [4] to ensure the practicality, feasibility, and viability of the Zero Textbook Cost Program.
M/S/C
[1] California Education Code §78052: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC§ionNum=78052.
[2] Resolution F21 03.05 Zero Means Zero Textbook Cost: https://www.asccc.org/resolutions/zero-means-zero-textbook-cost.
[3] Resolution S22 07.02 Ensure the Sustainability of the Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Program: https://www.asccc.org/resolutions/ensure-sustainability-zero-textbook-cost-degree-program.
[4] California Education Code §78052: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC§ionNum=78052.