Program Background 

Education Code 88280 established the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program effective June 30, 2022. The program provides up to a dollar-for-dollar match on amounts withheld from a participating community college district’s classified employees’ monthly pay starting the 2023-24 academic school year. The classified employees' pay withheld, and the state match funds will be paid by districts to the district’s eligible classified employees in the summer recess period (June, July, and August when regular classes are not held) following the 2023-24 academic year. Classified employees can elect to have up to 10% of their monthly pay withheld during the academic year.

Funding Availability 

The 2022-23 Budget Act provides $10 million in ongoing funds for the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program. For additional information, please refer to memo FS 22-13 2022-23 Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program (revised). 

Program Eligibility

In order to participate in this program all the following eligibility requirements must be met: 

  • Districts must elect to participate in the program.
  • Classified employee must be employed for at least one year at the community college district at the time employee elects to participate in the program.
  • Classified employee’s regular assignment must be for 11 months (20 days or four 5-week days) or less within a 12-month period.
    • When determining total months employed, any hours worked outside of the classified employee’s regular assignment should not be included.
    • For the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years, for purposes of determining a classified employee’s total months employed by the community college district, the employing community college district shall exclude any hours worked by the classified employee as a result of an extension of the academic year directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, if the hours are in addition to the employee’s regular assignment and would prevent the employee from being eligible to participate in the program.
  • Annual pay directly received from the community college district must be under $62,400 per academic year.

Important Dates

Key Dates  Description 
January 1 of each year Participating districts notify classified employees that their districts have elected to participate in the program for the following academic year.
March 1

 Classified employee should notify their district of the: 

  • election to participate in the program
  • amount to be withheld from their paycheck for the following academic year, and
  • whether the payment during the summer recess period should be paid in 1 or 2 payments
April 1 Participating districts must submit Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program Reporting Form to the Chancellor’s Office stating the district elects to participate in the program for the following academic year.
May 1 Chancellor’s Office notifies participating districts of the estimated state match funding that classified employees can expect to receive.
June 1
Participating districts notifies participating classified employees of the amount of estimated state match funds that a participating classified employee can expect to receive in the subsequent academic year.
On or before July 31
Participating districts shall request payment from the Chancellor’s Office following the academic year the program was operative. The requested form will be available in June, which is the end of the academic year when the program was operative.
August 31 The Chancellor’s Office shall apportion funds to participating community college districts within 30 days of receiving a request for payment by the participating community college district for the applicable academic year. 
Administrative Guidance

Community college districts should:  

  • Deposit amounts withheld from classified employee monthly paychecks in a separate account. 
  • Allow classified employees to request payment withheld for program due to separation from employment or economic/personal hardship. Classified employees that separate from the program due hardship, can maintain the current funds in the program and receive match funds. However, classified employees requesting return of pay withheld would not be entitled to receive match funding.
  • Ensure match funding received as a result of participating in the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program is not considered compensation for the purposes of determining retirement benefits (i.e.: CalPERS, CalSTRS)

Additional Resources

Forms

Contacts

Please contact Rafael Artiga, Community College Fiscal Specialist, at rartiga@cccco.edu or fiscal standards and accountability email at fiscalstandards@cccco.edu.

The purpose of this notification is to inform districts participating in the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program of the estimated state match funding for the 2023-24 academic year. The 2022-23 Budget Act provided $10 million in ongoing funds for the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program. For the 2023-24 academic year, 24 California Community College districts are participating in the program. 

Based on the estimated data reported, the Chancellor’s Office has determined that each participating classified employee is estimated to receive state match funding equal to one dollar ($1) for the 2023-24 academic year. Per California Education Code 88280, districts are required to notify participating classified employees by June 1, 2023, the amount of estimated state match funds the participating classified staff is estimated to receive as a result of participating in the program. 

After receiving that notification, a classified employee separating from the district or experiencing economic or personal hardship may withdraw their election to participate in the program or reduce the amount to be withheld from their paycheck by notifying their employing district no later than 30 days after the start of the school year. The Chancellor’s Office has created two optional forms for the districts to use for the purpose of employee separation or hardship but are free to modify with additional information.