Chancellor’s Newsletter – January 2026

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College News

College Presidents’ Board Report 

At each Board Meeting, the college presidents give a report on their college, highlighting events and news around the college. 

⏩You can view Woodland Community College President Navarette’s report here.  

⏩You can view Yuba College President Dotson’s report here.   

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Yuba College Happenings

Feb. 5: Baseball vs. Lassen College, 2 pm 
Feb. 7: Softball vs. Folson Lake College (DF), Noon 
Feb. 9: Baseball vs. Butte College, 1 pm 
Feb. 10: Tuesday Noon Recital Series, YC-Marysville, Theatre, Noon 
Feb. 11: Men’s Basketball vs. Contra Costa College, 6 pm 
Feb. 12: Baseball vs. City College of San Francisco, 2 pm 
Feb. 17: Women’s Basketball vs. College of Marin, 5 pm 
Feb. 17: Men’s Basketball vs. College of Marin, 7 pm 
Feb. 19: Women’s Basketball vs. Los Medanos College, 5 pm 
Feb. 19: Men’s Basketball vs. Los Medanos College, 7 pm 
Feb. 20: Softball vs. West Valley College, 10 am 
Feb. 20: Baseball vs. American River College, 1 pm 
Feb. 20: Softball vs. Fresno City College, 2 pm 
Feb. 21: Track & Field Yuba Invite Meet, all day 
Feb 23: Baseball vs. Lassen College, 2 pm 
Feb 24: Baseball vs. Shasta College, 1 pm 

Full Yuba College sports schedules are linked here.
Theatre schedule can be found here. 

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District Office News 

Meet Our Staff: Sierra Ronning, Executive Director of Advancement – YCCD Foundation 

Sierra Ronning recently joined the District as the new Executive Director of Advancement. In her new role, she’s looking forward to building relationships across the District and learning what makes each campus unique. She’s excited to work alongside faculty, staff, and community members to strengthen support for students and help create opportunities that make a meaningful, lasting impact. 

A fun fact about Sierra: her first job out of college was working in hunting and fishing television—even though she’s never hunted or fished. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, taking long walks, exploring farmers markets, and spending time with friends—usually somewhere that includes good food and great conversation. Her favorite movie is About Time, a story she loves for being heartfelt, thoughtful, and a little unexpected. 

Sierra is a big fan of Taylor Swift and the San Francisco 49ers and appreciates how both music and sports have a way of bringing people together. After a long day, her favorite way to unwind is going for a walk, listening to an audiobook or music, or relaxing with comfort shows like Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, or Friends. 

One of the best pieces of advice Sierra lives by comes from Ted Lasso: “Be a goldfish,” a reminder to let go, reset, and move forward. She also finds inspiration in a favorite quote by Martin Luther: “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it… this is not the end, but it is the road.” It’s a sentiment she loves for its reminder that growth is ongoing and the best is still ahead. 

Though she’s only been with the District a short time, Sierra says she’s already been struck by the deep commitment people have to students and the community—a shared sense of purpose she finds incredibly powerful. She’s especially passionate about access and opportunity, and the ripple effect community colleges have on students, families, local employers, and entire communities. 

Her friends would describe her as creative, genuinely caring, and someone who helps turn ideas into something meaningful. And when it comes to spontaneity, Sierra admits that one of her biggest leap-of-faith moments was adopting her cat, Gus. As she puts it, “Some of the best decisions come with a little initial panic.”

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California Community Colleges Classified Employee of the Year – Starts February 2nd 

This program honors classified employees who demonstrate exceptional dedication to Vision 2030 and equitable student outcomes. Awardees will be recognized at the March 12, 2026, YCCD Board Meeting.  

Requirements: Classified employees with a minimum of five (5) years of service as a permanent employee within the nominating Community College District (full-time or part-time) are eligible for the award. The nominees are evaluated on their commitment to: 

  • Vision 2030 and equitable student outcomes 
  • Professional ethics and standards 
  • Serving the institution’s diverse student population through participation in professional and/or community activities 
  • Serving as a leader beyond their local institution 

Links to each form:  
District Services Nomination Form 
Yuba College Nomination Form  
Woodland Community College Nomination Form 
 

Nominations are due by Tuesday, February 17, 2026 

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Chancellor Pan’s Monthly Virtual “Open Door” Sessions 


Chancellor Pan offers monthly virtual Chancellor’s Open-Door sessions.  As a reminder, these informal gatherings provide faculty, staff, and students across the Yuba Community College District an opportunity to engage directly with the Chancellor. Have a question, idea, or just want to say hello? Stop by virtually and join the conversation. 

The sessions will be held via Zoom meeting link and the schedule is as follows:  

  • Wednesday, February 18: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  
  • Monday, March 16: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.  
  • Friday, April 17: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  
*dates are subject to change 

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District Holiday Closures 
February 13th – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 16th – Washington’s Birthday

 

Next Regular Board Meeting 
The Board of Trustees will meet for their regular meeting on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at Woodland Community College. The agenda will be released 72-hours prior to the meeting here.  

 

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Fiscal Update

Governor’s Proposed 2026‑27 Budget, LAO Overview, and CCC Funding Details 

The Governor’s 2026–27 Proposed State Budget reflects stronger‑than‑anticipated revenues, reporting $42.3 billion above prior projections largely due to stock‑market–driven capital gains and AI‑related investor activity. While this improves the state’s near‑term fiscal position, the administration still identifies a $2.9 billion deficit for 2026–27—substantially lower than the nearly $13 billion gap anticipated in the 2025 Budget Act.  

However, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) projected in its November Fiscal Outlook that the state faced a significantly larger $18 billion deficit. While part of the difference reflects the timing of recognizing revenue receipts that flowed in after the LAO’s forecast cutoff, the Governor’s revenue estimates remain substantially higher than the LAO’s, driven by more optimistic assumptions about capital‑gains–related income stemming from equity‑market performance. 

California Community Colleges (CCC) Funding 

Ongoing Proposition 98 Adjustments 

The Governor’s Proposed budget the following key adjustments to the ongoing and one-time initiatives: 

Ongoing: 

  • 2.41% COLA for SCFF apportionments — $240.6 million 
  • 1.5% enrollment growth across two years — $87.2 million
    (1% in 2025‑26 = $55.3 million, 0.5% in 2026‑27 = $31.9 million) 
  • $38.1 million ongoing increase for Calbright College 
  • 2.41% COLA for select categorical programs including Adult Education, EOPS, DSPS, Apprenticeship RSI, CARE, and CalWORKs 
  • $5 million scaling of the common cloud data platform 
  • $2 million to support and build upon the Credit for Prior Learning Initiative 

One-Time: 

  • $100 million for the Student Support Block Grant 
  • $36 million for scaling the Common Cloud Data Platform 
  • $35 million to support and build upon the Credit for Prior Learning Initiative 
  • $14.3 million for California Healthy School Food Pathway Program 
  • $13.4 million to backfill Apprenticeship RSI shortfalls 
  • $100 million to increase CCAP for high school students (funding reflected in TK-12 portion of the budget) 

Capital Outlay Funding 

The Governor proposes $736.9 million in capital outlay support from Proposition 2 for 10 new and 29 continuing projects, significantly increasing investment compared to 2025‑26.  

The Governor proposes $120.7 one-time funding for addressing deferred maintenance needs. 

State Budget & Proposition 98 Outlook 

  • The Proposition 98 minimum guarantee is adjusted upward for 2024‑25 and 2025‑26 due to revenue increases, setting the 2026‑27 K‑14 guarantee at $125.5 billion. 
  • The CCC share remains close to the traditional 11% across all three fiscal years.  
  • The budget creates a new $5.6 billion Proposition 98 settle‑up obligation for 2025‑26, to be addressed in future years.  

State reserves are anticipated to a total of $23 billion at the end of 2026‑27.  Of which, $4.1 billion is anticipated to serve a Public School System Stabilization Account (PSSSA) for Proposition 98. 

LAO Perspective & Risks 

The Governor’s 2026–27 Proposed State Budget is presented as roughly balanced, with the administration estimating a $3 billion deficit—a significantly improved position compared with earlier expectations. This improvement is driven almost entirely by the administration’s substantially higher revenue estimate, which revises revenues upward by $42 billion from what was assumed in the 2025 Budget Act. These higher projections are based on recent strong income‑tax collections tied to stock‑market gains and investor enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence. 

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), however, emphasizes that these gains are unlikely to be sustainable. In its November Fiscal Outlook, the LAO estimated an $18 billion deficit, noting that its forecast purposely incorporates the strong risk of a stock‑market downturn—a risk the Governor’s budget does not factor into its revenue estimates. As the LAO explains, “several historically reliable signs” point to an overheated stock market, and failing to account for this volatility places the state on “precarious footing” should a correction occur.  

While the Governor’s higher revenue outlook improves the near‑term budget picture, the LAO notes that these increases are partially offset by higher spending, including constitutional requirements under Proposition 98 and Proposition 2, as well as higher baseline costs across programs such as Medi‑Cal, debt service, and state employee compensation. Even with these optimistic revenue assumptions, the budget is only “roughly balanced”, and both the administration and LAO project large multiyear deficits—between $20 billion and $35 billion annually—in the years ahead.  

Stable but caution‑flagged outlook, with heightened Proposition 98 risk

The Governor’s budget maintains core program funding for community colleges and adds targeted increases—such as COLA for apportionments, limited enrollment growth, and selected student‑support and technology initiatives—resulting in a roughly balanced state budget of about a $3 billion deficit for 2026‑27. 
However, the COLA is not extended to several key equity and student‑success programs, including Student Equity and Achievement (SEA), Strong Workforce, Umoja, and AANHPI programs, limiting inflationary relief for essential supports. 

The LAO warns that this stability is fragile because the Governor’s revenue projections do not incorporate the strong risk of a stock‑market correction. The LAO identifies “several historically reliable signs” that the stock market is overheated, meaning the additional revenues driving the Proposition 98 guarantee may not materialize. 

If revenues fall short, Proposition 98 would adjust downward, reducing available funding for K–14—directly affecting community college apportionments, growth funding, and categorical support. This creates a heightened risk of mid‑ or out‑year volatility, particularly given that community colleges depend heavily on Prop 98’s share of General Fund revenues.

Enrollment growth funding remains modest and may not keep pace with actual recovery 

The Governor proposes 1.5% systemwide enrollment growth over two years, preserving operational continuity but falling short of the stronger enrollment rebounds many districts are experiencing. 

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Recently Reviewed Board Policies & Administrative Procedures

The below Board Policies (BP) and Administrative Procedures (AP) went through the appropriate review process and finalized in Board Docs.  The AP’s reviewed will go to the Board in the summer as an informational item, per standard practice.  

Minor Updates/No Changes: 

  • BP 2015 – Student Member: CCLC Update #47, legally required, and updated to clarify that the District cannot impose eligibility requirements more stringent than those contained in the Education Code section cited in the revision.  
  • AP 2325 – Teleconference Meetings: CCLC Update #47, legally required, and updated to align with the revisions in the Government Code.  
  • BP- 5800 – Prevention of Identity Theft in Student Financial Transactions- Updated links to legal references sections 
  • BP-6250 – Budget Management- Updated links to legal references sections 
  • AP-6300 – Fiscal Management- Updated links to legal references sections 
  • AP- 6400 – Business and Fiscal Affairs- Minor Changes to position titles within AP 
  • AP- 6360 – Electronic Systems and Materials- Minor Changes to position titles within AP 

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—– For current open positions, visit our hiring webpage for more information. —–

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Mission Statement: Yuba Community College District provides all individuals in our diverse communities access to high-quality, affordable higher education that is responsive to student needs. Our mission is to inspire and advocate for student success through our passion and commitment to teaching, learning, and social justice.

Vision: Our vision is to empower our students and strengthen our communities by providing equitable, student-centered learning opportunities.

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